[Solved] OpenOffice Calc Crashes after W10 update

[robleyd]

After the recent Windows 10 update I find OO Calc crashes when attempting to open large spread sheets. Is there some setting that limits the storage available to OO?
Cheers
Charlie

[thomasjk]

No there is nothing that would be caused by a Windows update. Try resetting the user profile https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/v ... 74&t=12426

[CSRepton]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. However, I have tried resetting the user profile, and I get the same result. Small spread sheets open OK, larger ones (900K or so) cause OOCalc to freeze (not responding) and then crash

[RoryOF]

How long have you left it before deciding that it had frozen? I've seen some spreadsheets that needed 30 or more minutes.

[CSRepton]

Again, thanks for responding. The screen within OOCalc shows a blank grey work sheet, the title indicates Calc not responding, then the program just ends. So, it is not a question of waiting, the program ends without generating a crash report.

[RoryOF]

Try this: start Windows in Safe Mode, then start OpenOffice and try to open your spreadsheet.

[CSRepton]

Thanks for your help. It seems gettting into safe mode in windows 10 is more complicated than it used to be on earlier versions. I will have to give up for now, but thanks for your help.

[RoryOF]

I don't use current versions of Windows (which allows me live a very happy life!); it used always be the case that Safe Mode was invoked by holding the F8 key while Windows started up.

[CSRepton]

Not with Windows 10 I'm afraid.

[robleyd]

I found this in a few seconds with a quick web search for windows 10 safe mode

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/hel ... -safe-mode

[CSRepton]

Not with Windows 10 I'm afraid.

[CSRepton]

Thanks for the suggestion, but safe mode makes no difference.

Cheers
Charlie

[John_Ha]

I think the clue is "after a Windows 10 update".

1. Check the Windows Defender settings and give all the AOO exe files (soffice.exe, scalc.exe etc) write permission to your disk.

2. Try creating a new large test spreadsheet. Does it work OK? If so, it is probably the file you were opening is damaged.

3. Upload a large file which causes a crash to a file share site so it can be tested.

[CSRepton]

Thanks for the advice. The problem arises with all my large files. so I do not thing it is a corruption problem. I looked at Windows Defender, but could not find an option that would let me set permissions for specific file types. Any hints as to where this may be?
Cheers
Charlie

[John_Ha]

Any hints as to where this may be?

1. Google for it.

2. Upload an example large file which causes a crash so it can be analysed.

3. See test large.ods which is a 596 kB file. Does it open OK?

[robleyd]

How to Change Windows Defender Controlled Folder Access Settings in Windows 10

As I understand Defender - from someone who doesn't use Windows but has searched occasionally for solutions for others - you need to allow applications rather than file types.

[John_Ha]

Also see test file 2.ods which is 834 kB and opens in 4 seconds. It has 5,300 rows and 10 columns. soffice.bin is using 79 MBytes - soffice.exe and scalc.exe are using 1 MB each. I very much doubt the poster has run out of real, let alone virtual, memory.

I am now less inclined to believe it is a Windows Defender problem. soffice.exe and scalc.exe must both be working or Calc would not open the small files. There is no other .exe file which would be called for a large spreadsheet - just probably another dll which is granted permission as a child of soffice.exe or scalc.exe.

I think we are a bit stuck until we see a file which causes a crash, or the poster tests the large files I posted.

[CSRepton]

Hi,
Thanks very much for your help in trying to sort this problem out.
The test file opened OK.
I am sure the file that is causing me the problem is also OK - it has opened OK on another machine. So the problem seems to be the copy of OOCalc on this machine (ulikely since I have uninstalled OOfice and then reinstalled it twice with no success) or there is some setting or interference with OOCalc on this machine.
Cheers
Charlie

[RoryOF]

It may be, that if you open the file on another machine, then Save it on the machine using a different name (so as not to overwrite your original), that the new copy will open correctly on the "bad" machine.

[John_Ha]

So the problem seems to be the copy of OOCalc on this machine (ulikely since I have uninstalled OOfice and then reinstalled it twice with no success)

Not relevant because reinstalling does not delete or reset the User Profile. See the second post in this thread and reset the User Profile.

Alternatively

1. Stop AOO
2. Rename C:\Users\xxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice\4\user to ...\user_old.
3. Start AOO. You will be asked to enter your name - if you are not so asked, Step 2 failed.

[CSRepton]

Thanks, I have already tried reseting the user profile, this made no difference.
Cheers
Charlie

[John_Ha]

have already tried reseting the user profile, this made no difference.

1. Do it again now. Be sure you are asked for your name when you restart.

I think we are a bit stuck until we see a file which causes a crash

2. Upload an example file causing the crash. We need to work out why my 834 kB file is OK on your PC but your 600 kB file causes a crash.

And what do you mean by "crash"? Do you mean "hang", where Calc just stops responding but still stays there? Or "crash", where the program completely disappears?

[daddyo333]

I ran in to this to, and after lots of trying everything under the sun, I saw thought to look at the Update log for windows. Sure enough I got an update last night. So I uninstalled the most recent windows updates and it works again, thank god!
I took a screen shot of the updates I removed. It may have only been one of them but I was in a hurry and needed to take the shot gun approach.

[CSRepton]

Thanks to all for responses. Although the problem is not yet fixed replies at least keep me trying rather than giving up in despair.
Reset user profile again, it did ask for name - no change
Windows update uninstalled (I Think) spreadsheet still does not open, but now generates a message 'could not create system bit map' before closing - progress of sorts I supose.
I will go back and try to reinstall winows updates, check, try to uninstall them again, and check again. This is a fairly lengthy process and I do not have time to do this just now. More anon.
Cheers
Charlie

[daddyo333]

Well windows installed a different update last night in place of the one i removed. It had a different number and didn't affect Open Office. But to be honest, I am not sure if the one I uninstalled yesterday and the one that it installed overnight are even related.

[John_Ha]

Reset user profile again, it did ask for name - no change

Good - we can rule that out. You are only asked for your name if the profile is replaced.

I find it difficult to understand how a Windows update could cause what you describe. Recapping, I think the situation is:

1. Calc runs OK on small files
2. When opening more than one large 900 kB files Calc first stops responding and then, without any user interaction, Calc crashes and the Calc window disappears. But when those same large files are copied to another PC they open OK. The crashing happened after a W10 update but that may be circumstantial.
3. Calc opens my 834 kB file without a problem.
4. Backing out the last W10 update prevents the crashes and Calc now opens the files which previously caused it to crash.
5. You have not tried running the PC in Safe Mode.

I suspect this could be an incompletely installed W10 update especially as the error message has now changed. I also wonder if the file has an error in it causing it to loop.

Question You have ignored both requests to upload the file for it to be examined. Is there a reason why? Please upload the file so it can be analysed.

Actions - follow precisely and in sequence.

1 Reboot the PC and be absolutely certain it is not half way through an update. When you are absolutely certain all the updates have been installed (do another reboot to check) test Calc with a file known to cause the problem. If it still fails ...

2. Boot the PC into Safe Mode - see 7 ways to boot into Safe Mode in Windows 10. Test Calc with the same file. If it still fails ...

3. Back out the last W10 updates. Test Calc with the same file. If it still fails ...

4. Boot the PC into Safe Mode. Test Calc with the same file.

What happened at each step 1, 2, 3 and 4?

Another thought. Go Tools > Options > OpenOffice > Java. Does it show this? The Program Files (x86) is important - AOO uses 32 bit Java even on a 64 bit machine. I needed to submit my cookie preferences (presumably as a result of the new European GDPR law) to java.com before update would work. v1.8.0_81 installed OK but I got an error message on starting AOO and I had to select the radio button in Tools > Options > OpenOffice > Java. That has never happened before. See [Solved] Problems installing latest Java update on Windows

Another "another thought". If the W10 update really is causing it, does it affect any other applications with large files? Have you any you could try? I Googled but there are no significant reports - if a W10 update was at fault I would have expected to see hundreds of posts about it.

[es0]

I'm having the same trouble. Windows 10 updated automatically overnight on 8/14 evening (I try to prevent that for exactly these reasons but Microsoft is rude that way).

Starting 8/15, OpenOffice Writer started crashing. Pattern has been I have ~4 documents open along with 2 spreadsheets. I'm working in one of the documents.

It's a hard crash; it does not even start the recovery on its own. Then it gives the 2-screen file-recover process.

It's not a user profile issue. This has something to do with the Windows update.

Always grateful for help on these boards! Thanks in advance for anyone who can offer suggestions specific to this case.

(edited to fix dates - apparently I thought it was still July when I originally wrote this.)

[John_Ha]

It looks like it might be caused by a problem with W10 update KB434390? which now appears to have been replaced by update KB4338819. pranthony found the solution - see here. The fix is therefore

1. Go to Control Panel (Settings) > Programs and Features > Installed Updates
2. Uninstall KB434390? - Security update for Windows
3. Check for updates. KB4338819 should then be installed and the problem fixed.

Edit: See below - I think the correct number is KB4343909

[CSRepton]

Hi,
I have now uninstalled KB4343909 and the file now opens OK. So, the problem is clearly with the windows update, not with the file. I have checked for windows updates and the 'New' update you mention, KB4338819, is not shown. instead it schedules a new attempt to install KB4343909. However that seems to have identified the problem and provided a fix for now. I assume at some stage the KB4338819 will become available and that will provide a permanent solution.
Grateful thanks to everyone for helping with this.
Cheers
Charlie

[es0]

It looks like it might be caused by a problem with W10 update KB434390 which now appears to have been replaced by update KB4338819. The fix is therefore

1. Go to Control Panel (Settings) > Programs and Features > Installed Updates
2. Uninstall KB434390 - Security update for Windows
3. Check for updates. KB4338819 should then be installed and the problem fixed.

@John_Ha, really appreciate that you walked me through those steps, especially when this isn't an OO problem. I've uninstalled the offending version (which on my system was KB4343909 FWIW) and it wants to re-install the same version, but threw an error when it tried. Fingers crossed that MSFT will get its act together with whatever they broke in this release and it'll let me run on the older version for now.