How to Fix Configure: Error: C Compiler Cannot Create Executables

used

./configure DFLAGS="-03"

and this is the config.log

checking build system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu  
checking host system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu  
checking target system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu  
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c  
checking whether build environment is sane... yes  
checking for a thread-safe mkdir -p... /bin/mkdir -p  
checking for gawk... gawk  
checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... yes  
checking whether make supports nested variables... yes  
checking whether to enable maintainer-specific portions of Makefiles... no  
checking for style of include used by make... GNU  
checking for gcc... gcc  
checking whether the C compiler works... no  
configure: error: in `/home/mike/cpuminer-2.4.2':  
configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables  

my system is ubuntu 14.04 and the system details say the os is 32 bit. any help would be great as the compiler fails on anytime I try to use it, not just with this install.

config.log output:

This file contains any messages produced by compilers while  
running configure, to aid debugging if configure makes a mistake.  

It was created by cpuminer configure 2.4.2, which was  
generated by GNU Autoconf 2.69.  Invocation command line was  

  $ ./configure CFLAGS=-03  

## --------- ##  
## Platform. ##  
## --------- ##  

hostname = mike-Dell-DM051  
uname -m = i686  
uname -r = 3.13.0-57-generic  
uname -s = Linux  
uname -v = #95-Ubuntu SMP Fri Jun 19 09:27:48 UTC 2015  

/usr/bin/uname -p = unknown  
/bin/uname -X     = unknown  

/bin/arch              = unknown  
/usr/bin/arch -k       = unknown  
/usr/convex/getsysinfo = unknown  
/usr/bin/hostinfo      = unknown  
/bin/machine           = unknown  
/usr/bin/oslevel       = unknown  
/bin/universe          = unknown  

PATH: /usr/local/sbin  
PATH: /usr/local/bin  
PATH: /usr/sbin  
PATH: /usr/bin  
PATH: /sbin  
PATH: /bin  
PATH: /usr/games  
PATH: /usr/local/game  

## ----------- ##  
## Core tests. ##  
## ----------- ##  

configure:2336: checking build system type  
configure:2350: result: i686-pc-linux-gnu  
configure:2370: checking host system type  
configure:2383: result: i686-pc-linux-gnu  
configure:2403: checking target system type  
configure:2416: result: i686-pc-linux-gnu  
configure:2460: checking for a BSD-compatible install  
configure:2528: result: /usr/bin/install -c  
configure:2539: checking whether build environment is sane  
configure:2594: result: yes  
configure:2745: checking for a thread-safe mkdir -p  
configure:2784: result: /bin/mkdir -p  
configure:2791: checking for gawk  
configure:2807: found /usr/bin/gawk  
configure:2818: result: gawk  
configure:2829: checking whether make sets $(MAKE)  
configure:2851: result: yes  
configure:2880: checking whether make supports nested variables  
configure:2897: result: yes  
configure:3026: checking whether to enable maintainer-specific portions of Make$  
configure:3035: result: no  
configure:3061: checking for style of include used by make  
configure:3089: result: GNU  
configure:3160: checking for gcc  
configure:3176: found /usr/bin/gcc  
configure:3187: result: gcc  
configure:3416: checking for C compiler version  
configure:3425: gcc --version >&5  
gcc (Ubuntu 4.8.4-2ubuntu1~14.04) 4.8.4  
Copyright (C) 2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.  
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO  
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  

configure:3436: $? = 0  
configure:3425: gcc -v >&5  
Using built-in specs.  
COLLECT_GCC=gcc  
COLLECT_LTO_WRAPPER=/usr/lib/gcc/i686-linux-gnu/4.8/lto-wrapper  
Target: i686-linux-gnu  
Configured with: ../src/configure -v --with-pkgversion='Ubuntu 4.8.4-2ubuntu1~1$  
Thread model: posix  
gcc version 4.8.4 (Ubuntu 4.8.4-2ubuntu1~14.04)  
configure:3436: $? = 0  
configure:3425: gcc -V >&5  
gcc: error: unrecognized command line option '-qversion'  
gcc: fatal error: no input files  
compilation terminated.  
configure:3436: $? = 4  
configure:3456: checking whether the C compiler works  
configure:3478: gcc -03   conftest.c  >&5  
gcc: error: unrecognized command line option '-03'  
configure:3482: $? = 1  
configure:3520: result: no  
configure: failed program was:  
| /* confdefs.h */  
| #define PACKAGE_NAME "cpuminer"  
| #define PACKAGE_TARNAME "cpuminer"  
| #define PACKAGE_VERSION "2.4.2"  
| #define PACKAGE_STRING "cpuminer 2.4.2"  
| #define PACKAGE_BUGREPORT ""  
| #define PACKAGE_URL ""| #define PACKAGE "cpuminer"  
| #define VERSION "2.4.2"  
| /* end confdefs.h.  */  
|  
| int  
| main ()  
| {  
|  
|   ;  
|   return 0;  
| }  
configure:3525: error: in `/home/mike/cpuminer-2.4.2':  
configure:3527: error: C compiler cannot create executables  
See `config.log' for more details  

## ---------------- ##  
## Cache variables. ##  
## ---------------- ##  

ac_cv_build=i686-pc-linux-gnu  
ac_cv_env_CCASFLAGS_set=  
ac_cv_env_CCASFLAGS_value=  
ac_cv_env_CCAS_set=  
ac_cv_env_CCAS_value=  
ac_cv_env_CC_set=  
ac_cv_env_CC_value=  
ac_cv_env_CFLAGS_set=set  
ac_cv_env_CFLAGS_value=-03  
ac_cv_env_CPPFLAGS_set=  
ac_cv_env_CPPFLAGS_value=  
ac_cv_env_CPP_set=  
ac_cv_env_CPP_value=  
ac_cv_env_LDFLAGS_set=  
ac_cv_env_LDFLAGS_value=  
ac_cv_env_LIBS_set=  
ac_cv_env_LIBS_value=  
ac_cv_env_build_alias_set=  
ac_cv_env_build_alias_value=  
ac_cv_env_host_alias_set=  
ac_cv_env_host_alias_value=  
ac_cv_env_target_alias_set=  
ac_cv_env_target_alias_value=  
ac_cv_host=i686-pc-linux-gnu  
ac_cv_path_install='/usr/bin/install -c'ac_cv_path_mkdir=/bin/mkdir  
ac_cv_prog_AWK=gawk  
ac_cv_prog_ac_ct_CC=gcc  
ac_cv_prog_make_make_set=yes  
ac_cv_target=i686-pc-linux-gnu  
am_cv_make_support_nested_variables=yes  

## ----------------- ##  
## Output variables. ##  
## ----------------- ##  

ACLOCAL='${SHELL} /home/mike/cpuminer-2.4.2/missing aclocal-1.14'  
ALLOCA=''    
AMDEPBACKSLASH='\'  
AMDEP_FALSE='#'  
AMDEP_TRUE=''  
AMTAR='$${TAR-tar}'  
AM_BACKSLASH='\'  
AM_DEFAULT_V='$(AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY)'  
AM_DEFAULT_VERBOSITY='1'  
AM_V='$(V)'  
ARCH_ARM_FALSE=''ARCH_ARM_TRUE=''  
ARCH_PPC_FALSE=''  
ARCH_PPC_TRUE=''  
ARCH_x86_64_FALSE=''  
ARCH_x86_64_TRUE=''  
ARCH_x86_FALSE=''  
ARCH_x86_TRUE=''  
AUTOCONF='${SHELL} /home/mike/cpuminer-2.4.2/missing autoconf'  
AUTOHEADER='${SHELL} /home/mike/cpuminer-2.4.2/missing autoheader'  
AUTOMAKE='${SHELL} /home/mike/cpuminer-2.4.2/missing automake-1.14'  
AWK='gawk'  
CC='gcc'  
CCAS=''  
CCASDEPMODE=''  
CCASFLAGS=''  
CCDEPMODE=''  
CFLAGS='-03'  
CPP=''  
CPPFLAGS=''  
CYGPATH_W='echo'  
DEFS=''  
DEPDIR='.deps'  
ECHO_C=''  
ECHO_N='-n'  
ECHO_T=''  
EGREP=''  
EXEEXT=''  
GREP=''  
HAVE_WINDOWS_FALSE=''  
HAVE_WINDOWS_TRUE=''  
INSTALL_DATA='${INSTALL} -m 644'  
INSTALL_PROGRAM='${INSTALL}'  
INSTALL_SCRIPT='${INSTALL}'  
INSTALL_STRIP_PROGRAM='$(install_sh) -c -s'  
JANSSON_LIBS=''  
LDFLAGS=''  
LIBCURL=''  
LIBCURL_CPPFLAGS=''  
LIBOBJS=''  
LIBS=''  
LTLIBOBJS=''  
MAINT='#'  
MAINTAINER_MODE_FALSE=''  
MAINTAINER_MODE_TRUE='#'MAKEINFO='${SHELL} /home/mike/cpuminer-2.4.2/missing makeinfo'  
MKDIR_P='/bin/mkdir -p'  
OBJEXT=''  
PACKAGE='cpuminer'  
PACKAGE_BUGREPORT=''  
PACKAGE_NAME='cpuminer'  
PACKAGE_STRING='cpuminer 2.4.2'  
PACKAGE_TARNAME='cpuminer'  
PACKAGE_URL=''  
PACKAGE_VERSION='2.4.2'  
PATH_SEPARATOR=':'  
PTHREAD_FLAGS=''  
PTHREAD_LIBS=''  
RANLIB=''  
SET_MAKE=''  
SHELL='/bin/bash'  
STRIP=''  
USE_ASM_FALSE=''  
USE_ASM_TRUE=''  
VERSION='2.4.2'  
WANT_JANSSON_FALSE=''  
WANT_JANSSON_TRUE=''  
S2_LIBS=''  
_libcurl_config=''  
ac_ct_CC='gcc'  
am__EXEEXT_FALSE=''  
am__EXEEXT_TRUE=''  
am__fastdepCCAS_FALSE=''  
am__fastdepCCAS_TRUE=''  
am__fastdepCC_FALSE=''  
am__fastdepCC_TRUE=''  
am__include='include'  
am__isrc=''  
am__leading_dot='.'  
am__nodep='_no'  
am__quote=''  
am__tar='$${TAR-tar} chof - "$$tardir"'  
am__untar='$${TAR-tar} xf -'  
bindir='${exec_prefix}/bin'  
build='i686-pc-linux-gnu'  
build_alias=''  
build_cpu='i686'  
build_os='linux-gnu'  
build_vendor='pc'htmldir='${docdir}'  
includedir='${prefix}/include'  
infodir='${datarootdir}/info'  
install_sh='${SHELL} /home/mike/cpuminer-2.4.2/install-sh'  
libdir='${exec_prefix}/lib'  
libexecdir='${exec_prefix}/libexec'  
localedir='${datarootdir}/locale'  
localstatedir='${prefix}/var'  
mandir='${datarootdir}/man'  
mkdir_p='$(MKDIR_P)'  
oldincludedir='/usr/include'  
pdfdir='${docdir}'  
sbindir='${exec_prefix}/sbin'  
sharedstatedir='${prefix}/com'  
sysconfdir='${prefix}/etc'  
target='i686-pc-linux-gnu'  
target_alias=''  
target_cpu='i686'  
target_os='linux-gnu'  
target_vendor='pc'  

## ----------- ##  
## confdefs.h. ##  
## ----------- ##  

/* confdefs.h */  
#define PACKAGE_NAME "cpuminer"  
#define PACKAGE_TARNAME "cpuminer"  
#define PACKAGE_VERSION "2.4.2"  
#define PACKAGE_STRING "cpuminer 2.4.2"  
#define PACKAGE_BUGREPORT ""  
#define PACKAGE_URL ""  
#define PACKAGE "cpuminer"  
#define VERSION "2.4.2"  

configure: exit 77  
10

My guess would be that you have the basic C compiler installed, but not the headers for the standard library. Try:

sudo apt install libc6-dev

[Edit: this produces similar symptoms, but wasn't the case here. The CFLAGS answers appear to be correct.]

4

From the config.log:

configure:3478: gcc -03   conftest.c  >&5  
gcc: error: unrecognized command line option '-03'  

The option is -O3 with the letter O, not the number 0 (zero). So, you should run, as given in the README:

./configure CFLAGS="-O3"

Looks like your CFLAGS has a zero instead of capital O. That is invalid, and causing the compilation to fail. You can fix it, but really, look for a later version of the package which has been fixed.

1

I was having this exact same problem trying to install tivodecode on a base build of Linux Mint 17.3. I tried the:

./configure DFLAGS="-O3"

command but with no effect. So I tried:

sudo apt install libc6-dev

to install the latest C headers. I tried the ./configure command again with no variables and all went well. The make and make install commands also completed successfully. My recommendation is to make sure the latest C headers are installed and then run your ./configure command.

You can try to install build-essential

sudo apt-get install build-essential
David Miller

David Miller

Executive Financial & Market Analyst

David Miller brings 15 years of experience in global economics, personal finance strategy, and market dynamics. He specializes in turning complex economic trends into actionable insights for everyday readers.

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