Bug 165012 - LibreOffice freezes on startup
Summary: LibreOffice freezes on startup
Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.6.2.1 release
Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64) Windows (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2025-02-03 13:40 UTC by Marcin
Modified: 2025-02-24 14:45 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
LO loading stops here... (73.66 KB, image/png)
2025-02-24 14:41 UTC, Marcin
Details

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Description Marcin 2025-02-03 13:40:18 UTC
Description:
When I try to run any LibreOffice application, the startup logo with a progress bar appears and at this point the application freezes. An effective solution is to kill the soffice.bin process in the task manager and then the next attempt to start it will be successful. The problem has been occurring for a long time on at least two of my computers. Probably always the first attempt starting the system ends like this.

Description here look like the same problem: https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/libreoffice-freezes-on-startup/2339

I don't know if this behavior can be observed in the logs.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Start Windows
2. Start LibreOffice Writer or Calc or Impress


Actual Results:
Starting logo freezes with about 40% progress.

Expected Results:
Application starts.


Reproducible: Sometimes


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
I selected 7.6.2.1, because it is my actual version. I will upgrade to the newer, but I'm not sure how to reproduce problem on demand. I've gotten used to this behavior of the application and now I automatically kill the process in the task manager. It's a bit annoying, but you can live with it. Previous updates didn't help. Maybe it has something to do with the computer going to sleep.
Comment 1 V Stuart Foote 2025-02-03 16:38:44 UTC
Sounds like the graphics tests are hanging up.

Please post details of your Windows build and your graphics card and drivers.

Also, your LibreOffice build was done in Sep '23, and the 7.6 branch went EOL Jun of '24. [1]. You'll want to keep more current as you've missed the 24.2, 24.8 and now 25.2 release branches.  Current dev efforts are against a 25.8 release for this August.

=-ref-=
[1] https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleasePlan/7.6
Comment 2 Marcin 2025-02-04 09:37:58 UTC
I installed the latest (stable) version, restarted the system and it's fine for now. But as I wrote earlier: It's hard to repeat this problem. It's not too bothersome, because every time I kill the application in Task Manager, the next start ends successfully.

Maybe the problem disappeared in the new version or maybe it will come back. Using the "realase" version (not "debug"), could I enable some logging to collect some additional data with such a frozen logo?

I don't like problems/errors that are difficult to repeat :( If it weren't for the fact that the problem appears on more than one of my systems, I wouldn't report it at all.

My current version:

Version: 24.8.4.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: bb3cfa12c7b1bf994ecc5649a80400d06cd71002
CPU threads: 24; OS: Windows 11 X86_64 (10.0 build 22631); UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: pl-PL (pl_PL); UI: pl-PL
Calc: CL threaded
Comment 3 V Stuart Foote 2025-02-04 14:06:29 UTC
(In reply to Marcin from comment #2)

> My current version:
> 
> Version: 24.8.4.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
> Build ID: bb3cfa12c7b1bf994ecc5649a80400d06cd71002
> CPU threads: 24; OS: Windows 11 X86_64 (10.0 build 22631); UI render:
> Skia/Raster; VCL: win
> Locale: pl-PL (pl_PL); UI: pl-PL
> Calc: CL threaded

OK, thanks for the info. Note that your Win11 system has fallen back from Skia Vulkan vector graphics to Skia software lib raster framing. Vulkan rendering is enabled by default and the raster framing comes following GPU testing (or deny list handling of GPU/driver pairings).

So that could be the rub, especially on older systems or for GPUs with Vulkan driver issues.

Keep an eye out there.
Comment 4 Marcin 2025-02-05 08:38:46 UTC
As a result of this report:
https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=155143
Skia/Vulcan is disabled on my system.

I have additional question:

When LibreOffice starts, the logo appears in the middle of the screen with a progress bar. When the process freezes in my system, the bar stops at a certain point. The question is: Is it possible to judge by the length of the bar what is being checked and loaded? Does it make sense to take a screenshot of the logo and post it here?
Comment 5 V Stuart Foote 2025-02-05 12:04:09 UTC
(In reply to Marcin from comment #4)
> As a result of this report:
> https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=155143
> Skia/Vulcan is disabled on my system.
> 

How? On initial installation of a release update, LibreOffice will run in default mode with Vulkan enabled by default. Would only not use the Skia Vulkan rendering libs if the specific GPU device and its driver(s) have been deny listed.

Otherwise it will cycle through the GPU testing once, with failure, then disable the Vulkan vector rendering with fall back to Skia raster rendering on next launch and likely for a killed soffice.bin process.

> I have additional question:
> 
> When LibreOffice starts, the logo appears in the middle of the screen with a
> progress bar. When the process freezes in my system, the bar stops at a
> certain point. The question is: Is it possible to judge by the length of the
> bar what is being checked and loaded? Does it make sense to take a
> screenshot of the logo and post it here?

Unfortunately, probably not. In addition to the GPU testing, there is other profile and configuration setup that occurs on initial launch after a version upgrade. While progress bar is provided as visual clue, it can not really be interpreted.
Comment 6 Marcin 2025-02-05 12:57:35 UTC
(In reply to V Stuart Foote from comment #5)
> (In reply to Marcin from comment #4)
> > As a result of this report:
> > https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=155143
> > Skia/Vulcan is disabled on my system.
> > 
> 
> How? On initial installation of a release update, LibreOffice will run in
> default mode with Vulkan enabled by default. Would only not use the Skia
> Vulkan rendering libs if the specific GPU device and its driver(s) have been
> deny listed.

After reporting bug 155143 my NVIDIA cards were blacklisted and Skia/Raster was used by default on my computers. I forgot that I changed 1660 SUPER to RTX 3060 some time ago. I tested Skia/Vulcan on current hardware just now and it seems stable. I have to try 1660 SUPER (previously blacklisted) with latest LO.

But seriously after the problems described in that thread I will probably force Skia/Raster in settings anyway.
Comment 7 Marcin 2025-02-24 14:41:44 UTC
Created attachment 199419 [details]
LO loading stops here...
Comment 8 Marcin 2025-02-24 14:45:55 UTC
Hi,

Problem still exists :(

Version: 24.8.4.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: bb3cfa12c7b1bf994ecc5649a80400d06cd71002
CPU threads: 24; OS: Windows 11 X86_64 (10.0 build 22631); UI render: Skia/Vulkan; VCL: win
Locale: pl-PL (pl_PL); UI: pl-PL
Calc: CL threaded

I have no idea how to get some debug information :(

As I remember I restarted Windows last week because of update. Today I wanted to run LO Draw and it freezes like on attached image.

Solution, like always: Kill soffice.bin from Task Manager and run again. And wait some time to freeze again. I don't know how to reproduce on demand. Sorry :(

Regards,
Marcin