Reproducible with server installation of "AOO 4.1.0-dev – English UI / German locale - [AOO410m14(Build:9760)  -  Rev. 1583418_2014-04-02]" on German WIN7 Home Premium (64bit)", own separate user profile.

Was ok with 4.0.1

I will do some more research

(a) Already reproducible with server installation of "AOO 4.1.0-Dev – 
    English UI / English locale - [AOO410m1(Build:9750) - Rev. 1554205 - 
    2014-01-01]" on German WIN7 Home Premium (64bit)", own separate user profile.
(b) was still ok with server installation of "AOO 4.1.0-Dev – English UI 
    / English locale - [AOO410m1(Build:9750) - Rev. 1546757 - 2013-12-02]" 
    on German WIN7 Home Premium (64bit)", own separate user profile.

Created attachment 83104 [details]
Test Kit

In attached test kit you find 2 reduced documents (less than 1 page)

(c) libo42_01-01_b_failstoopen.odt still shows the problem
(d) libo42_01-01_c_worksfine.odt: only few more words at the end of the text
    deleted, even last remaining comment dropped, now opens without problem

So vague suspect: related to comments?

(e) With LibO I removed all comments from original document, saved it,
    opens fine with AOO 4.1
(f) add a single comment to selected text range with AOO 4.1, save, try to 
     reopen, problem is back

(g) but it's not simply the comment, a lorem ipsum document with comment
    for text range works fine.

Here my skills are at an end.

This looks a little like a blocker?

I have the same problem. On dev mailing list I got help from Armin (he recover my file). Inside of this .odt file he found next:"
It has three office:annotation sections. When I remove these handish the file loads. Setting Olli on CC..."
So, if that can help you...

Still only few documents affected, so my blocker-idea might have been too hasty

(In reply to Rainer Bielefeld from comment #7)
> Still only few documents affected, so my blocker-idea might have been too
> hasty

I am sorry, I have to re-request the show-stopper status.

The defect is easy to reproduce in AOO 4.1.0 Beta:
- new text document
- insert a field - e.g. page number field
- type some text
- insert an annotation (aka comment) on an arbitrary text selection
- save
- close
- reopen
--> Read Error message

Defect is triggered, if a text document contains at least one field beside an annotation/comment on a text range.


Fix in progress

The given sample document contains a page number field in a page footer.

(In reply to Oliver-Rainer Wittmann from comment #8)
You are right, Page or time/date field in header/footer + range comment reliably cause the problem, this is a showstopper.

As given in comment 8
AOO410m15(Build:9761)  -  Rev. 1583666
2014-04-01 13:50 - Linux x86_64
Debian

According: https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Showstopper
Both regression and data loss
IMHO deserves release blocker status

The sample libo42_01-01_b_failstoopen.odt file from Rainer's initial posting can be inserted (/File /Insert) into a blank Writer document (OO 4.1 RC1 on Xubuntu 13.10) and appears to open correctly. This would allow removal of the extended comment and saving of the work in affected cases, pending a full fix.

"orw" committed SVN revision 1585261 into trunk:
124607: ODF import: check on certain property existence in annotation import ...

At present, when I need range comments, I use AnnotationTool addon from
http://en.ooo-info.org/documentation/annotation_tool.html
which has caused me no problems.

OT: I have added a few lines of code to my version of this to allow Comments to be added from other authors. I actually use pseudoAuthors, such as InProgress, NeedsRevision and so on, so that such comments show up in different colours to my standard Author's comment. I find this useful for steering my revision of an long text.

grant showstopper flag

"orw" committed SVN revision 1585426 into branches/AOO410:
124607: ODF import: check on certain property existence in annotation import ...

fixed on trunk and branch AOO410

verified with AOO 4.1.0 RC2 on MacOS, both test documents can be loaded and I see the comment

AOO410m16(Build:9762)  -  Rev. 1585426
2014-04-07 10:18:35 (Mon, 07 Apr 2014)

Still problem with
AOO410m15(Build:9761)  -  Rev. 1585426
2014-04-01 13:50 - Linux x86_64
Debian

Am I missing something?

(In reply to Edwin Sharp from comment #19)
> Still problem with
> AOO410m15(Build:9761)  -  Rev. 1585426
> 2014-04-01 13:50 - Linux x86_64
> Debian
> 
> Am I missing something?

The installation packages for Linux systems do not contain the fix due to some certain local build issue as Herbert figured out.
Herbert is rebuilding the installation packages for Linux.

Verified on Windows 7.