Excel and Open Office Calc Freeze Upon Opening

[DaveC426913]

*Two of them: Excel and Open Office Calc.

I've pretty much had it with these spreadsheet programs.

I don't know what it is, but they both freeze solid when they open, and happily freeze up if you look at them funny.

And that's on the best of days. On the worst of days, they just explode into oblivion with no warning or error message. Often, they explode when I try to save them, which means I can't even avail myself of the inanely desperate trick of hovering over Ctrl-S and saving after every single edit I make - it pops before saving my changes.

I don't think this is specific to my computer - my system is pretty new, robust, fast and has no other similar problems. Also, one of the places this happens is inside the Citrix virtual desktop of my work system that I tunnel into - so that is running on a completely different box.

These are not particularly large or complex spreadsheets. Sometimes its just a couple hundred records and no formulae at all (just an imported CSV). In fact, it does not seem to matter what file it is at all; it could be a newly-created file, with, like two lines in it.Is this a thing with spreadsheet apps?

I don't know where to turn.
(The spreadsheet that inspired me to write this post has been churning away in the background the entire time I composed this - and that includes this time while I've returned here to post this addendum. Guess I'll go 'splode it myself. Again.)

 

[Baluncore]

OpenDocument spreadsheet ?
Do you use OpenOffice or LibreOffice Calc?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LibreOffice

 

[DaveC426913]

OpenOffice.
I tried LibreOffice a long time ago, I remember not liking it (altough it might have been because it too was explody) and choosing OpenOffice over it. I'll go back and check it again.

 

[Baluncore]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org
"OpenOffice.org (OOo), commonly known as OpenOffice, is a discontinued open-source office suite. Active successor projects include LibreOffice (the most actively developed ...".

You have been left behind with the discontinued project.
I, too, suffered that same fate for a while.

 

[FactChecker]

I've been using LibreOffice Calc for years now on a couple of computers and have never had a problem like you are describing. I update LibreOffice occasionally. Using old, unmaintained software on newer computers is asking for trouble.

 

[russ_watters]

I've never encountered this problem, per se, with excel and the fact that it happens with more than one app suggests a problem with the spreadsheet(s). Are they just plain data? Any links? How many columns/rows? Are you making graphs (you said just csvs...). Are they freezing when you open them without a document or just when opening straight into a document?

I'd be investigating network hangs or plugins misbehaving.

 

[DaveC426913]

I've never encountered this problem, per se, with excel and the fact that it happens with more than one app suggests a problem with the spreadsheet(s).

Sry. Different spreadsheets.

Are they just plain data? Any links? How many columns/rows? Are you making graphs (you said just csvs...).

Just data. No links. It can happen with, like, 10 rows.

Are they freezing when you open them without a document or just when opening straight into a document?

It can blow up just launching the app.

I'd be investigating network hangs or plugins misbehaving.

I don't have those.

 

[phinds]

I've been using Excel for as long as there has BEEN an Excel, including writing my own macros in VBA and I have never had a problem with it, even when I have used it on fairly large (but not huge) databases for companies I was a contractor or employee for.

 

[berkeman]

It can blow up just launching the app.

Have you tried having the Windows Task Manager running when you launch and run these apps? Maybe you'll see if the app is disk-bound or hogging a lot of memory or seems to have other issues when it "hangs"...

 

[DaveC426913]

Have you tried having the Windows Task Manager running when you launch and run these apps? Maybe you'll see if the app is disk-bound or hogging a lot of memory or seems to have other issues when it "hangs"...

I opened it. It wasn't doing anything particularly hoggy.

 

[Khi Choy Xichdu]

Try entering the directory where your Excel is installed (i.e. where excel.exe is located), then running:
excel /safe or
excel /s
If excel runs without any problem, try opening your preferred file (File->Open, etc.).

If you are using the Excel application in a Citrix virtual environment, ensure that the settings, such as resource allocation, policies, and updates, are suitable for your current version of Excel. Additionally, ensure that your network connection is reliable and optimized for Excel usage.
In the past, I had to work with VMware remotely on SharePoint, and I must admit it was quite challenging. Coordinating our changes to the project management spreadsheet every afternoon in slow network connection was a bit of a hassle. However, looking back, it was also kind of a good memory for me to hold dear.

 

[Mark44]

I've been using Excel for as long as there has BEEN an Excel, including writing my own macros in VBA and I have never had a problem with it,

I've been using Excel for almost as long as it has been around, and have never had the problem described in the OP. I use it every day.

 

[OmCheeto]

The last application to crash on my Macbook was 'Numbers', which is Apples spreadsheet. It happened twice in 10 minutes!

Unfortunately, I can't remember what it was.

 

[f95toli]

Excel crashing would suggest a problem with the computer and/or Windows.
I don't know how may people use Excel on a daily basis, but there must be many millions (some quick Googling suggests that MS have sold about 750 million copies) of users around the world.

Not that there can't be bugs in Excel and the other Office applications, but at least the obvious ones (such as apps crashing ) tends to get identified very, very quickly.

 

[phinds]

Not that there can't be bugs in Excel and the other Office applications, but at least the obvious ones (such as apps crashing ) tends to get identified very, very quickly.

I think you meant to say CAN, not CAN'T

 

[pbuk]

I think you meant to say CAN, not CAN'T

I don't think so - note the double negative (NOT that there CAN'T be bugs $\equiv$ there CAN be bugs).

 

[phinds]

I don't think so - note the double negative (NOT that there CAN'T be bugs $\equiv$ there CAN be bugs).

A HA ! The problem, clearly, is that I can't read.

 

[Vanadium 50]

I've been using Excel for as long as there has BEEN an Excel,

I'll see you and raise you. I once used Multiplan. (A real piece of sh...er..software)

This would not be the first time someone used years-old-software and had problems with it. I'd be curious as to what the memory situation looks like before and after the spreadsheet is launched.

 

[phinds]

I'll see you and raise you. I once used Multiplan. (A real piece of sh...er..software)

I remember using WordStar (even with DOS) before Word but I can't remember what spreadsheet, if any, I used before Excel.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Google Sheets works great up until 100k+ rows. Otherwise if you're on desktop, use LibreOffice and get more system memory.

 

[DrJohn]

You could give us a clue by telling us which version of Windows you are using, the amount of memory your computer has and which version of Excel and OpenOffice you are using. Because it seems very strange that you are having things crash when opening just the software. Especially when it is software used by hundreds of millions of people.

Personally I use LibreOffice and it has never done what you describe with any spreadsheet, or on opening the program.

I did once have an older computer at one place I taught and the system had too little memory, so little that on swapping from one program to another with documents open in them it would often time out and go to sleep, but that was three decades ago. Extra memory solved everything.