Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Q17: I received the following message: What do I do?
Either another instance of OpenOffice is accessing your personal settings or your personal settings are locked. … Do you want to continue?
same
I get this message after having connected to a canon while preparing a presentation. Since getting the message I have not been able to get past it to open the program. I have tried restarting the computer several times, once letting it rest overnight and have reinstalled OpenOffice and I still get the message and still cannot open the program.

Edit: Changed subject, was Crash  Make your post understandable by others  -- MrProgrammer, forum moderator

Robtow wrote:Q17: I received the following message: What do I do?

Your reference to Q17 suggests to me that you have read that section in Mac FAQ, A17 has several suggestions.
• Which of those did you perform?
• What happened after each step?
• Did you answer "Yes" as A17 says?
• What happened when you answered Yes?
• Is the problem solved then?
• If not, did you perform any of the steps in Q27/A27?
• If so, what happened after each of those steps?
Q17: Another instance of OpenOffice is accessing your personal settings …
Q27: What are the detailed instructions to delete a profile lock file?

Neither A17 nor A27 tells you to reinstall OpenOffice. That was a waste of your time.

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit button and add [Solved] to the start of the subject field. Select the green checkmark icon at the same time.

Often this is caused by a left-over lock file in the root of the OpenOffice User Profile; this lock file needs to be deleted - a reinstallation of OpenOffice does not do so. The solution may be as given by Mr Programmer in his earlier answer, pointing to Q17/A17 of the Mac Q&A.

Problem solved:

The above problem has reappeared. I don't know what happened to get the program working last time.
I have followed all the instructions on A17 and A27.
On performing the instuctions A27 I find the .lock file and delete it. How ever it is downtoned and when I look at the file in trash it is in a folder "Recovered files". on restarting openoffice I get he same message as before. On repeating the process I find the file .lock again as before.
There are no other users on this network and I have the program only on one computer where I am the sole user.

I'm not a Mac user. Sources on the Internet indicate that hidden files are grayed out on Macs, so it would be normal for the .lock file to be grayed out. Also, the "Recovered files" folder in Trash is supposed to contain temporary files that OpenOffice was unable to delete automatically because of a crash, so that's also normal if OpenOffice did crash. Possibly the problem returned because OpenOffice crashed again. Close OpenOffice. If the .lock file does not disappear, then delete it again.

Your personal settings are locked" message usually means that OpenOffice terminated incorrectly, and in the root of the OpenOffice User Profile there is a lock file. This may only be able to be deleted if OpenOffice is closed.

If this is happening to you regularly, and you are not having crashes, are you permitting your computer hibernate/sleep with OpenOffice open? Try not allowing that. Also, don't power off computer or close a laptop lid with extraordinary haste - the few extra seconds you could allow will be less that the time taken to sort out any problem such hasty actions may cause.

I have not been able to access my OpenOfice files. I have tried every combination of sequences in deleting the .lock file and no matter what I do it reappears whenever I try to open OpenOffice. I am still getting the message that another user is accessing the program.

A lock file will reappear as soon as OpenOfficer opens a file; it has important housekeeping functions. The "Other User" message indicates that you have not cleared a lock file from the root of the OpenOffice User Profile, which will be in a location similar to on the attached screenshot (perhaps slightly different as you are on a Mac). All lock file deletions must take place with OpenOffice closed.

.

Robtow wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 9:12 am There are no other users on this network and I have the program only on one computer where I am the sole user.

In that situation stop trying to delete the lock file and just answer Yes when asked "Do you want to continue?". That is what A17 says to do.

Robtow wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 8:03 am I am still getting the message that another user is accessing the program.

In my experience OpenOffice never says "another user is accessing the program". The text is as shown in Q17 or as in Q16. In the latter case the solution is different. A17 and/or A27 are the wrong procedures if the situation is Q16.

Edit: 2022-05-10 The cause of the locked profile was a crash of OpenOffice. That discussion continues in OpenOffice quit unexpectedly

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit button and add [Solved] to the start of the subject field. Select the green checkmark icon at the same time.