OpenOffice.org 1.0.1--the problem-- * Two SuSE 8.1 users on the same Linux computer install OpenOffice, one as a "workstation" install, another as a "local" install * OpenOffice.org won't save a document, instead issuing an error message: "The application cannot be started. The configuration directory "/home/<insert-username-here>/OpenOffice.org1.0.1" could not be found. Do you want to start the setup application to repair your installation?" * Clicking "yes" to the above error message supposedly "repairs" the installation in one's own directory, but does NOT remedy the problem. * Using YaST2, OpenOffice.org is uninstalled, then reinstalled. The problem persists. Explanation and solution follow: (From an email written to a friend, a new SuSE user) Believe it or not, after a lot of agonizing and tedious research and troubleshooting, I DID manage to find out how to deal with OpenOffice.org if it gets messed up by someone (by me, in the case of Bob's computer), since I randomly deleted, as root, every OpenOffice.org file I could find anywhere on the system, which was an extremely sloppy way to "uninstall" a program. I was prepared to repartition the hard drive and install from scratch, but I researched the Internet, scoured the local Linux directories on Bob's machine, did a lot of thinking, and found a solution. It turns out to be incredibly simple. In Bob's case, he installed (well, *I* installed) OpenOffice as a "local" install. Then Bob said that he believed that OpenOffice would put all the files in his directory, but he wanted another friend to be able to use OpenOffice too, so he thought that a "workstation" (network) install would be better. That way (he presumed), the actual program would reside somewhere in a generally accessible location on the computer, and both he and his friend could access and use it, with their own OpenOffice.org personalization files, etc., residing in their own directories. I told Bob that I thought that a workstation install was for where individual computers (in a small company, for instance) were connected in an ethernet (or other type) LAN, so that everyone could use the same OpenOffice program from the network without each having to install the program on his or her own computer. I was right, and I was wrong. A "workstation" (network) installation works just fine on a single computer, as we found out when we logged in as another user and, in his own home folder, clicked the OpenOffice.org icon for the first time, which launched the OpenOffice.org installer program again. THIS time, instead of choosing a "local" installation as we did in Bob's home folder, we chose a "workstation" installation. After the install, OpenOffice.org launched beautifully and was up and running without a hitch. The PROBLEM began when we quit OpenOffice, logged out of that account, logged into Bob's, launched OpenOffice (so far, so good) typed a small test document and tried to save it. The save failed with a very cryptic error message, "Operation begun with an invalid parameter," after which OpenOffice abruptly quit. Uh-oh. After several attempts to create and save a document (any kind of document--text, spreadsheet, whatever) in both Bob's and the other account, all with the same error message followed by an abrupt quitting by OpenOffice, I was stumped and thought I would have to do a complete reinstall of SuSE Linux to get OpenOffice on good footing again. Well, no. This is the deal. Both a "workstation" and a "local" installation of OpenOffice seem to work fine, but trying the two of them together seems to cause problems. In actuality, a workstation install is probably the best course, since it installs just one master set of program files (apparently), then installs your own personal OpenOffice.org personalization files in your own home directory. OpenOffice is primarily installed in two locations: /opt/OpenOffice.org/ and /home/<username>/OpenOffice.org1.0.1 The main program files are in the /opt directory, and one's own OOo files are in one's own home directory. If the OOo files in one's own directory are corrupted (like Bob's were when I summarily deleted the entire OpenOffice.org directory in his home directory), then the next time you click on the OpenOffice.org icon a little message will pop up that says: "The application cannot be started. "The configuration directory "/home/<insert-username-here>/OpenOffice.org1.0.1" could not be found. Do you want to start the setup application to repair your installation?" Say NO--NO NO NO--in that little dialog box. It wil NOT "repair" the installation--instead, it will mess it up or leave it messed up! Instead, DELETE the entire folder called OpenOffice.org1.0.1 in your HOME directory: cd (to change to your own home directory, if you are not already there) rm -r OpenOffice.org1.0.1 THEN, as the user you are (NOT as root or su), open a command-line terminal and change directories to /opt/OpenOffice.org: cd /opt/OpenOffice.org/ Then type: setup The "setup" script within /opt/OpenOffice.org will start a new installation from scratch, and you can then choose a "workstation" (recommended) or "local" installation. All the OpenOffice.org files that are necessary for you as an individual user will be recreated in your home directory, and OpenOffice.org should be right as rain and function properly again. Alternatively, if the main OpenOffice.org files in /opt are corrupted for some reason (like when I arbitrarily deleted many of them trying to clean the system of OOo and reinstalling OpenOffice.org--which did not work by the way: I still received the "Application cannot be started" error message mentioned above) one can use YaST2 to formally uninstall the program, then delete the OpenOffice.org directory from one's own home directory, then reinstall OpenOffice.org using YaST2 and the SuSE master disks, then click on the Open Office.org icon on one's desktop to start the personal installation into one's own home directory again. If the "Application cannot be started" error message pops up, then say "NO" and go to: cd /opt/OpenOffice.org/ and type "setup" (without the quotes) to begin the installation. WOW! A very long explanation (sorry), but a very effective and ultimately simple solution to a frustrating problem that was difficult to understand.- -Steve D New Mexico US