LibreOffice Stopped Running on Debian

users
#1

I'm posting this here because I don't believe it is a bug, but something weird that has happened to LibreOffice on my system.

I've been using LibreOffice happily on Debian for years.

Currently I have LibreOffice 6.4.4.2 40(Build:2) on Debian Testing.

Now suddenly for reasons unknown to me, I cannot open LibreOffice at all.

I've tried from the menu, and in a terminal, and the outcome is constant. The splash screen shows up, and the progress bar reaches just less than 50% of completion. Then the splash screen disappears from the screen, and I get nothing more. LO is not running.

From the terminal I've tried "libreoffice", "libreoffice --writer", and "libreoffice --calc". "libreofice --safe-mode" produces the same result.

I've also tried all of these actions as another user on the same box. Same result.

I see nothing in my logs.

I'm desperate to get LO running again and would appreciate any suggestions.

#2

Hi,

Have you tried to check the the current running applications?

#3

Valter,

Thanks for the input.

Ran ps aux, and curiously found a bunch of stuff running from another user (not logged in). Killed all of those processes but it hasn't helped. Still the same LO behaviour.

I see nothing else in the running processes that seems to have any connection to LO.

Were you suggesting that I look for something in particular?

#4

I'm posting this here because I don't believe it is a bug, but something
weird that has happened to LibreOffice on my system.

...

I'm desperate to get LO running again and would appreciate any suggestions.

Back up everything in your Document directory.

If you have added an extensive collection of clip-art, colour palettes,
templates, wordbooks, NGrams, etc. back up your user directory, and the
appropriate parts of /opt/libreoffice/share
(Palette, Gallery, classification, images, template are the most likely
suspects from opt/libreoffice/share.)
(Database, gallery are the most likely suspects from /libreoffice/4/user/.)

Delete the LibreOffice directory ( Probably opt/libreoffice )
Delete ~/.config/libreoffice

From the commandline run:
sudo apt-get remove LibreOffice
sudo apt-get purge LibreOffice
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoclean
sudo apt-get check
sudo apt-get autoremove

What these commands do

* sudo apt-get remove LibreOffice
This removes the binary files associated with LibreOffice

* sudo apt-get purge LibreOffice
This removed the package files and the configuration files associated
with LibreOffice

* sudo apt-get clean
This clears out the local repository of retrieved package files

* sudo apt-get autoclean
This removes retrieved packages files from the local repository, if they
can no longer be downloaded.

* sudo apt-get check
This updates the package cache, looking for broken dependencies

* sudo apt-get autoremove
This automatically removes packages that were installed, because other
packages depended upon them, but they are no longer needed.

Basically, what you are doing with this sequence of commands, is
clearing out your local repository of anything related to LibreOffice,
and then removing any trace of LibreOffice from your system.

Now, once you are sure that LibreOffice is nowhere on your system.

Download the LibreOffice binaries from
https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/?type=deb-x86_64&version=6.4.4&lang=en-US
http://download.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/stable/6.4.4/deb/x86_64/LibreOffice_6.4.4_Linux_x86-64_deb_helppack_en-US.tar.gz
Adjust the language, if you do not use US English.
Adjust the binaries, if you are on a 32 bit Debian system.
If you don't want offline help, you can skip the second download.

unzip the archives
I usually move the DEB for help and the language into the folder for the
US-English version.
Change into the folder created by the zip file
cd DEB
sudo pckg -i *

cd DEB moves you into the DEB sub-folder

sudo pckg -i *
This is installs LibreOffice on your system.

You'll have to reconfigure LibreOffice
">Tools >Options" etc. This is where you customize some of the
internals. Language, grammar checking, chart colours, etc.
">Tools >Customize" etc. This is where you customize the menu and
keystroke settings.
">Tools >Extension Manager". This is where to install the extensions.
You will need to reinstall your extensions.

#5

jonathon,

Thanks for this long and useful post for which I'm very grateful, but also embarrassed, since I've managed to make some progress in a different direction which may bypass your advice. It will be kept for reference.

I've recently been playing with different desktop environments (I use XFCE) which now seems to be the cause of my problems.

In the unlikely event that anyone else experiences similar problems I did the following.

1. Created a new user.

2. Logged in as newuser.

3. Tried different desktop environments. LO worked fine from menu and command line under LXDE, Openbox and Plasma. LO would not work on Cinnamon with similar behaviour to my original post.

4. Logged out and logged in again as my normal user. The various desktop environments worked with the same behaviour as with newuser.

5. So armed with new knowledge I logged in again to my normal XFCE session.

6. EUREKA. LO now functions as expected. Presumably some XFCE file or setting had been changed by one of the other DEs which prevented LO from running on XFCE.

Thanks to all who contributed to my post, and kicked my brain into gear. Apologies for wasting your time and efforts.

Please mark as solved.

I'm posting this here because I don't believe it is a bug, but something
weird that has happened to LibreOffice on my system.

...

I'm desperate to get LO running again and would appreciate any suggestions.

Back up everything in your Document directory.

If you have added an extensive collection of clip-art, colour palettes,
templates, wordbooks, NGrams, etc. back up your user directory, and the
appropriate parts of /opt/libreoffice/share
(Palette, Gallery, classification, images, template are the most likely
suspects from opt/libreoffice/share.)
(Database, gallery are the most likely suspects from /libreoffice/4/user/.)

Delete the LibreOffice directory ( Probably opt/libreoffice )
Delete ~/.config/libreoffice

From the commandline run:

sudo apt-get remove LibreOffice
sudo apt-get purge LibreOffice
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoclean
sudo apt-get check
sudo apt-get autoremove

What these commands do

* sudo apt-get remove LibreOffice
This removes the binary files associated with LibreOffice

* sudo apt-get purge LibreOffice
This removed the package files and the configuration files associated
with LibreOffice

* sudo apt-get clean
This clears out the local repository of retrieved package files

* sudo apt-get autoclean
This removes retrieved packages files from the local repository, if they
can no longer be downloaded.

* sudo apt-get check
This updates the package cache, looking for broken dependencies

* sudo apt-get autoremove
This automatically removes packages that were installed, because other
packages depended upon them, but they are no longer needed.

Basically, what you are doing with this sequence of commands, is
clearing out your local repository of anything related to LibreOffice,
and then removing any trace of LibreOffice from your system.

Now, once you are sure that LibreOffice is nowhere on your system.

Download the LibreOffice binaries from
https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/?type=deb-x86_64&version=6.4.4&lang=en-US
http://download.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/stable/6.4.4/deb/x86_64/LibreOffice_6.4.4_Linux_x86-64_deb_helppack_en-US.tar.gz
Adjust the language, if you do not use US English.
Adjust the binaries, if you are on a 32 bit Debian system.
If you don't want offline help, you can skip the second download.

unzip the archives
I usually move the DEB for help and the language into the folder for the
US-English version.
Change into the folder created by the zip file
cd DEB
sudo pckg -i *

cd DEB moves you into the DEB sub-folder

sudo pckg -i *
This is installs LibreOffice on your system.

You'll have to reconfigure LibreOffice
">Tools >Options" etP.O. Box 520, Ocho Rios Post Office, Saint Ann

95, Saint Mary Country Club
Charles Town
Saint Mary
Jamaica

mobile : 1 876 354 0639
flow : 1 876 631 2808c. This is where you customize some of the

#6

Anything that fixes the issue, without blowing away your existing setup,
is a much better solution than my proposal.

jonathon