[Solved] AutoRecovery every start-up

[FreeAssange]

An ex-friend turned off my power strip while I was working on an onerously researched 34-page document.

Now, whenever I try to open OO, I get the AutoRecovery for that document and an Untitled document. It doesn't matter whether I open from the Start, the taskbar, or Windows Explorer. It doesn't matter whether I am trying to open that document or some other. I eventually deleted the untitled document, but the problem persists:
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https://craignelsen.com/img/misc/oo-1.jpg

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If I select "Cancel", it opens the program, but if I then try to open my file, the program "disappears" and I'm back to square one (as seen in image above). If I select "Start Recovery" it shows the following image.

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https://craignelsen.com/img/misc/oo-2.jpg

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If I select OK, it "successfully recovers" then, when I select "Next" it goes back to square one again.

I've tried looking for .BAK files, .TMP files, as per instructions I found here, tried converting to .pdf by right-clicking on file name (but it gets about 1/3 through and hangs), copying and saving under new name, nothing worked. When I tried to open a TMP file by finding /xxxxxxx.xx/xxxxxxx.TMP, the one I found with the correct date wouldn't open or allow a name change because it was "open in OO". I opened task manager and found numerous instances of the program running, ended them all, but then that seemed to produce an empty folder /xxxxxxx.xxx/ with no file in it as there appeared to have been. (I have "Show Hidden Files" turned on)

I downloaded and ran Process Explorer as per instructions here and found this:

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https://craignelsen.com/img/misc/oo-3.jpg

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It appears Windows is trying to open a print driver. When I end that process, it reappears, sometimes as a sibling of soffice.exe and sometimes as a sibling of soffice.bin. (I've also tried ending those two processes) I don't really know where to go from here.

One other thing, in my search for .bak, .tmp files I came across a .DMP file of the appropriate size and date for the file I need. I'm assuming it is a "dump" file, but at this point I'm way out of my element. I'm going to search here for info on .DMP files, but am hoping someone can help me.

[FreeAssange]

Also, just now replaced my profile, as per viewtopic.php?f=74&t=99158, to no avail. Again, when I open the document, it is visible for about a second, then goes to image 2 above

[FreeAssange]

Also, tried deleting the ~LOCK files as per viewtopic.php?f=7&t=105833&p=514155&hilit=LOCK#p514155.

But, then, when I try to open the file itself, the same thing continues to happen. The document opens for about a second, then everything disappears and when I try to open the program again, I get the AutoRecovery dialogue box again. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

[robleyd]

The Splwow64.exe process is used to translate the driver model of a 64-bit operating system and a 32-bit program; AOO is 32 bit.

Is it possible that you have a networked printer which is not turned on, or not accessible, when you start Writer? I seem to recall, but can't find, other issues raised on the forum with document recovery and offline printers.

[FreeAssange]

Thanks, yes, I do have a networked printer which was on and, as far as I know, ready to receive print jobs, but when I saw the splwow6.exe show up in Process Explorer, I turned the printer off. Actually, will try turning back on now and see whether that clears a cache or unwinds a spool or whatever it's called.

[FreeAssange]

Turned the printer back on and tried opening the document at issue and got this:

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[Hagar Delest]

I fear the document is dead (see: [Tutorial] The Dreaded Pound Signs: file reduced to ####) but that it can't even open it and display the ###.
What you can do to check:
- Make a copy of your file
- Right click that copy and open it with an archive manager (7zip can do that from context menu)
- Open the content.xml file and see if you can find text related to your document
- If nothing useful inside, your file is definitively dead, I hope you had backups
- If you can spot some text, then maybe it's the issue with reaching the printer; in this case, try to delete the settings.xml and the meta.xml files (not sure if you need to delete the meta one but let's do it), close the archive manager (save the change of course) and try to open the file.

[FreeAssange]

Thank you. So, here is how I "solved" the problem and recovered my document.

I was trying all sorts of ways to retrieve the document including, as you suggested, renaming, changing the file extensions, right-clicking and exporting to .pdf, exporting to an email client, opening with every browser ever made--anything and everything. Nothing worked. So, I was in the next room reinforcing the ceiling in case I decided to attach a noose, jk, actually, I was using my drill and when I set it down I shorted something out and tripped the circuit breaker. So, once again, my system was abruptly shut down by pulling the plug. I started the system back up and when I went to open OO, I saw about four or five files waiting to be recovered--one of them was a version of my original document on which I'd changed the extension to .docx file. (which I never use)

AutoRecover recovered all the other documents as usual but gave a yellow check for the docx file with the message "original document recovered".

Sure enough, when I opened it, it was my long lost and dearly beloved document. LOL I saved it as an .odt and it's working fine. The formatting was screwed up, random styles applied here and there in the document, and the footnotes had been incorporated into the text itself, but I was more than happy to just reinsert the footnotes and get back to work.

So, I guess, if someone else is experiencing the same problem, it appears the problem is in your electricity.