Audacity does not start

Hi!
I’m using Ubuntu Studio 20.10 and the power just went off while working in Audacity. Now I can’t log in and I get an error screen. Says:

ASSERT INFO:
../include/wx/strvararg.h(462): assert "(argtype & (wxFormatStringSpecifier<T>::value)) == argtype" failed in wxArgNormalizer(): format specifier doesn't match argument type

BACKTRACE:
[1] wxFileConfig::Parse(wxTextBuffer const&, bool)
[2] wxFileConfig::Init()
[3] wxFileConfig::wxFileConfig(wxString const&, wxString const&, wxString const&, wxString const&, long, wxMBConv const&)
[4] PluginManager::GetSettings()
[5] PluginManager::GetPrivateConfig(wxString const&, wxString const&, wxString const&, bool&, bool)
[6] Effect::GetPrivateConfig(wxString const&, wxString const&, bool&, bool)
[7] Effect::Startup(EffectClientInterface*)
[8] EffectManager::GetEffect(wxString const&)
[9] EffectManager::GetEffectFamilyName(wxString const&)
[10] void std::__insertion_sort<__gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<PluginDescriptor const**, std::vector<PluginDescriptor const*, std::allocator<PluginDescriptor const*> > >, __gnu_cxx::__ops::_Iter_comp_iter<bool (*)(PluginDescriptor const*, PluginDescriptor const*)> >(__gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<PluginDescriptor const**, std::vector<PluginDescriptor const*, std::allocator<PluginDescriptor const*> > >, __gnu_cxx::__normal_iterator<PluginDescriptor const**, std::vector<PluginDescriptor const*, std::allocator<PluginDescriptor const*> > >, __gnu_cxx::__ops::_Iter_comp_iter<bool (*)(PluginDescriptor const*, PluginDescriptor const*)>)
[11] std::_Function_handler<std::shared_ptr<Registry::BaseItem> (Registry::Visitor&), Registry::InlineGroupItem<ToolbarMenuVisitor>::AppendOne(std::function<std::shared_ptr<Registry::BaseItem> (ToolbarMenuVisitor&)> const&)::{lambda(Registry::Visitor&)#1}>::_M_invoke(std::_Any_data const&, Registry::Visitor&)
[12] Registry::Visit(Registry::Visitor&, Registry::BaseItem*, Registry::GroupItem const*)
[13] MenuManager::Visit(ToolbarMenuVisitor&)
[14] MenuCreator::CreateMenusAndCommands(AudacityProject&)
[15] ProjectManager::New()
[16] AudacityApp::OnInit()
[17] wxEntry(int&, wchar_t**)
[18] main
[19] __libc_start_main
[20] _start

I tried to repair by deleting the .cfg file and managed to enter the program, but when I made changes to the configuration again I got the same error.
I m using the version 2.4.2 and Ubuntu has not yet the last version.
What I can do?
I tried to uninstall but they tell me that when reinstalling I will have the same problem.
What do you advise me?

Try purging Audacity, then delete

~/.audacity-data

(where “~/” means your home folder),
then reinstall Audacity.

Very good!

The steps I did are:

[Warning from moderator: Do not use this code. It contains potentially dangerous typos.]

apt search audacity
sudo rm -R ~ / .audacity-data
sudo apt install --reinstall audacity

I ran Audacity again and everything is working fine.

Thanks a lot!

Please don’t copy/paste this code! There are spaces in the rm -R command that will potentially delete your home directory and possibly your entire system!

Here is the code, fixed:
[Warning from moderator: Do not use this code with “sudo rm”.]

apt search audacity
sudo rm -R ~/.audacity-data
sudo apt install --reinstall audacity

Good catch. Thanks for posting a warning.

Not quite. It should be run with normal user privileges, not as root.

rm -R ~/.audacity-data

Only the installation requires root access.

You’re right. I hadn’t even looked at that. Definitely no need for sudo.