Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

I have searched the writer forum an have not seen this exact problem. It occurs on OO3.4.1 and OO4.1.1 both. The application works fine when launching from windows but when launching from a command prompt or from a batch file the follow window appears:

The application cannot be started.
A general error occurred while accessing your central configuration.

I tried all the resetting your profile instructions with no change to the problem. Again, launching the program in a command prompt or a batch file by:
(1) "fullpahtname"\swriter.exe
(2) "filename".odt
(3) "fullpathname"\swriter.exe.lnk
gives the error window. Clicking any of the above in windows explorer works just fine.

Any ideas?
p-o-p (Mark)

...only one possible reason:
Examine please if "fullpathname" contains special characters (space, accents etc...)
The DOS prompts probably can not to interpret these characters.

If Fullpathname contains one (or more) spaces, then you can use "quotation marks" for ALL text of the pathname, AND filename in the prompt - to solve the problem.
The (with spaces!) format seems to work in my Windows XP

But do not use characters with accents in the names of directoties or filenames (if you want to launch them from a batch file).

To get the complete path with the quotation marks using Windows Explorer, navigate to the file in Windows Explorer. Hold down the Shift key and right click the file, then click the "Copy as path" option from the context menu.

Actually, I have done all your suggestions to no avail. Here were the exact commands:
failed:
"D:\programs\OpenOffice4\program\swriter.exe"
failed:
"D:\data\document\labels\dvdcase.odt"
failed:
"C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\OpenOffice 4.1.1\OpenOffice Writer.lnk"
failed:
"D:\programs\OpenOffice3\program\swriter.exe"
failed:
"C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\OpenOffice.org 3.4.1\OpenOffice.org Writer.lnk"
I might add that it was failing on OO3.4.1 with the same error before OO4.1.1 was installed. I installed OO4.1.1 in the hopes that the problem would go away. It did not. Have any other readers experienced this problem.
Thanks

Did you uninstall 3.4.1? You're showing Start Menu links for both 3.4.1 and 4.1.1.

p-o-p:
Actually, I have done all your suggestions to no avail. Here were the exact commands:
failed:
"D:\programs\OpenOffice4\program\swriter.exe"
failed:
"D:\data\document\labels\dvdcase.odt"
failed:
"C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\OpenOffice 4.1.1\OpenOffice Writer.lnk"
failed:
"D:\programs\OpenOffice3\program\swriter.exe"
failed:
"C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\OpenOffice.org 3.4.1\OpenOffice.org Writer.lnk"
I might add that it was failing on OO3.4.1 with the same error before OO4.1.1 was installed. I installed OO4.1.1 in the hopes that the problem would go away. It did not. Have any other readers experienced this problem.
Thanks

Your signature states: Windows 7 64bit

You can not access the soffice.bin file using the paths you described. They do not exist there.

Are you using a 64 bit OS? if so, the AOO/LO program is installed to the 'Program Files (x86)' (32bit) directory structure.
The actual path on a 64 bit OS is:
"c\program files (x86)\openoffice4\program\swriter.exe"
Enclosed in double quotes to escape whitespace in the path.

Hope this helps.

Greengiant224

I installed it on my D: drive and it works just fine in the windows environment - it is only when running commands from a command prompt window that it fails (and only the OO applications-all other work OK)
pop

It (4.1.1) works fine on my winXP 32bit PC (Windows XP Version: 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3) installed in in the same place (d:\programs\OpenOffice4). On my win7 system, I uninstalled both 3.4.1 and 4.1.1; deleted all profiles; restarted; installed 4.1.1 in the same place (d:\programs\OpenOffice4) and it still fails. I am running out of ideas. Thanks for your help and any more will be appreciated.
pop

p-o-p:
On your 'D:' drive check the path to the swriter.exe and correct it if needed.
The path structure has been changed between AOO/LO v3 and AOO/LO v 4
Have you tried this path:
"D:\programs\openoffice.org 3\program\swriter.exe" [enclosed in double quotes]
or
"D:\programs\openoffice4\program\swriter.exe" [enclosed in double quotes]

Greengiant224

"D:\programs\openofice.org 3\program\swriter.exe" gives:
The system cannot find the path specified.
(as expected)
"D:\programs\openofice4\program\swriter.exe"
fails
pop

Can you upload a screenshot about prompt window with error messages and parameters?

I have even tried:
d:\temp>cd /d "D:\programs\openoffice4\program"
D:\programs\OpenOffice4\program>swriter.exe
D:\programs\OpenOffice4\program>
and that fails also.
Those are the only commands in the command window and attached is the error window. pop

OK... I have run across a revelation that makes running the application from a command prompt work:
d:\temp>start "" /i "D:\programs\openoffice4\program\swriter.exe"
works fine and if I put that in a batch file (with arguments to swriter) it works just fine. So there is something missing from the command prompt environment that is there in the win7 env. causing the problem. Here is the difference between the two env:
d:\temp>diff win7Env consoleEnv
3c3,5
< CommonProgramFiles=C:\Program Files\Common Files
---
> AWKLIBPATH=d:\data\awk;d:\temp
> AWKPATH=d:\data\awk;d:\temp
> CommonProgramFiles=C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files
7a10
> DATA=d:\data
19c22,23
< PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE=AMD64
---
> PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE=x86
> PROCESSOR_ARCHITEW6432=AMD64
24c28
< ProgramFiles=C:\Program Files
---
> ProgramFiles=C:\Program Files (x86)
29a34
> SESSIONNAME=Console
d:\temp>

I guess you can mark this topic solved. Thanks for your help and I hope this topic helps someone in the futute!
Thanks again for your help...
pop(p-o-p)->Mark

p-o-p:
using cd /d "D:\programs\openoffice4\program" fails

try:
cd /D "path\to \your\file"

Explanation: change lowercase 'd' to upercase 'D'

cd [/D] [drive:path]

i.e cd /D "D:\programs\openoffice4\program"

Greengiant224

See my [Solved] The application cannot be started. post - You can close this topic as solved. The problem was something missing in the console environment.
thanks again
pop->Mark

As an afterthought, removing the DATA=d:\data env var made things work again; apparently, OO needs that set to it's needs for things to work correctly. Who would have thought that on little itty bitty env var could cause me so much grief! Oh well, problem is solved and I can go back to sleep...
Thanks to all
p-o-p (Mark)

I can reproduce the problem on Windows 8.1. After creating a new environment variable using the name "DATA", AOO would not start. After simply changing the name "DATA" to "DAT", AOO would start normally. There is an unconfirmed bug report about this error.

Issue 118239 - A general error occurred while accessing your central configuration.

I went back to my XP machine and set the DATA env variable and lo-and-behold! The problem is reproducible in winXP with the DATA env var set. I guess this clears up the "Issue 118239 - A general error occurred while accessing your central configuration." bug report which, upon reading, was not reproducible by the dev group. Maybe this topic can help an engineer look at the code and fix it to use a less "generic" variable name to prevent a future collision.