Strange errors are often the result of not having the right graphics driver installed. Go to https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/drivers.html and install the current driver for your system. If that doesn't work, you'll have to dig deeper. Start the "Event Viewer" application, and show Administrative Events in the Custom Views section. The try starting ChimeraX and look for an associated event. If you find one, it should give you more information. Sometimes starting ChimeraX via the command line will help. Use Command Prompt or PowerShell to display a terminal window. Then right-click on the ChimeraX and show the properties. Copy the all of the Target property and paste that into the terminal window and redirect the output to a file. For example with a standard ChimeraX 1.9 installation, run ChimeraX with: "C:\Program Files\ChimeraX 1.9\bin\ChimeraX.exe" 2>&1 > output.txt then run: type output.txt to see any messages. Another possibility is that your anti-virus software is interfering with ChimeraX. Usually those errors go away in a few days. Look at your anti-virus scan/quarantine results to see if parts of ChimeraX show up there. HTH, Greg On 5/31/2026 11:40 PM, PRIYANSHI . via ChimeraX-users wrote:
Dear UCSF ChimeraX Support Team,
I am having trouble running ChimeraX on my laptop. I successfully downloaded and installed the software, but it does not open when I try to launch it.
When I click the ChimeraX icon, I only see the loading/buffering cursor for a few seconds above the desktop icon, and then nothing happens. The program never opens, and no error message is displayed.
My laptop specifications are:
- HP Laptop - Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with Radeon Graphics, 1.80 GHz - Installed RAM: 16.0 GB (15.3 GB usable) - Graphics: AMD Radeon(TM) Graphics (496 MB) - Storage: 159 GB used out of 477 GB - System Type: 64-bit Operating System, x64-based Processor - Operating System: Windows (64-bit)
I have already tried multiple troubleshooting methods suggested by ChatGPT and Google Gemini, including reinstalling the software and other recommended fixes, but ChimeraX still does not open.
Could you please advise me on:
1. Whether my system meets the requirements for ChimeraX? 2. Whether there are known compatibility issues with AMD Ryzen 7 5700U or AMD Radeon Graphics? 3. Any additional troubleshooting steps I can try? 4. Whether there is an alternative version or installation method that may work better on my system?
I would greatly appreciate your guidance.
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Kind regards, Priyanshi
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