[Solved] Updated to 4.1.11 and all my files are locked

[sigsky]

After searching for blockages by my AV and not finding any, I uninstalled 4.1.11 and installed 4.1.10 and now my files are all accessible. Is it just me ?

[Emilio2000]

You are not alone. The same thing happened to me too. There seems to be something wrong with version 4.1.11. I updated my 4.1.10 version to 4.1.11 and my files got locked.

I then uninstalled 4.1.11 completely and then reinstalled 4.1.10. But in my case this did NOT unlock my documents. They are still locked.

Does anyone know how to UNLOCK everything again?

And please recall version 4.1.11. It is just causing problems. When I first opened a text document in the new version, I got a message that my file is going to be changed and do I want to allow that. I replied NO. Why would just opening a document in 4.1.11 mean that the document will be changed?

Is version 4.1.11 maybe infected with some malware? I ran the Avast anti-virus software as well as Malwearbytes, and neither of them found anything.

[johnoo]

Why no replies to this?
I'm waiting to install 4.1.11, but holding off in case there are problems.
Does a no reply to this post infer there could be problems?

[RoryOF]

Why no replies to this?
I'm waiting to install 4.1.11, but holding off in case there are problems.
Does a no reply to this post infer there could be problems?

Support on Forum is given by volunteers on a pro bono basis in their own time. Many may not have had any problem, hence no knowledge of a cause or an answer.

I don't use any modern Windows, hence can make no helpful contribution to a solution.

[johnoo]

Rory,
Fine, but are there any experts that do use Windows 10 who have installed, or tried to install AOO Version 4.1.11?
See post above, there is now another person who has had a problem

[Hagar Delest]

Well, there is no much detail so difficult to say!
What kind of locking is it, What is the exact error message?
I can't see how an application upgrade would lock the documents. The launch of the application may be stopped by the security layers of the OS when trying to open a document, that's all I can see.

As for myself (and several other power users), I've moved to LibreOffice, so can't say about AOO.

Note that the second post is quite fresh and the US East coast is just waking up. More replies may come soon.

[sigsky]

Well, there is no much detail so difficult to say!
What kind of locking is it, What is the exact error message?

OK, to elaborate. It's the normal locked message that you get on a network when the file is already open elsewhere. I am the only user on my network and I can assure the file is not open elsewhere. Moreover it happens in every spreadsheet that I open, even those that haven't been used in years. When I uninstalled 4.1.11, I used a program called Revo Uninstaller which allows you to search for leftover bits and remove them. Possibly that is why it didn't work for Emilio

[robleyd]

Let's assume that we can't see the actual error message; exactly what does it say?

[RoryOF]

Are you opening your files across a network?

[Bill]

t's the normal locked message that you get on a network when the file is already open elsewhere.

I Googled "normal locked message" and only found one post about a problem with LibreOffice 3.4.2 on Windows XP which didn't help. Please post the actual message so everyone can search for it.

[Hagar Delest]

Could it be the same than this one? [Solved] Update to 4.1.10 "locked by unknown user"

[Emilio2000]

To clarify, I am not on any network. Just trying to open my own files on my own hard disk. But Open Office is acting as if all my files are now locked.

It started when I upgraded to Apache OO version 4.1.11. That went just fine. No issues. But then, when I tried to open an existing document, my Avast anti-virus software warned me that the file is about to be changed.

That looked very suspicious to me because I was just in the process of opening the document. It didn't even open because it appears that Avast had stopped it from opening, and it was waiting for my response. The options given were to either go ahead and let the change happen, or to block the change. So, I blocked the change.

After several attempts to open a document and always getting the same alert message about the file being changed somehow during the opening, I finally decided that I don't have the time or the knowledge to deal with this. So, I decided to uninstall version 4.1.11, and instead, fortunately, I had kept the installation file from the earlier version 4.1.10. So, I installed that 4.1.11. But my document is still locked.

I tried all kinds of things, such as renaming the file (using File Explorer). Nothing seems to help, the document is still locked.

Whenever I try to open it in Open Office Writer, OO displays a message saying that the file is locked and it gives me the option to:
a) Open is a "Read only" or
b) Open a COPY of it for editing.

So I opened it as a COPY, and then I saved it under a different name. Unfortunately, the new file still give me the same message whenever I try to open it.

Interestingly, I can use a fairly old copy of Microsoft Word, from 2007, and Word opens the files with no problem and no warning message. So, clearly, there is something within Open Office that prevents the file from being opened for editing.

I didn't have any issues at all with version 4.1.10, but ever since I've upgraded to 4.1.11 and then returned to 4.1.10, something from version 11 has now carried over to version 10, so that I now get the same error message whenever I try to open ANY of my files, even those that I have never touched in version 4.1.11.

The error message says:
"Document file is locked for editing by Unknown User. Open document read only or open a copy of the document for editing."

This is really bad. I don't want to be forced to create new copies of all my documents. Besides, even after I save the copy, it then continues to behave like all my other files, ... it is locked for editing.

I really don't know why this is happening. All I know is that it's the result of my upgrading to version 4.1.11.

I hope that someone with deeper knowledge of Open Office can figure out what is going on and provide a fix to unlock all my files.

This happened just when I was starting to fully trust Open Office and was ready to quit using Microsoft Word. Now, it appears that I can edit my files only with Microsoft Word, because Open Office keeps locking up my files, or at least it behaves as if my files were locked.

[John_Ha]

I really don't know why this is happening. All I know is that it's the result of my upgrading to version 4.1.11.

That is an incorrect assumption as you do not know the upgrade was the cause. All you know is that when you last used 4.1.10 last week, say, it was OK; but this week, using 4.1.11, it is not OK. The only valid assumption you can make is something changed between when it last worked and now, when it does not work. The upgrade is an obvious possible change but there are many other possible changes.

Are your files stored on the disk on your PC? Or are they stored in the cloud on something like Google drive or Dropbox; or on a network attached drive? If so, do a test with a file on your desktop. If it works OK with a desktop file, something changed in the cloud or network. As it used to work with 4.1.10 but doesn't now, this is the most likely reason.

It could be your AntiVirus not recognising AOO.

SUCCESS. I have been using AVG Antivirus Free and it was blocking all Open Office Files. I have adjusted the settings/Exceptions in AVG (is remove Open Office from the list of blocked programs) and Open Office seems to be working correctly.

AOO 4.1.11 on W10 is fine for me (and I use AVG). I did the following:

1. Downloaded 4.1.11 from https://www.openoffice.org/download/

2. Ran the installation file - it installed without problem

3. File > Open ..., and opened a .odt file on my desktop, edited, saved it. File > Open ..., and it opened. Close it. r-click it > Open with > AOO. It opened. Close it.

4. Start AOO > File > New > Text document. Added some latin text. Save > latin.odt. Close. File > Open > opened latin.odt. It opened OK.

So everything works fine for me - it is something on your PC causing the problem.

Do this:

1. Download latin.odt and save to your desktop.

2. Start AOO or Writer. File > Open ..., and navigate to latin.odt. Does it open?

3. Make an edit. File > Save .., and save it. Close AOO. Open AOO > File Open ..., and navigate to latin.odt. Does it open?

If it works then clean up your old files.

4. Make hidden files visible by File Explorer > View > Options > Folder and file options > View. Tick Show hidden files.

5. Reboot the PC. Do not start AOO.

6. Look for the hidden file C:\Users\xxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice\4\.lock and if it is there, delete it.

7. The lock file for latin.odt is .~lock.latin.odt# so search the PC for *.odt# (and *.ods#, *.odg# etc) and delete all you find. They too are hidden files.

8. It could be a Windows Defender problem. Check the Defender Tutorial viewtopic.php?f=74&t=97507

9. Boot the PC in Safe Mode - Google for how. Does AOO now work OK? If so, it is one of the programs which starts when the PC boots which is causing the problem. Track it down.

[Bill]

@emilio2000: This is interesting. Last year sigsky (who started this topic) reported and solved the same problem you're having with Avast after an upgrade of OpenOffice. Try his solution:

Document locked after blocking OpenOffice with Avast

[Emilio2000]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. Special thanks to Bill who nailed it.

It turns out that the problem was with the Avast anti-virus program. When I first tried to open an existing document (on my own hard drive), Avast alerted me that my document is about to be changed. This startled me. I didn't want any changes made unless I am the one making them. So, I blocked that document.

But it turns out that I didn't block just that one document but my action resulted in Avast blocking everything from Open Office.

So, following your suggestion, Bill, I checked what was said in this Forum when sigsky first reported the same issue, and sure enough, I looked at my Avast setting and saw that it was blocking Open Office. I simply deleted that blocking entry and NOW EVERYTHING WORKS FINE!

I apologize for the alarm. Consider this issue resolved. Except maybe to let anyone else experiencing this know that the problem is with Avast blocking the Open Office program.

[sigsky]

Nice find there Bill. A bit embarrassing for me but I'm used to it.

[jaieder]

open office word document locked for editing by unknown user problem that I am having at the moment

[RoryOF]

Close OpenOffice
Open any folder and enter %appdata%\OpenOffice\4 in the address bar near the top.
That will take you to a folder containing a folder called user. Enable "Viewing hidden and archive files" (words to that effect - google for how if you don't know). You should now see a ~lock file beside the User folder. Delete the lock file.
Restart OpenOffice.