[Solved] OpenOffice 4.1.7 Won't Open

[Quest]

Using Windows 10 and haven't had any problems in the past having used Open Office for a few years.

Used it today, saved my work and closed the programme but when I went back to it it won't open.
I have tried 3 browsers,Microsft Edge,Mozila Firefox and Google.
I have tried closing laptop down and going back to it but still no success.

Any advice please?

[floris v]

What happens exactly? Do you get an error message? Does nothing happen - you wait for OpenOffice to open, and it doesn't show up? Or don't your files open? Please tell us a bit more so that we can help you.

[Quest]

Thanks.

I click the short cut on my desk top and absolutely nothing happens-no message or anything.

I made a new short cut incase the connection was broken or something but it's just the same.
Can't see any files as it won't open.

[floris v]

You click or you double-click?

[Quest]

Double click

[Quest]

It says this but it doesn't look like a message,more of a standard statement thing.
"The office productivity suite compatible to the open standardised ODF document format .Supported by the Apache Software Foundation.

[floris v]

What happens when you double-click a document made with OpenOffice?

[LastUnicorn]

Are you trying to install OpenOffice?

[Quest]

No.It's been installed for years.I checked and it's listed in my Programmes in the Control Panel of my pc.

Floris,I can't click on a document as I cannot see my documents because OpenOffice will not open.

[LastUnicorn]

You should be able to see your documents in Windows File Explorer. Double-click on one of them.

[Quest]

LastUnicorn,I didn't know what File Explorer was as I'm very much not tech savvy.However I found it and I discovered my file folders have saved to my Documents folder.I just hope the files are intact as they won't open.Nothing that was saved in my Open Office will open now.
I wonder if my hand accidentally hit something as I was coming out of OpenOffice to close my pc down as I though I saw some writing from my files on the bottom of my screen.Could I have accidentally locked them?

[Quest]

As I went to close the page by closing the X in the top right of the screen,that's when I noticed some writing from my files disappearing off the bottom of the screen which I have never seen before.

[floris v]

Reset your user profile. Click here for help how to do that.

[Quest]

Thanks all for you help so far.I'm going to have to leave it until tomorrow.

[Hagar Delest]

If the profile reset does not work, switch to LibreOffice.
A lot of recent bugs in AOO do not occur in LibreOffice.

Please add [Solved] at the beginning of the title in your first post (top of the topic) with the 🖉 button if your issue has been fixed.

[LastUnicorn]

There have been multiple posts lately on this forum of people running into issues with OpenOffice on Windows 10 and 11 systems. Fairly often the solution is just to switch to LibreOffice. There are several good reasons for doing so, some of which are given here: [Tutorial] Considering a Switch from OpenOffice to LibreOffice? Some Useful Information

[Quest]

I don't want to move to another OS.
I have had no problems with Windows 10 or Open Office until now.
I have tried to follow the instructions above to reset my profile but it hasn't worked.
Would uninstalling/reinstalling sort the issue-but could I lose all my files if I did that?

[RoryOF]

Un-/re-installing is unlikely to sort the issue. When you reset your OpenOffice User Profile, were you then prompted for name and initials on next attempted use of OpenOffice.

Can you start (or attempt to start) OpenOffice from your Programs button?

[floris v]

LibreOffice works on Windows, you don't have to change your operating system. Download from the official download site and install, it's perfectly safe. Most of the users here have made the switch already.

[Quest]

RoryOF When I try to put a new name in the User it keeps saying it can't be done because something is open somewhere else(can't remember the exact wording) but I made sure there was nothing open.
Floris v Ah!I understand now about LibreOffice.Yes,I don't mind doing that( going over to Libre) but how could I transfer my files from Open Office over?
I have lots of highly important documents in there.

[Quest]

Is the old username the name I use to log on to my pc?

[floris v]

You don't have to. LibreOffice is a so called fork of OpenOffice - it will open and save all if your files.

[Quest]

I understand now.Thank you.So if I download Libre will everything from Open Office automatically appear there?
I can't risk losing any files.It took me ages to compose them all.

[RoryOF]

You need to know where your files are on disk, and when you start LibreOffice, use the navigation buttons in /File /Open (in LibreOffice) top point to each file and open it as you need it,

If OpenOffice (or Windows) is of opinion that something is open, then it _is_open; that you cannot find it is another matter.

Until you have located all your files, do _NOT_ delete or uninstall anything.

[LastUnicorn]

Your best route forwards is as follows:

(1) Uninstall OpenOffice.
(2) Download and install LibreOffice. (Read the Tutorial I pointed to above for some basic information on installing LibreOffice and the 'Still' or 'Fresh' download choice that you can make on what version to download.)

So if I download Libre will everything from Open Office automatically appear there?

No. LibreOffice as a newly installed program has no record of the documents you had previously opened in OpenOffice. However, as you open files LibreOffice will start to keep a record of the most recently opened documents (just as OpenOffice used to do — the two programs are very similar).

I can't risk losing any files.It took me ages to compose them all.

Installing LibreOffice will not affect your already existing document files. Once you know where your document files are stored you can open them by double-click on the file itself.

[Quest]

My most pressing predicament is that my files which I made in OpenOffice and are in my Documents seem to be locked or frozen since yesterday just as in my original post and just as OpenOffice seems to be locked or frozen since yesterday.
So even I download Libre for my furture use I still have the problem of my inaccessible files in Ooen Office.

[RoryOF]

You may need to go to the folder in which your files are stored, and, enabling viewing of hidden and archive files, delete all "lock" files. These have a general form of
.

Code: Select all

.~lock.Filename.odt#

Note that they are only a few hundred bytes in size; their "owning" file will be several KB. Do not delete the wrong files.

[Quest]

Thank you all very much for your time and advice.
I have now gained access to my files by using a Wordpad App to open them.None of the other Apps which I tried worked.
I have saved my files in a second location to be on the safe side.
Open Office still won't open so I have decide to abandon it and I will download Libre as suggested and use that in future.
You have all been most helpful.

[LastUnicorn]

I have saved my files in a second location to be on the safe side.

Yes, always keep backups in case of mishaps.

Open Office still won't open so I have decide to abandon it and I will download Libre as suggested and use that in future.

Given your current issues, when you install LibreOffice you might find that some of your documents still do not open. In that eventuality it is as RoryF says most likely down to "lock files" being present. So make a mental note of what Rory said and follow his instructions if you find a file, or files, that won't open.

Best of luck in getting your system back to an even keel.

[Hagar Delest]

I have now gained access to my files by using a Wordpad App to open them.None of the other Apps which I tried worked.

Were your files saved in ODF (.odt for text)?
If they were saved in another format (like .doc), then it may be part of the problem. If you use AOO or LO, use ODF. Export a copy in external formats only when needed.