[Solved] Calc file won't open

[Webber]

I emailed this note to users@openoffice.apache.org this morning:

One of my Open Office Excel files is not opening. My other files are
opening fine. It is a very big file with a list of emails. I wonder if
the links are too heavy or complex? Not that I really know what I am
talking about. Is there anything I can do to retrieve my data?

First email that came back to me, which I responded to in blue:

On 2020-08-23 16:16, Steven Ahlers wrote:

Joelle,

Assuming it is a Calc file there are some pieces of information that would help us help you.

I created it with OpenOffice, the file says, 'Type: OpenDocument Spreadsheet'. Last modified 5/17/2020. I've been using OpenOffice for years, since before I got my current computer.

1) Do you get an error message when you try to open the file you’re having problems with? If so what does it say?

There is no pop-up error message box, just a blank grey page with a spinning cursor. The green load in bar at the bottom has no activity. All I am able to do is close the file, but it warns me with a pop-up box, 'OpenOffice 4.1.7 is not responding, If you close the program, you might lose information.'

2) What operating system and version are you using?

Microsoft Windows 10 Home, 2004 version

3) How much RAM does your computer have?

4.00GB of RAM

4) What version of OpenOffice are you using?

I just uploaded the Open Office 4.1.7 this morning hoping that would help, I had the 4.1.5 just before that. Hope I didn't make things worse.

5) How much memory does OpenOffice have allocated for use?

I can't find online how to check this. When I try to open the file, the Task Manager says 'OpenOffice 4.1.7 (32bit)'. I have 25.5GB of free space on my C: drive. Not sure if this is helpful.

6) How big is the file you’re trying to open?

84.9KB

As a courtesy I have sent a copy of this message to you, if you’re not subscribed to the users list you may not see all of the responses to your inquiry.

Please do not respond to my email address, respond to the users group email address: users@openoffice.apache.org

Thank you, I will try to make an account and log on.

[RoryOF]

Do other Calc files open OK? If you have no other Calc files, would you please make a simple (just add two/three numbers) file, Save it, and see does it reopen.

[Webber]

A second email also asked, which I will also answer in blue:

Exactly how you are trying to open the document? (there are many ways)

I tried double clicking my file icon.
I tried right clicking my icon file to choose: Open, Open With, Restore Previous versions (there are no previous versions)
I tried opening a blank OpenOffice Spreadsheet, to use the folder open icon in the second menu bar from the top.

For the above tries I got the same result as I explained in the previous post.

I just tried highlighting the icon and poking Ctrl+O. Nothing, though I'm not sure I'm using that correctly.

[Webber]

Yes, other Calc files do open. I just went back to open old tax files. Simple double click on my file icon, green bar loads in, title appears, and the page is all there.

I didn't mention before, but with the problem file the title doesn't even show up.

[RoryOF]

That suggests that the problem lies with your one file, not with your OpenOffice installation. As an OpenOffice format file (.odt, .ods etc) is a Zipped archive, a quick test of integrity of such a file is to attempt to open it with an archive utility (WinZip or 7-Zip are common utilities). To avoid inadvertent disaster, I suggest you copy your file at system level (i.e, in Windows, outside of OpenOffice), so that you maintain an untouched version of the original file.

Then, using Windows File Manager rename the copy file from ,ods to ,zip, and try to open it with one of the utilities listed above. Frequently it will be sufficient to double click the .zip file and the system archiver will open it.

If it does open correctly at that level, you should see a number of folders. Please report back.

Edit: It may be that the internal structure of the file is convoluted, and that it will open after a time - there were reports of much larger Calc files taking about an hour to open. Have you given time - say five/ten minutes? If it eventually opens, there are things that can be done that will speed it up.

[Webber]

I'm not confident in what I am doing, but I will detail what I tried:

I copied the file from a folder to the desctop (right click on file, Copy, right click on desktop, Paste)
In Windows File Manager I changed the file extension (View tab, Show/Hide button, check File Name Extensions)
I changed the file from .ods to .zip (right click on file, Rename, edit)

I downloaded WinZip from their .com (21 day free trial)
Double clicked the new zip file on my desktop.
I now have an open folder/archive? containing: 3 folders, 4 documents, 2 files

Progress?

During this 2 hour learning curve , I tried again to open the .ods to let it think about opening.
Many minutes into thinking, I got this pop-up box:


RuntimeBroker.exe - Application Error
The instruction at 0x00007FFE1DA23ADF
refferenced memory at 0x0000000000000000.
The memory could not be read.
Click on OK to terminate the program

I closed the box (x-ed the upper right corner) and let the file continue to think. Still no joy...

[FJCC]

That the zip file opens is certainly promising. The file that matters most in the zip archive is content.xml. What happens if you double click on that?

[RoryOF]

It is possible that your file will open and Save (perhaps that Save curing the problem) if opened using OO on another operating system such as linux,

[RoryOF]

In your last modifications to this file, did you perchance make a circular reference, or an entry that if miss-typed could have become a circular reference?

[Webber]

Promising sounds promising.

There are no equations in the file. None that I wrote. Just roughly 3,750 emails, which I pasted in to organize.

Double clicked 'content.xml, and it did open...

I am looking at a lot of colorful gibberish with many black equal signs(=), some bold some not. Ooo... scrolling down, the emails are all in bold black.

I'm guessing that the rest of this code is the file being seriously hung up on the email links. I should have saved them unlinked.

Saved As a .txt and an .odt, into a different folder. They both open, with all emails automatically unlinked. No color or bold, but it is fine, I will be able to dig them all out manually from here.

Brilliant! Thanks so much for all your help. Wow, what a save!