You are here

Home » Forums » Support Forums » Graphics & Pictures Apps Support

"Another instance of GIMP is already running"

13 posts / 0 new
Log in or register to post comments
Last post
August 7, 2007 - 3:01pm
#1
foxcole
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 1 month ago
Joined: 2007-05-26 16:30
"Another instance of GIMP is already running"

(GIMP 2.2 portable, on Win XP Pro, SP2)

Maybe I'm not coming up with the right search terms, but I can't find any information that helps, either in this forum or in the online documentation...

I intended to use GIMP the same way I use Photoshop, as an output option for SnagIt screen captures. But it won't let me: "Another instance of GIMP is already running, Please close other instances pf GIMP before launching GIMP portable." (Of course, I get this same message when I try to open a file I've associated to GIMP when there's an image already open.) This means I'd have to shut down GIMP and reload it for every screen capture, which would be a slow way to work when several captures are needed in succession.

What I'd like to know is whether there's a way to run more than one instance of GIMP or to open more than one image in the same instance, without having to go through File>Open. I couldn't find anything in the Preferences that would appear to control this and, as noted above, I can't find any help or information that pertains to this.

But I also find it difficult to believe that no one else had asked this question, if there's no information on it to be found. --- Meaning, it apparently is not a problem for other people... is it?

Top
August 7, 2007 - 4:02pm
John T. Haller
John T. Haller's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 hours 56 min ago
AdminDeveloperModeratorTranslator
Joined: 2005-11-28 22:21
Hmmm

It should be passing the image off to the already running instance. Let me check the code...

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

Top
August 8, 2007 - 2:59am
(Reply to #2)
Ryan McCue
Ryan McCue's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 4 months ago
Joined: 2006-01-06 21:27
.

Make sure it's using gimp-win-remote.exe so it latches on to the running window.
----
Ryan McCue.
Blog.
So all that Airbus-delay trouble over here in Europe is because of YOU!
Simeon.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

Top
August 15, 2007 - 10:21am
(Reply to #3)
foxcole
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 1 month ago
Joined: 2007-05-26 16:30
Did you mean that for me?

I wasn't sure... was your reply intended for John or for me? If for me, I've no idea how to go about it.

Cheers!
---Fox

Cheers!
---Fox

Top
August 16, 2007 - 4:36am
(Reply to #4)
Ryan McCue
Ryan McCue's picture
Offline
Last seen: 13 years 4 months ago
Joined: 2006-01-06 21:27
John

It was for John. Smile
----
Ryan McCue.
Blog.
So all that Airbus-delay trouble over here in Europe is because of YOU!
Simeon.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

Top
September 6, 2007 - 4:10pm
(Reply to #5)
foxcole
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 1 month ago
Joined: 2007-05-26 16:30
Any luck yet?

I realize how busy you must be with all these portable apps to support, and with everything still in development and testing... but I just wondered whether you've had a chance to look into this. Just for insurance, I tried re-downloading and replacing the application on my USB key, but unfortunately it didn't help. (The current download is version 2.2.17.)

Cheers!
---Fox

Cheers!
---Fox

Top
September 6, 2007 - 10:15pm
John T. Haller
John T. Haller's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 hours 56 min ago
AdminDeveloperModeratorTranslator
Joined: 2005-11-28 22:21
Checked the Code

This is by design at the moment as you can't run another instance of GIMP when one already is running unless you pass a file to it. (And, since 99.9% of the time someone is running it from the PortableApps.com Menu, it will cause an error if it tried to run again.)

I'm looking into adding it into the new launcher I'm working on for it.

You *might* be able to get it to work by pointing the app launching it to gimp-win-remote.exe within the GIMPPortable\App\gimp\bin directory. You'd want to pass the following as parameters (%FILENAME% being the file to open):

gimp-2.2.exe %FILENAME%

You'd have to be sure to launch GIMP Portable first, though. I don't know if this will work or not and can't help you further with it. It's just an idea.

UPDATE - Test Added

I just posted a test launcher. Download GIMPPortable1321.exe and place it in your GIMPPortable directory. It should launch GIMP normally if it's not running, cause GIMP to open a file if it is running and you pass a file and do nothing if it's running and you don't pass a file. It's a beta with just that feature added. It only works in a default directory configuration.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

Top
September 7, 2007 - 11:00am
(Reply to #7)
foxcole
Offline
Last seen: 1 year 1 month ago
Joined: 2007-05-26 16:30
It does work, mostly as advertised :)

The beta launches GIMP nicely if it isn't already running, and it opens images in separate windows if the GIMP is already running for images that I open directly (I mean by double-clicking on the files or by choosing File>Open).

If I point SnagIt to the launcher, it opens new screenshots not as separate windows but as layers on the current image. That's at least workable, layers can be collected and saved off later as individual files... and, the main point is there are no errors!

Cheers!
---Fox

Cheers!
---Fox

Top
September 7, 2007 - 2:11pm
(Reply to #8)
John T. Haller
John T. Haller's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 hours 56 min ago
AdminDeveloperModeratorTranslator
Joined: 2005-11-28 22:21
Regular GIMP

Did you try this with regular gimp (a local install) to see if it has the same issue? I'm instantiating it correctly for opening secondary images so it would seem to be a GIMP issue.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

Top
March 29, 2016 - 5:31pm
(Reply to #9)
slworden
Offline
Last seen: 5 years 4 months ago
Joined: 2016-03-29 12:51
Regular GIMP

I did not have this problem with regular GIMP. In fact, that was the only way to get done what I needed to today.

Top
March 29, 2016 - 5:33pm
(Reply to #10)
slworden
Offline
Last seen: 5 years 4 months ago
Joined: 2016-03-29 12:51
Checked the Code

The GIMPPortable1321.exe link no longer works. Does this file exist elsewhere?

Top
March 29, 2016 - 12:57pm
slworden
Offline
Last seen: 5 years 4 months ago
Joined: 2016-03-29 12:51
Another instance of GIMP is already running

I am having this issue with GIMP but with no other program in my Portable Apps launcher. It doesn't matter whether I try to launch GIMP from the launcher or whether I navigate to the GIMP folder and launch that .exe file directly. One article I found (http://superuser.com/questions/586090/how-can-i-fix-another-instance-of-...) talked about altering the runtimedata.ini file, but I cannot find this file.

Top
March 31, 2016 - 11:00am
(Reply to #12)
John T. Haller
John T. Haller's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 hours 56 min ago
AdminDeveloperModeratorTranslator
Joined: 2005-11-28 22:21
Fresh Install, Task Manager

Please try a fresh install of GIMP Portable to your Desktop directory (to rule out issues with the drive, permissions, or settings in your current install) and run that. Be sure to check Task Manager showing processes for all users and ensure there are no instances of gimp-2.8.exe running in the task list before running. If that runs, then there is an issue with the drive GIMP Portable is installed on, the permissions in those folders, or your current settings. If that does not run and there are no instances of gimp-2.8.exe in your process list, then something is wrong with Windows itself or an antivirus or similar app is interfering with some Windows API calls.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

Top
Log in or register to post comments