Electron Error

nobbie35

I just did a fresh install of Magic Mirror which I’ve had running for years on a different RPi but for some reason I can’t seem to get this new version to start up due to Electron.

I have removed the electron folder and done an npm install that didn’t work, I removed the entire modules folder and did an npm install and that didn’t work… I’ve gone in and manually installed electron node node_modules/electron/install.js and I’m still getting this when I start up my magic mirror.

$ npm start

magicmirror@2.36.0 start
node --run start:wayland

/home/Dashboard/MagicMirror/node_modules/electron/index.js:17
throw new Error(
^

Error: Electron failed to install correctly, please delete node_modules/electron and try installing again
at getElectronPath (/home/Dashboard/MagicMirror/node_modules/electron/index.js:17:11)
at Object. (/home/Dashboard/MagicMirror/node_modules/electron/index.js:23:18)
at Module._compile (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1854:14)
at Object…js (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1985:10)
at Module.load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1577:32)
at Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1379:12)
at wrapModuleLoad (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:255:19)
at Module.require (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1600:12)
at require (node:internal/modules/helpers:153:16)
at Object. (/home/Dashboard/MagicMirror/node_modules/electron/cli.js:5:18)

Node.js v24.16.0

sdetweil

@nobbie35 ok, you are using nvm

nvm install 22.22.1
nvm use 22.22.1
hash -r
node -v

if 22.22.1

cd ~/MagicMirror
rm -rf node_modules
npm run install-mm

if successful

npm run start:wayland

advise results

sdetweil

@nobbie35 lets start back a step
open a terminal window

cd ~/MagicMirror
rm -rf node_modules/electron
npm install electron@41.3.0

what is the result of that?
show the terminal output
this is what I see

npm install electron@41.3.0

added 1 package in 3s

240 packages are looking for funding
  run `npm fund` for details
npm notice
npm notice New major version of npm available! 10.9.4 -> 11.16.0
npm notice Changelog: https://github.com/npm/cli/releases/tag/v11.16.0
npm notice To update run: npm install -g npm@11.16.0
npm notice

I am on node 22.22.1
you are on node 24

maybe try node 22…

sudo npm install n -g
sudo n 22.22.1
hash -r
node -v
cd ~/MagicMirror
rm -rf node_modules
npm run install-mm

if you have wayland as window manager do

npm run start:wayland

else do

npm run start:x11

if you don’t know, run this command stream (from my mm.sh in the scripted install at https://github.com/sdetweil/MagicMirror_scripts)

ps -ef | grep -v grep | grep -i -e xway -e labwc | wc -l

if it returns 1, its wayland, otherwise x11

please advise results along the way… don’t try other things than this

nobbie35

Ok here’s what I got…

npm install electron@41.3.0

added 488 packages in 30s

246 packages are looking for funding
  run `npm fund` for details

After running installing that and then trying to start MM it still gave me the same error

I ran the following

/Dashboard/MagicMirror $ sudo n 22.22.1
     copying : node/22.22.1
   installed : v22.22.1 (with npm 10.9.4)
/Dashboard/MagicMirror $ hash -r
/Dashboard/MagicMirror $ node -v
v24.16.0

Still got the same error and it says im running node 24 still running

Output of the commands

/Dashboard/MagicMirror $ ps -ef | grep -v grep | grep -i -e xway -e labwc | wc -l
2

sdetweil

@nobbie35 ok, node problem…

do

which node

it will give you the path to the node executable
using n, it should be

which node
/usr/local/bin/node

nobbie35

@sdetweil I agree with its a node problem.

~/Dashboard/MagicMirror $ which node
/home/pi/.nvm/versions/node/v24.16.0/bin/node

sdetweil

@nobbie35 ok, you are using nvm

nvm install 22.22.1
nvm use 22.22.1
hash -r
node -v

if 22.22.1

cd ~/MagicMirror
rm -rf node_modules
npm run install-mm

if successful

npm run start:wayland

advise results

nobbie35

Ok this fixed this issues… I’m not using wayland its still x11 i know that… I just have to go update my config file and main.css to match what I had in my previous implementation.

Thank you for the assist. Much appreciated

sdetweil

@nobbie35 said: node 22, awesome
hmmm this says wayland

 ps -ef | grep -v grep | grep -i -e xway -e labwc

can you show its output

note we moved (user controlled files) like css to the config folder
IF you used my installer script, it would have moved everything other than the MM owned css contents

please don’t edit main.css

all USER css goes in custom.css
that way when we install updates, we dont overwrite your stuff…