[Dropped] LibreOffice Calc crashes opening XLS files

[aoresteen]

I am having a serious problem with Calc opening Qffice 2003 Excel files (.XLS). Every time I try to open an .XLS Excel file LibreOffice crashes with this error:

LibreOffice Has Stopped working

Windows is checking for a solution to the problem...

To clear the error I have to open a Task Manager window and manually force a stop. Sometimes that does not work so I have to kill the LibreOffice process.

I am running Windows 7 SP1 64bit. I stared with LibreOffice 24.2.5.2. After getting the error I decided to roll back to version 7.6.xx. I uninstalled 24.2 and loaded LibreOffice 7.6.7.2 Same issue. I uninstalled 7.6.7.2 using Revo Uninstaller and cleaned out all traces of 7.6.7.2. I then did a clean install 24.2.5.2 again. Same issue. So I am at the latest version of LibreOffice.

I found a posting that suggested turning off Skia in LibreOffice so I did.

Use anti-aliasing not checked

Use Skia for all rendering not checked

Same issue.

The computer is a DDAW (Digial Audio Workstation) that is in a closed environment, used to record music. Internet access is off except for getting updates that are applied manually. I have to be able to read XLS files that have tons of MIDI info in them and song info. Why Windows 7? I have a FireWire audio interface that there are no stable drivers above Windows 7 for it. It works well with Reaper 7.19 so i still use it.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[MrProgrammer]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. I'm not surprised that no one has responded to a topic about Windows 7. I haven't used Windows in about 15 years and have never used Windows 7 but I do have suggestions for you.

I am running Windows 7 SP1 64bit. I stared with LibreOffice 24.2.5.2.

Windows 7 was released in 2009. LibreOffice didn't exist then. It seems unlikely that recent versions LibreOffice have or will be tested with Windows 7. Perhaps you should install something which would have been tested with Windows 7, say OpenOffice 3.2.1 which was released in the summer of 2010.
OpenOffice.org® - Download archived version

But OpenOffice Calc is designed for ODS documents, not XLS, so it might have trouble opening that deprecated, undocumented, foreign file format. In that case:
• Install a really old version of LibreOffice, say LO 3.4 which was released in the summer of 2011. LO 3.4 probably was tested with Windows 7. It isn't maintained anymore, but neither is Windows 7.
• Use a recent version of LibreOffice on a different computer which runs a recent version of Windows. Use the computer with current Windows/LO versions to convert the XLS file to an ODS file. Perhaps use Tools → Options → Load/Save → General → ODF format version → 1.2 so that the ODS file will be created in the format that OpenOffice is expecting. Transport the ODS file to the Windows 7 computer and open it with OpenOffice.

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit ☐ button and add [Solved] to the start of the Subject field. Select the green checkmark icon at the same time.

[LastUnicorn]

I just did some searching on this regarding LibreOffice and Windows 7. Seems support for Windows 7 is in flux now. Seems there might be an issue with Python (whatever that is) and Windows 7. See this note for details on Python and Windows 7 and a possible workaround for details: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Rel ... .1#Windows

However, in that longer run, see this note regarding the future release of LibreOffice 25.2 (i.e. February next year, not that far away really): https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Rel ... patibility

For the just released LibreOffice 24.8 the release notes make further comment on Windows 7: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Rel ... patibility

The long and short of all of that is that you could try installing Microsoft Windows6.1-KB3063858-x64.msu and see if that improves your luck. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downloa ... x?id=47442

[LastUnicorn]

Now I just had a look at the general System Requirements for LibreOffice and Windows 7 and there it says that KB3063858 is required: https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/sy ... s/#windows

[Mountaineer]

... Seems there might be an issue with Python (whatever that is) and Windows 7. ...

Python is a programming langage, wich can be used for scripting, but is also used internally in LibreOffice, for example to send serial mail.

The python project does not support Win7, as it is itself not supported ny MS. So things may stop working, but don't need to. It is just not tested by the project.

Back then, when we had Win7 I used Version 6 of LibreOffice and this should work today also.

I am having a serious problem with Calc opening Qffice 2003 Excel files (.XLS). Every time I try to open an .XLS Excel file LibreOffice crashes....

To solve the asked problem it would be interesting, if your files are loadable under Win10/11 to find out, if it is a bug in LibreOffice or just a problem with no longer suported Win7. Could you test this yourself, or provide a crashing xls-file here for inspection?

I assume you can load .ods-files without crashing LO?