[Solved] General error occurred accessing central config

[hmunn]

I have just installed OOo 3.3.0 and it worked fine. After I shut down my computer and restarted, I now receive the following error message: "The application cannot be started. A general error occurred while accessing your central configuration."
I have tried uninstalling and downloading and re-installing, but I still get the same error message.

Any ideas what is going on?

************

I uninstalled using Add-Remove programs as before, but this time I manually deleted all file folders in /Application Data and /Program files named OOo-dev. 3.3.0 Beta now installed properly.

[thomasjk]

You do realize the 3.3 is still in Beta testing. Did you uninstall the previous version first?

[hmunn]

Yes, knew it was in Beta. But it's hard to test if it won't open! I liked what I saw before this error message started.
No, I didn't uninstall the previous version, which was 3.2, because I still need to use it in case 3.3 doesn't work.
Is there some way to continue to use 3.2 while testing 3.3?

Thanks.

[Bill]

Is there some way to continue to use 3.2 while testing 3.3?

Have you tried using 3.2 while testing 3.3 Beta? It should still work normally while 3.3 Beta is installed. As far as I know, installing Beta versions doesn't change any file associations (OOo 3.3 Beta doesn't even show up in the Programs list in "Set your default programs" in Vista). Double-clicking an ODF file should still open the file in 3.2 instead of 3.3 Beta.

[hmunn]

Yes, I can still use 3.2.1. My query about uninstalling was my response to thomasjk's question about whether I had uninstalled the previous version. I don't want to have to uninstall the previous version in order to test 3.3.0.

I'm still in the dark about what "accessing your central configuration" means or what I can do to get 3.3 running again.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[franx]

I've never seen this error message.
You have customized 3.3 beta?
You have added an extension?
You have modified the default user profile (...OOo-dev/3/user...)?

If yes, please go into detail.

You might try:
(1) close OOo (if active + quickstarter), and rename registrymodifications.xcu [in the folder user] to registrymodifications.xcu.old. Restart OOo.

(2) close OOo (if active + quickstarter), and rename the folder user to user_old. Restart OOo.

But I'm uncertain whether that will succeed ...

[acknak]

I've never seen this error message.

I don't know what it means, but it's here:
http://svn.services.openoffice.org/open ... 28trunk%29

[franx]

acknak, thanks for the link.
Looks interesting.

But at first glance: it's all Greek to me.
I'll write a request for an one-week-vacation.
And then I'll read this entire app.cxx.
<http://svn.services.openoffice.org/open ... pp.cxx#881>

I think, there's a lack of information by "hmunn" for finding the cause of the error message--and the issue is resolved...

[esperantisto]

I have a similar issue with OOo 3.3 beta 1 on Windows 7 Pro Russian. I have installed it and everything seemed fine until I updated one of my extensions (it’s a spell check extension for Belarusian actually). I updated the extension both for OOo 3.2.1 and 3.3 b1, with 3.2.1 everything was fine, but 3.3 b1 after closing refused to start again issuing the above error message. OK, I deleted all personal data for 3.3 b1 and copied them from 3.2.1. Then 3.3 started without problem. I gave another try and updated the extension once more. Again, updating resulted in inability to restart OOo and the above error message.

I guess, it’s a bit premature to close the issue.

[esperantisto]

I reproduced the issue with another extension and filed a query on the QA site as Issue 114091

[franx]

Only a first info:
(...because I had similar issues with e.g. AltSearch.oxt since DEV300_m76 –
"The application cannot be started. The user interface language cannot be determined.")

I tried a test with TemplateChanger (OOo 3.2.1 and OOO330_m5)
[due to Issue 114091]

My steps:
(1) reset the user profile of OOo 3.2.1 to default, add the extension TemplateChanger 1.2.3,
restart OOo 3.2.1 and close it
(2) rename the user profile of OOO330_m5
(3) copy the user profile of OOo 3.2.1, add it as the user profile of OOO330_m5

(4) start OOO330_m5, open the Extension Manager, check for updates

(5) install the available update TemplateChanger 1.2.5

update_no_error_330m5.png (8.88 KiB) Viewed 22960 times

(6) restart OOO330_m5

No error message ...

You might update 3.3.0 Beta 1 (OOO330m3) with OOO330_m5, and try again...
[see also: Release Notes for all OpenOffice.org builds → Release codeline OOO330 (OOo 3.3.0)]

EDIT: [2010-08-25]
The same result with a second test.
This time I've filled the template folder with some templates.
... applied TemplateChanger 1.2.3 to a document in OOo 3.2.1.
... pasted the user folder of OOo 3.2.1 in OOO330_m5.
... applied TemplateChanger 1.2.3 to a document in OOO330_m5.
... checked for updates.

No errors during update and restart.
TemplateChanger 1.2.5 works well in OOO330_m5.
[I've no longer installed 3.3.0 Beta 1.]

[esperantisto]

TemplateChanger 1.2.5 works well in OOO330_m5.

It works well with 3.3 b1 as well. The issue is different: installing or updating an extension makes OOo inoperable (I’ve had the same problem also with Anaphraseus). The procedure of updating an extension in 3.2.1 and copying the user profile to 3.3 b1 is obviously not a normal procedure for a user.

[franx]

I didn't update TC 1.2.3 in OOo 3.2.1.
I had pasted the user profile with the older version.
Then I've checked for updates with OOO330_m5 (as described).

[A simulation like: you would install v3.3 over a customized v3.2.1]

(There also may be an error in the *.xcu of your extension which cannot be processed correctly by the config
manager – you might have a look at → Issue 110720.)

[franx]

Same result with OOo 3.3 Beta1: no error.

... installed a server image of 3.3 Beta
... created the user folder OOo-33b/3/user [user from 3.2.1 default + TemplateChanger 1.2.3]
... changed bootstrap.ini to UserInstallation=$SYSUSERCONFIG/OOo-33b/3
... started up 3.3 Beta
... applied TemplateChanger 1.2.3
... checked for updates

... installed TemplateChanger 1.2.5 (and v3.8 of the bundled French dictionary)
... no error

... restarted 3.3 Beta
... no error
... TemplateChanger 1.2.5 (also French dictionary) works well...

[franx]

@ esperantisto

There's the new → Issue 114541: Office shows error msg and cannot start due to broken extension xcu file.
["The application cannot be started. A general error occurred while accessing your central configuration."]

It's a release stopper for OOo 3.3.
The expected bug-fix of this issue could possibly also resolve the problem with your extension update.
Maybe you want to keep track of the development and the integration of a nominated CWS in a developer snapshot.

EDIT: [18:26]
Issue 114541 fixed as <http://hg.services.openoffice.org/cws/f ... a6b6129b32>

EDIT: [2010-09-27]
CWS OOO330/fwk158 has been integrated in Developer Snapshot OOO330_m9.

EDIT: [2010-12-12]
Issue 114091 – Cannot restart after updating extensions (Reporter: esperantisto)
has been closed.
See → Issue 114091 #desc21 – Additional comments from esperantisto Tue Nov 30 2010
.