ods files locked

[Blind Legs Parker]

All the ods files on my computer are locked. I can't access them even if I change their name or move them into another folder. Every time I try to open them a hidden file named .~lock.file_name.ods# is created and it comes back every time I delete it. I tried opening them on another computer and it worked, so the files are fine both for opening and editing. It's just that I can't open them.
I started happening after my computer was brutally shut down (it froze after running out of battery and I had to brute force it into shutting down by pulling the battery out).
I'm the only one using this computer. It's not on a network. I am storing most of my files on a partition that is shared in common between Ubuntu and Windows 7 though.

Also, if I try to open the files using both Ubuntu and Windows and the reaction is different with both: Windows simply starts an infinite loading loop and never actually opens the file, while Ubuntu opens an older version of them (like several months old).

I tried uninstalling OpenOffice and then reinstalling it but it didn't change anything.
The two weirdest things are that 1) as far as I recall OpenOffice wasn't running when the freezing happened and 2) only ods files are concerned and odt files still open normally.

[RoryOF]

Start by deleting or renaming your OO User profile. Details are given in
https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=12426

You may need to do this for both your Windows and your Ubuntu installations.

[Blind Legs Parker]

Thanks for your help. I just did, though, but things remain unchanged and I still can't open the files.

[Zizi64]

Try to install a version of the LibreOffice. If it work, that means the AOO software is damaged.
If the .ods diles work with the LO, then try to uninstall the AOO, and DELETE the remains parts manually after uninstall. (The User profile, and the remained files from the program directory, too.) Install it again with a newly downloaded install package.


If the .ods files do not work with the LibreOffice, then you can try to delete manually the ~lock files.

[Bill]

All the ods files on my computer are locked. I can't access them even if I change their name or move them into another folder. Every time I try to open them a hidden file named .~lock.file_name.ods# is created...

That hidden file is supposed to be created when you open a file. It is an indication that the file has been opened, not that it is locked. Is there an error message or some other indication that the files are actually locked?

[RoryOF]

With OpenOffice closed, it is safe to delete the lock files. If you have a program or computer crash with OO files open, such lock files can be left and will prevent correct editing of those files subsequently. When a file is opened, be it a new file or an older file, a fresh lock file is generated. When the file is correctly closed the associated lock fle is deleted.

[Blind Legs Parker]

@Zizi64: I've already tried it all.

@Bill: Sometimes it would show a message that a specific ods file was shut improperly and that it would attempt to recover it. I've already tried both options to recover it and to ignore it. I haven't seen this message in a few days though. Now it justs starts the infinite loading loop without saying anything more.
For a reason that I don't comprehend I can now open ods files and edit them normally with Linux (also I've upgraded to Ubuntu 16.04 but even before I did so, the problem had already solved itself). Only good old Windows is keeping on with its bullshit.

Tonight this problem should be history anyway. This is seriously starting to get on my nerves and I've decided to wipe it all and restore factory settings.

Besides, I suspect my hard drive to be reaching the end of its life (other symptoms include video games saves mysteriously disappearing and being replaced with older saves) and it might be the reason for all this weirdness. I really don't want to spend money on a computer right now but I've already backed up all my files in the hypothesis that it might just not want to boot one morning in the coming days/weeks. The old chap is really getting old anyway (I bought it in December 2011, thus I think I can consider it had a rather good and long life). It's a pity because if it wasn't for that it's actually still running like a top.

Thanks for your help everyone.

[RoryOF]

Look in the root of the Windows Profile of OO for a lock file. This should be level with the user folder and will be a hidden file. If you find one, delete this lock file and try again