vrijdag 17 oktober 2008

Installing OpenOffice.org 3.0: Files in use by Explorer

Today I installed OpenOffice 3.0. I encountered some problems while installing though. According to OpenOffice some files were in use by other programs. So I closed all other programs, just to be sure. Most setup programs would just ask for a reboot, so the files that are in use can be replaced at boot time, but not OpenOffice. Well, it doesn't seem to be a big problem to close all programs right? Unfortunatily, OpenOffice was still not satisfied when I closed all programs. Some of the file were in use by Explorer.exe, which is the main process of Windows Vista.

How to overcome this problem and install OpenOffice anyways:
  • Close all applications
  • Start the OpenOffice.org 3.0 setup program
  • Continue until it tells you that you need to close Explorer.exe
  • Open the task manager (control + shift + escape)
  • Go to the Processes tab in the task manager
  • Click the button or checkbox that says `Show processes from all users`
  • If Windows asks for administrator rights, grand it
  • Find the Image name ´explorer.exe´, click it, and after that click ´End Process´
  • Now the Windows menu/application bar will disappear
  • Switch back to the OpenOffice.org installer and click the try again button
  • Now OpenOffice will install without problems
  • After the installation is complete, you may want to get your menu/application bar back. You can do this by choosing File -> New Task in the task manager menu. Enter 'explorer' in the text field and press enter.