Knoppix DVD 4.0: OpenOffice 2 won't load (crash)

Just downloaded Knoppix DVD and am impressed with all the goodies. However, I cannot get the new version of OpenOffice 2.0 (beta) to load at all. I click the icon, the machine clicks and grinds, and then nothing. It is as if I had never clicked anything at all. No error messages, no lock ups, and no residual screens.

I am running an AMD 1.7 gig, 1 gig RAM, with plenty of free HD space.

Any ideas on how to troubleshoot? Any buttons I can push to load with a minimum of overhead? Most of the posts I have seen so far say it is an OpenOffice beta issue, not a Knoppix issue.

I have had no problems using earlier versions of OpenOffice on Knoppix or Red Hat. :?:

Don't know if this will help or not, but when I exit the Knoppix 4 DVD, right before it exits the graphical interface and goes into the black terminal for shutoff, I get a few seconds of the blue OpenOffice 2.0 beta screen. This screen is not visible at any other time when I try to load OpenOffice and goes away on its own during the shutdown process.

thanks for any help.

OpenOffice.org 2.0 worked for me. I took some screenshots of the new DVD release. This screenshot http://virtualacuity.com/james/knopp...public/017.jpg is from the 8-16-2005 release of Knoppix 4.01 DVD and shows OO.o 2.0 running.

OpenOffice 2.0 seems to work fine for me also. Your mention of your machine clicking and grinding might be a clue to your issue. I have a notebook that has a drive that is incompatible with DVD-R. It makes all sorts of noise while trying to access the disc. It has random issues and runs poorly. If I burn a DVD+R, it works like a charm. Make sure that the media is not an issue. You might want to scan your completed disk with a Disk Inspection program such as the one from VSO to see if it is OK. Also, be sure to burn the disc at a slow speed to ensure correct function. 1X is certainly not too slow. It depends on your drive and the media that you are using. If you are using that no-name brand garbage media, you get just what you pay for. It is a frequent issue that such media contains defects that can even be seen with the naked eye. I now use them for target practice. If it's worth my time to burn the disc, it's worth the extra expense for known good media. Use media that is recommended by your drive manufacturer as compatible. They (Probably) made it, they tested it, and they probably wrote the firmware to make it happen. Speaking of firmware, make sure your drive is updated to the latest. It is a good idea to update the drive firmware since new media is put on the market all the time, and it usually addresses some issues with media types and variances.

Having the OpenOffice screen there might just be another clue for bad media. It was able to access and read part of the program, but was unable to complete loading it.

Underscore, those screenshots are awesome. I installed one as my wallpaper on a windows machine and almost got yelled at for running Knoppix. It could be a good way to wean someone off of Windows. Just install one as their wallpaper under Windows for awhile and then they will see something familiar when running Knoppix! They might not even notice the difference, except it doesn't crash and probably runs faster!

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Underscore, those screenshots are awesome. I installed one as my wallpaper on a windows machine and almost got yelled at for running Knoppix. It could be a good way to wean someone off of Windows. Just install one as their wallpaper under Windows for awhile and then they will see something familiar when running Knoppix! They might not even notice the difference, except it doesn't crash and probably runs faster!

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Thanks for the praise.

I forgot to mention that I _was_ using VMWare to load up the Knoppix 4.01 DVD. I got my NEC ND-3540A DVD burner today. Popped into the system, upgraded the firmware from cdfreaks and then burned Knoppix 4.01 on a Verbatiam DVD+R at 8x speed. It took about 8 minutes. I am running on it right now and OO.o 2.0 still works for me.

Underscore,

Credit given where credit is due!

The NEC Drives are pretty decent. I do have a few that I purchased, although earlier models. The ND-3540A is probably the next on my list to obtain, unless they come out with a new one by then. They have given good service along with others. I was also given a few from other users that trashed them using third party firmware. I'm not sure if it was the firmware or user error, but I have some spare parts at least. The drives are so cheap these days, it hardly pays not to install a writer in place of a DVD-ROM. Verbatim media has been pretty good for me, but I have had a few issues burning over 12X on a few drives. 8X is OK as long as you are not having trouble. I usually give the advice to slow down when looking for a possible cause of a concern, or for making the more important stuff. Some combinations of media and drive seem to work well at higher speeds. I do a lot of video, so I can see the difference in various media. I have BOXES of the cheap stuff. You can see the irregularities, especially near the outer edges when you hold them up to a good light source at an angle. Small irregularities can cause the video to stumble and create artifacts during playback. Good discs are not that much more and they are worth the extra money. I just see so many media issues and trouble caused by improper burning methods, that it is now one of the first things I suspect if an optical disc is involved.

I have had absolutely no issues getting this new 4.01 DVD to work in a half dozen machines or so. It appears that OpenOffice works on all. It appears that it is pretty stable so far. All I need to do now is learn a little more about what I can do with it. I can get through the basics OK, but it will be some time before I can get to the point that I will feel real comfortable with Knoppix and know my way around it. Windows is my main OS unfortunately, but Knoppix is getting a lot more of my attention these days. This forum is great since most of my questions have already been addressed somewhere, and I have learned a lot by just browsing the posts.

Pgluth1, please post to let us know if you resolve your issues. I'd be curious to know if it turns out to be a media concern.

Well, my experimentation has resulted in utter, dismal failure.

Because of the large size of the DVD -iso, I had deleted the original ftp files from my HD. After many overnight hours of downloads, I finally was able to get two additional copies - one from a ftp site, the other from alt.binaries.boneless from usenet. As an aside, usenet transfers are very fast. A copy of the DVD was posted on Sunday and I was able to download the entire thing in just over 2 hours - much better than the 20 hours from my ftp sites.

To follow up:
1. Both iso copies passed the md5 checks.
2. I burned both isos with Nero 6 - the newest edition with all the patches. I burned them on the slowest speed with write verification enabled.
3. I burned 3 copies to three different media - copy one to Memorex DVD+R disk and a no-name DVD-RW, copy two to an Office Depot DVD-R. Although I realize this is not scientifically covering ALL bases, I don't wish to make a hobby of burning disks.
4. In short, I received the exact same error with all three disks. OpenOffice attempts to load - the dvd drive flashes and I get a few seconds of the "bouncing OpenOffice" icon, and then nothing happens. If I try to load OOo again, the same response. When I close Knoppix, the blue OpenOffice screen is still there. (though, I only see it for a flash, no matter how many times I try to load OOo.)
5. Everything else seems to work on the disk. I now have 4 copies of Knoppix 4 and they all do the same thing.

I am stumped. I thank you for your suggestions about media frailty, but I don't think that is really the issue. Any suggestions on how to get OpenOffice 2 to load? BTW, I have a few computers, but I am trying this experiment on the fastest - and I only have one DVD drive.

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I am stumped. I thank you for your suggestions about media frailty, but I don't think that is really the issue. Any suggestions on how to get OpenOffice 2 to load? BTW, I have a few computers, but I am trying this experiment on the fastest - and I only have one DVD drive.

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Let's just make the assumption that your files and discs are good. Since you mentioned excessive/abnormal noise during disc access, the discs were a likely cause for the concern and may still be a clue to the root cause of your concern. The best way to go from here is to see if the disc works properly in another machine. If it does, then there is something unique with your hardware in the system that is giving trouble. It could be anything from faulty memory (Which is usually random) to issues with the drive controllers/chipsets. You mentioned that that this was your fastest system. Does it have chipsets or video controllers that have compatibility issues with Linux/Unix? You might want to explore some of the cheatcodes and see if your hardware might need some special configuration. I would start with DMA settings and go from there. Also, Is the system reporting the proper amount of memory when booting up? Verifying the basics is a good way to start.

I just tried my disc on four machines between yesterday and today and was able get OpenOffice to load and work on each one without any issues that I could see. These are older systems that are about two or even three years old. Athlons and P4s. None of the chipsets or video controllers were nvidia or nforce types. I have had a few minor issues with those chipsets in the past.

Maybe someone that is more experienced with Knoppix might have some further input, or may have had similar experiences as yours. Someone might also know of an alternate way to load the program or with a command line. I doubt there would be much of a difference in the results but it might be worth the try.

Being fairly new to Knoppix maybe I've done something wrong. But I seem the same problems as the original poster.
However I've got a bit more to add:

1. It appears that OpenOffice fails due to a bad /opt link. When OppenOffice failed to run from the desktop, I tried
to run it from the command line and got:

Starting OpenOffice.org.
/usr/bin/checkmem: line 30: /opt/openoffice/program/soffice: No such file or directory

So I took a look and /opt points to:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 12 Sep 14 06:51 opt -> /UNIONFS/opt

I assume that UNIONFS is supposed to be some sort of environment variable. It isn't set on my machine. Looking
around I noticed several other programs don't work as well. I'd be because of the same reason. However I can't
figure out where this thing is supposed to point to. I didn't see any messages at start up that seemed to indicate a
problem with this.

BTW - it rocks that Knoppix can now figure out the wireless network card automatically!

-TM