Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

This has started a few weeks ago and persists even after uninstalling OpenOffice and installing the latest version:

Whenever I want to "Save As"a document... well, nothing happens. Usually the box opens that lets you save the file wherever but that is not happening. When I simply use "Save" after editing an existing document, it works fine. But creating anything new using "save as" does not work.

When trying to create a PDF, I click "export" and its the same. Nothing seems to happen.

The program doesnt crash, it doesnt freeze, it just doesnt do anything.

Any help would be greatly apprechiated - using OpenOffice 4.1.6. on Win10.

It could be a d*mn Windows 10 update which has messed up Windows Defender and Defender is now preventing AOO from writing to your disk. Check the Windows Defender settings for AOO (soffice.exe, soffice.bin and swriter.exe). soffice.bin.

Edit: For full details see [Tutorial] Problems with Windows Defender under Windows 10

Strange problems are often fixed by resetting the user profile - see Resetting the user profile.

As a new poster you will find much useful information in the Writer FAQ, the Writer Tutorials, the up to date Writer guide and the Writer Manual. May I suggest you bookmark the pages.

Press F1 to access the Help screen and search for your problem

The chapter headings in the manual are:

1 - Introducing Writer
2 - Setting up Writer
3 - Working with Text
4 - Formatting Pages
5 - Printing, Exporting, Faxing and E-Mailing
6 - Introduction to Styles
7 - Working with Styles
8 - Working with Graphics
9 - Working with Tables
10 - Working with Templates
11 - Using Mail Merge
12 - Tables of Contents, Indexes and Bibliographies
13 - Working with Master Documents
14 - Working with Fields
15 - Using Forms in Writer
16 - Customizing Writer – Keyboard shortcuts.

When a pop-up window opens, click the Help button for extensive help on that function - it is often more comprehensive than the manual.

After clicking "Save As", press Alt + Spacebar. If a menu appears at some edge of the screen, then the "Save As" dialog is somewhere off the screen and you need to move it back to the screen.

Thank you for your input and sorry for taking so long to reply.

Checking to see if the save menu is off screen was pretty clever. This was an issue I have had before in other programs. So I did. Unfortunately that was not it.

Then I went ahead and deleted the user folder using the guidelines that were linked above. That did not eliminate the problem either.

The issue still persists so if you guys have any more ideas, I am all ears !

Did you check your Windows Defender settings for AOO? Google Windows Defender settings.

1. Download this file to your desktop.
2. Open and edit it.
3. Now go File > Save as ..., and save to your desktop. Repeat and save it to My Documents.

Please describe exactly what happens and, if possible, post an image (a GIF will be the smallest file size) of what you see.

Well, this will be rather painful....

I have spent the last day or two trying to find out how to check Windows Defenders settings in regards to programs. I have looked through Windows Security and have googled extensively. But I can not seem to find either under Windows or GData (My security/firewall program) how to check for individual programs or files.

It annoys me to no end that I cant seem to find out how to do that. It is very embarrasing to me. My apologies.

Q1. See post above. What happened? We need information to debug the problem.

One Shot wrote:I have spent the last day or two trying to find out how to check Windows Defenders settings in regards to programs.

Q2. Windows Defender Antivirus in the Windows Security app or search with windows defender settings.

I downlaoded the file to my desktop and opened it. I added a few letters of text and then tried to safe it via File > Save As... And nothing happend, just like before. The program doesnt crash or freeze, its just that it doesnt open the menu to choose where and how to save.

Not sure you need a screenshot of that as it looks exactly like the program running normally.

I am assuming that you followed the previous advice

John_Ha wrote:Strange problems are often fixed by resetting the user profile - see Resetting the user profile.

If you do not get the pop-up window after doing it then:

1. Close AOO
2. Delete C:\Users\xxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice\4\user. You may need to switch on Show hidden files and folders to see it. This step is essential.
3. Uninstall AOO completely
4. Download AOO from http://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html
5. Install AOO. If you do not get asked for your user data (name, initials etc) you omitted step 2. Go back to Step 1 and repeat.

If it still does not work then you have to look at its being a Windows problem because you have removed all trace of AOO on your machine (Steps 1, 2 and 3) and installed a completely new version of AOO (Steps 4 and 5).

A thought: Tools > Options > OpenOffice > General > tick Use OpenOffice dialogue boxes. This uses AOO function instead of Windows function to provide the pop-up Save window. Use Preferences > OpenOffice ..., on a Mac.

Showing that a problem has been solved helps others searching so, if your problem is now solved, please view your first post in this thread and click the Edit button (top right in the post) and add [Solved] in front of the subject.

Yes, I did reset the user profile but that did not work. I did however NOT reinstall in the process as you outlined above.

I will try that next and then report back (this may take a few days though, due to RL circumstances)

John_Ha wrote: A thought: Tools > Options > OpenOffice > General > tick Use OpenOffice dialogue boxes. This uses AOO function instead of Windows function to provide the pop-up Save window.

So I did this.... and it worked ! After this, the window opened and I could both use Save As... and Export PDF again. So that means the issue is with Windows, right ?

The test for correct deletion of the User Profile is that one is prompted to enter name and Initials on next startup of OpenOffice. Save problems can be isolated to the permissions on the operating system if in the Save As process one navigates to one's desktop. One should always have permission to Save a file to one's desktop.

That is not an ideal location for Saves in general, because it would quickly get cluttered, but as a fault-finding exercise it is valuable for the one test file.

As Rory says: were you asked to insert your user data after resetting the Profile? If you were not you did not succeed in resetting it.

Now it works go back and un-tick the box. Does it still work?

John_Ha wrote:As Rory says: were you asked to insert your user data after resetting the Profile?

Yes, I was.

John_Ha wrote:Now it works go back and un-tick the box. Does it still work?

No, it doesnt.

In that case it does suggest a problem where AOO cannot contact the Windows code. I have no idea how to fix it. You might try doing a System File Check which checks the integrity of Windows. Google system file checker windows 10.

I will look at the Windows side again.
Question though: What would speak against leaving "Use OpenOffice dialogue boxes" enabled in case I cant find anything with Windows that helps to fix this issue ?

Leaving it would not be a problem. But I am pretty sure Windows is broken. You could try a re-install of AOO to confirm whether it is AOO or Windows.

One Shot wrote:What would speak against leaving "Use OpenOffice dialogue boxes" enabled in case I cant find anything with Windows that helps to fix this issue ?

That's a personal preference. I preferred the Windows dialogs because I used the Navigation Pane and Search Box on the Windows dialogs for quicker file system navigation. The OpenOffice dialogs don't have those features.

I have to table this issue for the time being. Seeing as it works with the workaround, I can currently not follow up on this. But we have pretty much established that this is some issue with Windows 10, right ?

Thank you for your help everyone. I very much apprechiate it.

A thought: Tools > Options > OpenOffice > General > tick Use OpenOffice dialogue boxes. This uses AOO function instead of Windows function to provide the pop-up Save window.

The suggestion above worked for me. Thanks so much.