LibreOffice (Portable) just keeps Crashing

English
#1

LibreOffice Calc just keeps on Crashing. I’m at my wits end here. I WANT to use LibreOffice, I PREFER LibreOffice, but what the actual F? I’m on Windows 10. I THOUGHT the reason LibreOffice crashed so much (specifically “CALC”, not Writer or other) is because of some sort of corrupt files or installations I had, either with Windows or with LibreOffice itself. I “Cleaned installed” Everything from scratch on my PC. I’m using the Portable Version. My Spreadsheets ARE big, they ARE Complex, I’m using Non-Letter Unicode Characters in my Spreadsheets, but they are almost ALL from Version 1.1 (from 1993). I use a lot of Conditional Formatting (in Red are Cells that have errors or that do not conform (“Errors” as in: it says we have 500 CPUs but I only counted 300), in Green are Validated information, etc.).

I HAVE A CLEAN INSTALL.

Does LibreOffice Work better on Linux? Does the “Installable Version” not crash so much??

Any help is appreciated.

Edit_1: Other information: I use AutoHotkey to Automate some LibreOffice Functions and Macros. I use about ~30~40 Custom Macros as well, but when LibreOffice Calc Crashes, I have not noticed it being when I use these Functions and Macros. I believe the crashes happen often (“often” as in: 50%~75% of the time perhaps?) when I come BACK to LibreOffice (working with some other Software, then coming back to LibreOffice), and perhaps 10%~25% of the Crashes happen when I’m in the process of Saving my Spreadsheet.
Edit_2: Side Note: I value LibreOffice greatly for it’s “Community Built” aspect; for it’s transparency and “Open Source” Aspects, and recently; for the possibility of each user to have “Data Privacy” (“my Files and my Data are my own”). Therefore, I am “Torn in Half” between: “Asking for help and Sharing my Data and my Files Online directly” and; the notion of Data Privacy and Data Security. I don’t know what the solution is. Any help or insights on this last part would be very appreciated as well.

#2

If LibreOffice is running off a USB stick, it will be a lot slower and might appear frozen when it is still calculating.
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If you are running LibreOffice of a USB stick because of lack of space (10%) in the hard drive then it might be there is not enough free space for Windows virtual memory.
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It might just be that you need to click Tools - Options - LibreOffice - View and tick the box Force Skia software rendering

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#3

Actually, ironically, I’ve always checked out this option, and it has always been enabled. I’m disabling it to see if this changes anything. And to be honest (perhaps stupid on my part) I don’t know what Skia Rendering is.

Also, thank you for your insights. Very appreciated.

#4

Hi @GaXve is your file native to LibreOffice?
The Portable version is slower and if the file is large, with many formulas, it gets even worse.
What is the reason for not installing LibreOffice?
What version are you using?

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#5

(Using Win10)
I have a repository of many old versions of LibO and some of AOO, extracted from their PortableApps packages by two versions of the PortableApps tool.
I use them for comparisons and checks (also bug hunting) since nearly 20 years.
The younger PA platform I have in a HD folder, the older one on a very old USB stick.
No problems in any case.

What about a new install of the PA platform?

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#6

Depending on hardware, disabling Force Skia software rendering might make LibreOffice crash on start. Leave it enabled.

Crash on switching applications sounds like a lack of memory or virtual memory. Or maybe bad sectors in virtual memory drive.

Crashing on writing to disc might be bad sectors on either the USB or the drive with virtual memory.

The easiest and cheapest thing to try would be a new USB stick, they do wear out faster than SSD drives

#7

What is the reason for not installing LibreOffice?

@schiavinatto
Well, the reason is because I’m trying to build a “Mobile Software” System. Where I have all my Portable Software (or Standalone is another term used) on a Portable External Hard Drive (I’ve found some that can reach 40Gbps), and I can use all my personally selected software on any Computer without needing Admin Access. Specifically, I’m sick and tired of using Microsoft Office and I don’t always get to choose if I have admin access on the professional laptops I use. All I need is access to a USB Port and I’m good. But if the Portable Version of LibreOffice is unusable, I’m still stuck… and right now, I’m afraid of finding out the answer.
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Side Note: To be Crystal Clear, I do not intend to use LibreOffice without IT department’s approval. But I need to make it as easy for them as I possibly can.

#8

@EarnestAl, Awesome. Thank you for the pointers EarnestAI.

#9

Another question for you all in the community. I asked Lumo (a Chatbot assistant developed by Proton, an analog to ChatGPT, but focused on user and data privacy) if LibreOffice has issues with processing Emoji characters. It replied that yes, LibreOffice has known issues displaying Emoji, and Non-Standard Unicode Characters.

Ai sometimes hallucinates inaccurate answers. Does anyone know if there’s any validity to the “difficulty of processing Unicode and Emoji characters in LibreOffice”?

#10

If you add an emoji into a paragraph, LibreOffice will include the emoji. If the emoji isn’t included in the font of the paragraph then LibreOffice will use a font that does have an emoji. This might not be the colour or exact shape that the user is thinking of. LibreOffice is not clairvoyant.
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If the emoji is set to the emoji font that the user wants then there is no problem.
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You can enter special Unicode characters by either Insert - Special character or by typing U+[unicode number] then pressing Alt+X to toggle between the actual character and the Unicode number. The same caveats apply, just the same as if you want Times New Roman font but want the ampersand (&) from Goudy Bookletter 1911

Up to 25% now I heard

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#11

@schiavinatto What is the reason for not installing LibreOffice?

(Side Note: I use “Config” and “Settings” interchangeably here)
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The Second reason I was forgetting (perhaps the most important of the two): The Time it takes to “Custom Setup” Software. When you’ve got many custom settings, scripts, installs, configs, etc., even when you backup your custom settings, the Backups are Never perfect. There’s always at least one software that just doesn’t cooperate, something you didn’t think of, some file that doesn’t upload or whatnot. And then you’re stuck Re-Setting your Custom Configs Manually. The End-Goal of Custom settings is always ➔ To Save Time. And this (always having to “Re-Setup” stuff manually) defeats that purpose.
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When you end up working on many machines (Desktop, Laptop, Work Laptops, etc.), the time it takes to setup Software with your custom settings can become quite insane. The point is to SAVE Time, and now I’m SPENDING more time re-setting up many of my Software manually. Every time you change a setting on one machine, you have to make sure THAT setting “propagates” on all your other machines. There’s always something you’ve forgotten. I have come to the conclusion that this method is unfeasible.
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If I have ONE place where I custom setup my Software (on my External Hard Drive), that’s Time Saved. Of course, you make backups (2x) of your External Hard Drive, this way when you’ve Screwed up, you can always rewind not too far behind (My estimate is: ideally you want to backup every day. But we are human and we forget. The Strict Maximum “Wait Time” between Backups is 1x Week). And: it’s not a matter of “IF” you will screw up, it’s a matter of “WHEN” (reinforcing the importance of making Backups).
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Using Portable (I think the Actual Term is “Standalone”, but I’m not sure. I recently read somewhere that “Portable” simply means the Software you’re using can be on an External Storage Device but that the “Portable Software” themselves still copy some config Files in the System Folders of the Computers you’re using, which requires Admin Access.)…
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Starting over: Using Standalone Software: You “Custom-Config” in ONE Location: The External Hard Drive. You Backup your Custom-Configs from ONE Location: The External Hard Drive. The Backups themselves can be stored: on other External Hard Drives, a Cloud Storage, a Flash Drive, whatever. But “Your Computer”, in a metaphorical sense, now becomes your Portable External Hard Drive.
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No More “Re-Setting everything up from Scratch”. No More “Endless Time to install Software”. And No More “Requiring Admin Access” to install and use your Software. All this saves time, keeping in mind the perspective of: “Using / Working on Many Different Machines”.
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One last side note about Admin Access. This last part: “Not Requiring Admin Access”, as per my understanding, makes your systems “Safer” in some regards (I’m NOT saying this makes them “Perfectly Safe” by ANY means.). Being in “User Mode” rather than in “Admin Mode”, you don’t have access to Write (to “Modify”) certain system settings and Config Files, which isolates Users from SOME of the OS’s vulnerabilities.
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I have just laid out my full thought process, which has been in continuous evolution for the past 4~5 years.

#12

@EarnestAl Up to 25% now I heard

That’s actually not as bad as I thought! Now, it’s just a matter of “How Critical” is the information you’re looking for, to know how much you have to fact check the information you get.
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Thanks for the info!

#13

@Lupp

You’ve been using (“PA” is “Portable Apps”?) PA for 20 years?! Wow, I didn’t even know it was around for that long.
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I’m hesitant to download anything on that platform and it’s because, as per my understanding, the Portable Versions of the Apps on that platform are not officially made by the Developing Teams of the Software themselves. The Portable versions are created by other users, non-affiliated with the Developing Teams (please correct any misconceptions I may have). I’m scared of “What Type” of Portable Software am I going to end up with.

#14

PortableApps.com - Wikipedia (see founding date 2006-11).
I used it already when there were only few apps available, and I seem to remember that they were originally packaged by the founder (John. T. Haller).
I also took part in its user forum for some time. In the early years I only knew the packages coming by default with their platform (for ODF OO.o in early times)
For many years now the download site of the document foundation provides PortableApps versions (32 bit) for Win. See Index of /libreoffice/old/3.3.4.1 .
The presentation of PortableApps itself now follows bad (“modern”) standards, and I do no longer visit it.

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#15

@Lupp
Wow! Thank you for this rundown! I now have SO many questions to ask about what you said.

But ONE question that stands out more than the others. When you say “Bad Modern” Standards, meaning? Meaning: “Packaging in a way that introduces vulnerabilities”?

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#16

I use this platform LiberKey - Portable applications catalog, but the LibreOffice from the official website, the latest portable version published was v.25.2.7.2.

#17

Not at all. I mean the home site of PortableApps. The presentation is next to inacceptable for me. I’m looking for clear and concise information, not for nice images, icon expositions, button collections, and the like.
But that seems to be destiny ...

#18

Seems they now only pack the final version of a second-number-series.

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