Bug 113283 - older files open only as read-only
Summary: older files open only as read-only
Status: CLOSED INSUFFICIENTDATA
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
5.3.6.1 release
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2017-10-20 09:42 UTC by Peter Griffiths
Modified: 2020-09-15 06:05 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
user profile zip file (47.81 KB, application/x-zip-compressed)
2017-10-20 09:44 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details
Word file that used to open with Writer (76.50 KB, application/msword)
2017-10-20 15:49 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details
message from writer when trying to open a file (19.10 KB, image/png)
2017-10-20 15:50 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details
option to edit file when it has opened as read only (52.47 KB, image/png)
2017-10-20 15:51 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details
another warning from writer when starting to edit (85.36 KB, image/png)
2017-10-20 15:53 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details
another screen shot of error when trying to save edited file (88.88 KB, image/png)
2017-10-20 15:54 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details
Error message when trying to edit an .odt file (8.42 KB, image/png)
2017-10-20 16:24 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details
Old Word file converted to .odt (67.09 KB, application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text)
2017-10-21 10:00 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details
Screen shot of error message when tryimg to open a file (85.36 KB, image/png)
2017-10-22 14:05 UTC, Peter Griffiths
Details

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Description Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 09:42:23 UTC
Description:
When I open an old file created with an earlier version of Writer on an older computer using XP the file opens as read-only and when I attempt to edit this is refused and if I try to save as a new untitled file this is also refused with a message about access rights

Steps to Reproduce:
1.open old file - it opens as a read only file with option to edit
2.attempt to edit is refused because file is locked on another system
3.attempt to save as a new copy is refused perhaps due to no access rights

Actual Results:  
open an old file - option to open as read only or ignore locking and open or cancel.  Both the open options result in a read-only file being loaded.  Attempt to edit the file is refused because it is locked by me on another system.  Attempt to save a copy is refused with a note about access rights.

Expected Results:
file open ready to be edited


Reproducible: Always

User Profile Reset: yes - tried every option in safe mode.  Nothing worked.  

Additional Info:
One or two old files still open okay - ready to be edited.  But the majority do not.


User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64; rv:56.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/56.0
Comment 1 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 09:44:57 UTC
Created attachment 137134 [details]
user profile zip file
Comment 2 raal 2017-10-20 10:57:45 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 3 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 15:49:13 UTC
Created attachment 137156 [details]
Word file that used to open with Writer

I hope to add screen shots of the warning/error messages that come up when I try to open the file with the new Writer (LibreOffice 5.3.6). Funny thing - I copied the file to the desktop in order to remove private information and then attach it from there - but the copy file opens without any problem.  The whole bug seems to be an intermittent fault.
Comment 4 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 15:50:38 UTC
Created attachment 137157 [details]
message from writer when trying to open a file

this is the first error message
Comment 5 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 15:51:52 UTC
Created attachment 137158 [details]
option to edit file when it has opened as read only

this is how the file opens after the first error message
Comment 6 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 15:53:18 UTC
Created attachment 137159 [details]
another warning from writer when starting to edit

this is the second error/warning message
Comment 7 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 15:54:49 UTC
Created attachment 137160 [details]
another screen shot of error when trying to save edited file

The edited file will not save as a replacement of the original file.  This error message appears.
Comment 8 Dieter 2017-10-20 16:02:53 UTC
I tried to open the attached file and it was no problem.

Version: 5.4.2.2 (x64)
Build-ID: 22b09f6418e8c2d508a9eaf86b2399209b0990f4
CPU-Threads: 4; Betriebssystem:Windows 6.19; UI-Render: Standard; 
Gebietsschema: de-DE (de_DE); Calc: group


Have you tried it with a fresh user profile?
Comment 9 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 16:24:11 UTC
Created attachment 137161 [details]
Error message when trying to edit an .odt file

Yes - I have tried renaming the user profile to 'user old' and restarting - the attached error message came up.  I have seen it before.  I think I must try to reinstall LIbre Office, although I had the same problem when I installed version 5.4 so I doubt if it will help.
Comment 10 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-20 16:49:04 UTC
I have spent hours on this and I think I must just uninstall LibreOffice and use one of the other free Office programs to edit all my old files.  The bug is intermittent. Sometimes, if I copy a file to the desktop it will then open without any problem.  But when I copy it back to the folder in Documents it opens as a read-only file and will not allow me to edit it.  I have tried repairing the program but that made no difference.
Comment 11 Dieter 2017-10-21 09:04:31 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 12 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-21 10:00:43 UTC
Created attachment 137181 [details]
Old Word file converted to .odt

Thanks.  I am on the point of uninstalling LibreOffice.  Most of my old Word files were created on LibreOffice then 'Saved as' Word files, simply because I do not have a printer and not all the kind neighbours who will print for me have LibreOffice - some of them have Word 2003 so I saved my .odt files in that format for printing on their computers.  Consequently, most of my older files are stored both as .odt and as .doc files.  I have been trying to open the older .odt files with the intention of again saving as both .odt and .doc for printing purposes.  However, the new attached file is a conversion from .doc to .odt using the wizard to convert an older .doc file that was created using Word 2003.  Here's the thing - if you open the file it will probably open normally.  When I try to open and edit the newly converted .odt file in its current location (the document folder where it is stored) I get the same error message as in attachment 137161 [details] above.  BUT - if I copy the same file to my desktop I can open and edit it without any problem.  So the bug (if there is one) seems to have something to do with the file location - although the desktop copy of a file does not ALWAYS open normally.  There seems to be an intermittent bug or fault or whatever with my Windows 10. (I had the same problem with version 5.4.1 and hoped that the older 5.3.6 would work.  Same result.  Any clue as to what the problem might be?  I have used LibreOffice for many years (after starting with OpenOffice) and have always enjoyed it - until now.
Comment 13 Xavier Van Wijmeersch 2017-10-21 19:58:31 UTC
Your image says something about access rights, so its not libreoffice fault when the daily windows updates change the rights on some documents. Take a look at the properties of your old files and see if they are set to root or something else.

Best regards
Comment 14 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-22 14:05:37 UTC
Created attachment 137204 [details]
Screen shot of error message when tryimg to open a file

Thanks.  There are so many endless variables between LibreOffice and Windows 10 and I cannot find the one to correct.  What puzzles me is that if I copy a file (.doc or .odt) from a document folder to the desktop I can open and edit it without any error messages. If I then put those files into a new folder ON THE DESKTOP, I can open and edit the same files with no error messages.  But if I copy that folder into 'Documents' on my hard drive (drive C) I cannot open the files from there without the error messages coming up.  Can anyone give me a clue as to why the file location makes the difference between success and failure in using LibreOffice to work on files?  I don't really want to store all my document folders on the desktop.  The first error message (attached again) that appears seems to come from Libre Office, not from Windows.
Comment 15 Dieter 2017-10-22 15:00:34 UTC
I recommend to describe your problem via a mailinglist (for example the general users list at http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/Users-f1639498.html) or you can ask the community via ask.libreoffice.org. I think, that will be the better chance to find somebody who can really help you.
Comment 16 Peter Griffiths 2017-10-23 06:47:57 UTC
Thanks to all who tried to help.  I still think there is a bug of some kind in versions 5.3.6 and 5.4.2 which produces some incompatability with Windows 10 (my version is 1607).  I tried the AskLibO service and successfully registered but when  tried to use the service it would not work for me either.

After wasting many hours trying to alter settings, both in Windows and in LibO, I uninstalled it and installed Open Office 4 instead.  This programme works without any trouble and I converted all my old .doc and .odt files to new .odt files, which I can now edit and save in wnatever format I choose.

So I guess this report can be closed - unless someone wants to hunt for a possible bug that would cause LibO 5.3 and 5.4 to clash with Windows 10.  The mystery to me is that the errors to not occur if I copy a file to the desktop.  From there the programme works on them without any problem. But if I copy the same file into a document folder the errors occur again.
Comment 17 Aron Budea 2017-10-24 10:44:46 UTC
I'd look at the directory permissions to see if a lock file can be created.
Not sure why OO worked, though, and about what it does exactly.
Comment 18 Dieter 2017-10-28 07:57:32 UTC
> So I guess this report can be closed - unless someone wants to hunt for a
> possible bug that would cause LibO 5.3 and 5.4 to clash with Windows 10. 
> The mystery to me is that the errors to not occur if I copy a file to the
> desktop.  From there the programme works on them without any problem. But if
> I copy the same file into a document folder the errors occur again.

Due to comment this comment I close this bug. Feel free to reopen it, if think you have new insights,
Comment 19 robbmall 2020-09-15 04:26:02 UTC Comment hidden (spam)