re: Can't install Open Office
Saturday, October 6, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Windows 98 Annoyances Discussion Forum
Posted by gewg_
(3932 messages posted)
Joe Hepperle wrote:
|[...]a user named "gewg" had (as her only suggestion!)
|
*his*
|snidely commented
|
I'll concede "snidely" for the tone of the entire post.
The OP's skipping over Operating Systems 101 seems quite foolish to me.
|that DarkLady01 had to start by installing
|some of the Windows98 updates "'...from this century...".
|But that is not a solution.
|
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
IMO, a Windoze reinstall that nukes all your tweaks is a LAST RESORT.
|Operates on Windows98 means just that... operates on Windows98
| -- with or without any particular update.
|
The point I made was that if corruption *does* exist (a reasonable assumption),
it *may* be cured by the updates.
It's a long shot--but if it saves a reinstall...
Either way, the updates should be downloaded and installed.
|[...]updates[...]or[...]reinstall Windows98?
|
A false dichotomy. See "Either way" (above).
|I suppose the answer lies in deciding which path will for sure fix the problem,
|and which path is just a shot-in-the-dark chance
| -- maybe will work, maybe won't.
|
We agree on the arguments, but not on what to try first.
She *could* also buy a new computer. THAT would cure the problem as well.
I'm looking for least-painful.
BTW, WRT the way the interpreter / rendering engine on this site works:
If you want to start a line with On (capitalized),
it's better to put a period or hyphen before it so you don't get 4 linefeeds.
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/1191707014
|I'd go for the "for-sure" method.
|
We'll have to agree to disagree on which should be the first-echelon effort.
|None of the Updates to Windows98 are for the purpose of fixing an installation
|problem with the Open Office software. We're together on this, right?
|
Yup. To reiterate my position:
A failed install of a download that works elsewhere likely indicates a broken kernel;
updates *might* cure it; nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Avoid a reinstall of Windoze, if possible.
|[...]a distant cousin[...]came out with a shotgun
|and popped off a few towards the crowd[...]
|
For a minute there, I wasn't sure if you were going for
*Shotgun Approach to troubleshooting*
or for *crotchety old fart with a short fuse*. 8-)
|I had written that a new install of Windows98 might be the solution
|because that would clear the hard drive
|and make sure that only the files that belong there are hanging around.
|
Seems to ASSuME that a lethal infection is the problem.
With your invasive-surgery-first (on a whim) nature, I wouldn't want you for a physician.
|A fresh install would eliminate any troublemakers.
|
Not using the method you specified.
|And it is quicker (about one hour she could be up and running)
|than spending three days posting on various Windows 'Help' sites
|asking how to solve the problem.
|
A false dichotomy extended; my suggestion was *Give it a try*.
I recommended retrieving the updates and installing them.
No matter what course is eventually taken,
that is *still* important for closing known exploitable holes
--especially if she doesn't take the best advice of the week and dump M$IE.
"OS updates" is not either/or.
If it cures the kernel fault, WITHOUT a reinstall, I'd call that gravy.
|A reinstall of Windows98 will fix a corrupted registry.
|
A valid point--which also makes an assumption. This is "Shotgun Troubleshooting"
--possibly of the overkill variety--on your part this time.
What you **didn't** mention to the OP
is that she will have to reinstall all / most of her apps as well.
(If an infection is assumed, it *will* be ALL.)
|A reinstall of Windows98 will eliminate any and all viruses.
|
Wanna bet? Certainly not according to the method you gave.
You didn't mention a **clean** install nor **repartitioning**.
Without completely deleting the old partition,
a boot-sector virus could be left behind .
(Hear about the German company the other week
that shipped product with a boot-sector virus?
...and had "Bullguard" AV installed on those units?) 8-D
|And finally, Open Office needs JAVA.
|
The OpenOffice.org page I linked to CLEARLY says it does NOT.
Folks who have never used M$Access and who will never open "Base"
will likely never miss Java in OOo.
I also pointed to a caveat by another user who warned of ODF problems with 2.x
and recommended the older 1.x variant
--which is infinitely available and has even fewer dependencies.
|But the Standard version of Open Office,
|the version that may deflate a significant part of Microsoft's Office Suite profits,
|is the Standard version of Open Office, which requires JAVA.
|
Hyperbole. Almost NO ONE use M$Access--and the same for "Base".
Again, MOST people will never miss Java.
It all depends on WHAT YOU DO while OOo is open.
Most folks also won't call the silly little bells & whistles elsewhere
that "require" Java.
I'm expecting Novell to very quickly kill off the JRE dependency in their fork.
Before too long, that should work its way back into the trunk.
|
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 | | | |  | re: Can't install Open Office (gewg_: Sat, Oct 6, 2007, 6:15 pm) |
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