9575(Parag S. Mujumdar , 11/30/2002)
System used for replication:
Platform                      : PC (PIII)
OpenOffice version            : 643C
OS                            : Windows 2000 5.00.2195 Service Pack 2

I replicated the bug successfully using above system.
The interesting observation that I have found is the system stops 
responding and CPU usage goes to 100% only if we are selecting 101 or 
more characters and then partitioning them into 99 columns.
 
Following are the more generalized steps for bug replication based 
upon my follow up testing:

1.Open a new OpenOffice 643c text document.
2. In the OpenOffice writer type or paste exactly 100 characters.
3. Select the entire text. 
4. Go to menu Insert à Section. 
5. Select the ‘Columns’ tab of the ‘Section’ Option. 
6. Enter a column value ‘99’ and press ‘Insert’.

Result:

This works fine and no error is found as the text gets divided into 
99 columns.

7. Follow steps 1 to 6 exactly only with the difference that instead 
of 100 characters in step 2, use 101 characters.

Result:

The writer doesn’t respond for a long time and consumes 100% CPU. No 
proper error message is given and also the user doesn’t have control 
of the writer application. We have to close the document using Task 
manager. 

Some more follow up tests those can be done:

1.We can try these steps with drawing objects on text documents, to 
see if it gives different observations.
2.We can try all these steps on more fast system with more physical 
memory.
This bug is a very crucial and should be removed immediately as:
1.It crashes the OpenOffice completely.
2.Danger of permanently losing the data previously entered by the 
user.

9575(Parag S. Mujumdar , 11/30/2002)
[In my previous comments posted, some of the characters are 
misinterpreted hence I am resubmitting the same comments with 
avoiding those characters.]

System used for replication:
Platform                      : PC (PIII)
OpenOffice version            : 643C
OS                            : Windows 2000 5.00.2195 Service Pack 2

I replicated the bug successfully using above system.
The interesting observation that I have found is the system stops 
responding and CPU usage goes to 100% only if we are selecting 101 or 
more characters and then partitioning them into 99 columns.
 
Following are the more generalized steps for bug replication based 
upon my follow up testing:

1.Open a new OpenOffice 643c text document.
2. In the OpenOffice writer type or paste exactly 100 characters.
3. Select the entire text. 
4. Go to menu Insert--Section. 
5. Select the ‘Columns’ tab of the ‘Section’ Option. 
6. Enter a column value ‘99’ and press ‘Insert’.

Result:

This works fine and no error is found as the text gets divided into 
99 columns.

7. Follow steps 1 to 6 exactly only with the difference that instead 
of 100 characters in step 2, use 101 characters.

Result:

The writer doesnÂ’t respond for a long time and consumes 100% CPU. No 
proper error message is given and also the user doesnÂ’t have control 
of the writer application. We have to close the document using Task 
manager. 

Some more follow up tests those can be done:

1.We can try these steps with drawing objects on text documents, to 
see if it gives different observations.
2.We can try all these steps on more fast system with more physical 
memory.
This bug is a very crucial and should be removed immediately as:
1.It crashes the OpenOffice completely.

Seems to work in OOo1.1beta2.

*** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of 11760 ***

jw: duplicate -> closed look @11760