LibreOffice The application cannot be started. User installation could not be completed.

LibreOffice 5

Hi,

After my computer suddenly kept busy with the Hard Drive for more than half an hour (and was frozen) I did a hard reboot (LibreOffice was still open).

When I tried to start LibreOffice I got the following message:
The application cannot be started.
User installation could not be completed.

I’ve looked this up and there are some messages about ‘rights’ of user (me) and groups (looked this up and the group is named users (? not the name of myself as users). I’ve done what they said:

  1. cd /home/your_username/.config
  2. sudo chown -R your_username libreoffice
  3. sudo chgrp -R your_username libreoffice

restart and you are all set.

I’ve also removed LibreOffice and reinstalled it (dup).
However, the problem has not been solved.

Anyone knows this problem (and obviously more important, the solution)?

Thnx for any reaction,
Cheers!

Try to remove ~/.config/libreoffice/ completely, or rename it.

But as you did a hard reset, there might be some filesystem corruption causing the problem.
What does dmesg say after you try to run libreoffice?

I’d suggest to boot to runlevel 1 and unmount /home (or boot from a LiveCD), and run a filesystem check on your home partition.

Are you sure you want to know what dmesg gives? I’ve typed it in and there is A LOT of text coming out…

If i remove ~/.config/libreoffice/ should I not first remove LO?

The last lines should suffice to see whether there’s a problem with the filesystem.

You could also run “sudo dmesg -c” before libreoffice to clear the log buffer, and then post the output (if any) of dmesg afterwards.

No.
~/.config/libreoffice/ contains the user configuration. It is created on first start of libreoffice, and apparently this doesn’t work in your case.

Btw, you could also create a fresh user account (in YaST->Security and Users->User and Group Management), login as the new user, and try whether libreoffice works there.

On 2015-08-29 14:06, yuryen wrote:

> I’ve looked this up and there are some messages about ‘rights’ of user
> (me) and groups (looked this up and the group is named users (? not the
> name of myself as users).

That’s normal on openSUSE.

> I’ve done what they said:
>
> - cd /home/your_username/.config
> - sudo chown -R your_username libreoffice
> - sudo chgrp -R your_username libreoffice
>
> restart and you are all set.

This will not work as expected on openSUSE.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.

(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” (Minas Tirith))

YES, removing that file worked, tnx :):slight_smile:

I wonder if LO should not remove this file itself when you deinstall LO from the computer…

Next I’ll check my filesystem but it’l be all right I guess.

Tnx again!

Oh, and:

Btw, you could also create a fresh user account (in YaST->Security and Users->User and Group Management), login as the new user, and try whether libreoffice works there.

That’s just smart :wink:
I should’ve thought of that myself!

Great! :slight_smile:

I wonder if LO should not remove this file itself when you deinstall LO from the computer…

No. Package installation/deinstallation never affects user settings/files. And that’s a good thing: would you want your personal files removed when you (or somebody else, Linux is a multi-user system) uninstall some software?
And actually it cannot even since it is done as root.

On 2015-08-29 15:36, yuryen wrote:
>
> YES, removing that file worked, tnx :):slight_smile:
>
> I wonder if LO should not remove this file itself when you deinstall LO
> from the computer…

Never.

For one thing, LO has no chance to do it, as it is not in control of
system install. And the applications that do manage and control
installation take good care not to remove configuration files of anything.

Which is why in Linux, reinstallation seldom works as a solution for
unknown problem.

Remember, Linux is not Windows.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.

(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” (Minas Tirith))

You may also want to check if there isn’t a huge quantity of untitled files in libreoffice’s default documents folder, and delete them. Some time ago there was a bug in Writer (or KDE integration, perhaps) that, if you started a new text without naming it (i.e., saving it), it would start to save untitledxxxx files non-stop, keeping your hard drive busy and filling it with thousands of files.

I just have to say it.

This is exactly how it is with Linux and the Linux community.

Eventually there will pop up some problem with your computer.

Instead, as a lot of people experience, with MS Windows, where fear and stress will pop up and because of that, confusion and indecision (can I find a solution, will Windows break on other stuff, do I eventually have to reinstall Windows which will take days with settings, optimizing etc.), in the end you will lose the fun factor and end up losing interest in the OS and computers at all. You’ll use it as some annoying disposable tool which sometimes will not work and than you will have to do a lot of work!

With Linux you go to your friendly Linux community and the following will happen.

You’ll be helped. Real help and fast. But that’s not even the most important. The thing is, besides helping, they will explain things and take out the fear of it and make it fun!Yes, a problem will turn into fun and because of that you’ll translate that fun to others and start to make them enthusiastic about this magic cool OS.

I thank all you guys and girls because of that :):slight_smile:

On 2015-08-30 10:06, yuryen wrote:

> You’ll be helped. Real help and fast. But that’s not even the most
> important. The thing is, besides helping, they will explain things and
> take out the fear of it and _make_it_fun!_Yes, a problem will turn into
> fun and because of that you’ll translate that fun to others and start to
> make them enthusiastic about this magic cool OS.
>
>
> I thank all you guys and girls because of that :):slight_smile:

:-))))


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.

(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” (Minas Tirith))