Comments about the user profile tutorial

[bugmenot]

With the latest version (3.0.1) the "-env" switch was changed to "-ooenv".
Anyways it seems this trick does not work anymore, user profile is always read from %APPDATA%\OpenOffice.org.
Any suggestion?

EDIT: fixed now using "-env" switch and relative path.

[Villeroy]

Got a hint from a developer that issues with user profiles are mostly due to extensions. In fact I could fix a corrupted user profile imported from version 2 to version 3 after deleting directory uno_packages only.

[tim_dev]

Thanks Hagar de l'Est - I had '"JRE is defective" error message when running OO Base, and your suggestion of renaming 'user' profile *, so OO has to create a new profile, worked

(* in C:\Documents and Settings\tim\Application Data\OpenOffice.org\3)

Thanks again

Tim

[sciuriware]

Thanks HAGAR, this exposee saved me from phantom crashes on XP since 3.3
Strange that 2 other (laptop) systems with XP and W7 did not experience any problem.

[kingfisher]

There is no longer a 'registry' sub folder in my Linux (rpm) version.

[Hagar Delest]

It has been removed in 3.x, hence the [OOo 2.x] tag for that line.

[RGB]

Starting with AOO 3.4, the system used to register installed extensions (and that include dictionaries) will be replaced by a simpler and (hopefully) more robust solution. The immediate consequence of this change will be the need to reinstall all the extensions after an upgrade to 3.4, or to start with a new user profile.

[White Phoenix]

I have been following the tutorial to fix the crashing problem after upgrading from LO 3.4 (and apparently Oracle OOo 3.3 and I noticed something after using the Nuclear method and transferring my old folders one at a time.

After each move, I opened up the app to see if everything was OK. After the first few crashes I started noticing the more things that I tried there would be an inevitable crash. I started over, but this time I checked several things each time instead of only three or four for the first two folders.

Then I noticed that if it came back on its own, I could check more things without it crashing. As if it weren’t actually ‘crashing’ as much as it was ‘resetting’. Now I am beginning to think that this is what is actually happening when everyone is reporting crashes.

Has anyone else had the same experience?

[ozmirage]

"The folders are hidden by default, make sure your file explorer is configured to display the hidden files and folders ...."

And how do I make sure of that on my Mac?

[RoryOF]

"The folders are hidden by default, make sure your file explorer is configured to display the hidden files and folders ...."

And how do I make sure of that on my Mac?

You read the Mac instruction handbook, of course.

[lgusaas]

"The folders are hidden by default, make sure your file explorer is configured to display the hidden files and folders ...."

And how do I make sure of that on my Mac?

On OS X version 10.7.xx (Lion) the user/library can be accessed in finder by holding down the option key an clicking on Go on the menubar. Then select the user library.

This is one of nineteen ways to see the user library. See http://www.macworld.com/article/1161156 ... _lion.html

[spmorris]

OK, I've been looking at the User Profile Tutorial, and it says to go here:
Tools>Options>OpenOffice.org>Paths
and then make my changes. I must be really dumb, because I haven't the least idea where to find that. I know I've seen "Tools" at the top of some pages, but it doesn't show up anywhere when I go to my hard drive (if that's what HD means...)
I think I could do the rest of it, if only I knew where to start. I have Windows 7.

[thomasjk]

For Windows users:

Before Vista: C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\OpenOffice.org\3\user\
From Vista: C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice.org\3\user (This includes Win 7).

[MikeCPA]

I find two user profiles on my windows PC:

C:\Documents and Settings\Mike\Application Data\OpenOffice.org2\user
and
C:\Documents and Settings\Mike\Application Data\OpenOffice.org\3\user

Re the first directory:
Is the first one a leftover from when I had OOv2 installed, before I upgraded?
Can I delete the first one?
I see some files in that gallery directory that look like I could use them in OOv3; can I move them and to where?
Can I put them into any path specified for "gallery" files in the options?
(I'm referring to the .wav sound files. I assume I should not overwrite the .sdg .sdv and .thm files)

[Hagar Delest]

Re the first directory:
Is the first one a leftover from when I had OOv2 installed, before I upgraded?
Can I delete the first one?

Yes, you can.

I see some files in that gallery directory that look like I could use them in OOv3; can I move them and to where?
Can I put them into any path specified for "gallery" files in the options?
(I'm referring to the .wav sound files. I assume I should not overwrite the .sdg .sdv and .thm files)

You should be able to retrieve them indeed. Make a copy of your current profile (for v3) to be sure to keep the initial situation and try every possibility.

[Browndoff]

Hi Hagar I was re-directed here from my query about "Unable to SELECT text". As mentioned, the problem was that though I could delete character-by-character, type in new material and even PASTE in new material into my re-opened documents, I could NOT SELECT a block of text.

To fix this problem, are you suggesting that I should DELETE the whole directory "C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\OpenOffice.org\3\user"..........?

Would this 'fix' the interaction between me [as the sole user of my PC] and the files created and/or saved from within OpenOffice?

[thomasjk]

Only the USER sub-directory needs to be deleted or renamed. C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Application Data\OpenOffice.org\3\user. Do not delete the entire directory. You files will remain unchanged.

[chrisparkle]

I'd just like to say by following the instructions to stop Open Office Writer crashing, it worked in Windows 10 and I can now finish my projects. Thank you.

Christine

[eleanorb]

The tutorial says: MacOS does not use the Quickstarter and never creates an soffice.bin process. However, the error I got from Macos 10.15.6 was "soffice quit unexpectedly" . Should I still follow the instructions for the user profile? Eleanor (I can't figure out how to attach any portion of the error message within the size limit here.)

[Zizi64]

(I can't figure out how to attach any portion of the error message within the size limit here.)

Optimize the screensot pictures before you upload them here.
- Crop the irrelevant parts,
- decrease the color depth to 128...256 colors,
- decrease pixel resolution,
- use lossless compression PNG file type.

I am using the free IrfanView software for this task.

[eleanorb]

I am not capable of following these instructions to reproduce the error message. It does not have much content anyway. I just want someone to tell me if I should follow the previous steps in refreshing the user profile, or if the fact that my error message focused on software that is said to not be part of Open Office on the Mac. The error message cites "/Applications/OpenOffice 417.app/Contents/MacOS/soffice" — Finder does not seem to let me access anything after ".app" — Eleanor

[Bill]

Go ahead and follow the instructions. There are two soffice.bin processes when the Quickstarter is used, one for the Quickstarter and one for the main program. The one for the Quickstarter is the one which MacOS does not create. The error message probably refers to the soffice.bin process for the main program.

[FJCC]

Yes, go ahead and reset your user profile. soffice is the name of the OpenOffice process. There should be a process with that name, though not necessarily soffice.bin. I am not familiar enough with Macs to know just what the name would be.

[John_Ha]

The point is to stop everything to do with AOO before resetting the profile.

If you do not have Quickstarter enabled (and there is no need for it these days) then just stop AOO.

If you do have Quickstarter enabled, then stop AOO. Now look through TaskManager and kill anything that looks like OpenOffice - any soffice process. This stops Quickstarter.

[MrProgrammer]

Bill, FJCC, John-Ha: Please note that eleanorb uses MacOS. For your convenience I have a list of MacOS questions/answers in the
Mac FAQ summary. For example, whenever a Mac user needs a profile reset I just direct them to Q02/A02 in [Tutorial] Mac FAQ since those instructions are tailored for that environment. Summary (as of 2020-07-20, though it could change):
• OpenOffice → Quit
• Finder → Go → Go to Folder → ~/Library/Application Support/OpenOffice/4 → OK.
• Drag user directory into Trash (or rename)
• Launch OpenOffice

There are two soffice.bin processes when the Quickstarter is used, one for the Quickstarter and one for the main program.

Mac users can ignore all of this. OpenOffice for MacOS does not have the Quickstarter. It never has any soffice.bin processes. I have updated The OpenOffice User Profile tutorial.

Edit: Read carefully: "soffice.bin" is not the same as "soffice". MacOS does not have any soffice.bin processes since those are for Windows.

soffice is the name of the OpenOffice process. There should be a process with that name, though not necessarily soffice.bin.

Mac users can ignore all of this. They just need to do OpenOffice → Quit. I have updated The OpenOffice User Profile tutorial.

If you do have Quickstarter enabled, then stop AOO. Now look through TaskManager and kill anything that looks like OpenOffice - any soffice process. This stops Quickstarter.

Mac users can ignore all of this. Macs never use a Quickstarter. TaskManager is for Windows. I have updated The OpenOffice User Profile tutorial.

[eleanorb]

Thanks very much, from us Mac people! The Quickstarter description matched the icon in the Mac Dock, so that originally confused me. Also I'm still not happy that you say there is no soffice in the Mac version, as that was the focus of the error I experienced. Eleanor