LyX ⇒ LyX won't view PDF due to babel errors

[v-raze]

Just started with LyX and eager to get working, but I keep running into an issue. I can't get LyX to output PDFs from my files. To test it out, I made a new document, typed in two words and pressed the view button. It started working but stopped and gave me an error, "Package babel Error: You haven't specified a language option." I have pasted the log at the bottom of this post.

I've tried changing the language settings in the document settings menu several different ways, but nothing changed.

When installing LyX, the MiKTeX installer crashed during the update process. The install completed normally otherwise. When I encountered this problem viewing PDFs, the first thing I did was update MiKTeX using the "MiKTeX Update" shortcut in the start menu folder, running as administrator. I selected all updatable packages and updated them to the latest version. The updater completed successfully. At that point I opened up LyX, reconfigured it, and restarted the program. Upon trying to view the PDF, I got the exact same error as before- that I hadn't specified a language option. I tried changing Document language settings again, but had the same results as before.

Whenever I try to view a document as a PDF, I get this error log:

This is pdfTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-1.40.16 (MiKTeX 2.9) (preloaded format=pdflatex 2016.5.17) 18 MAY 2016 09:00
entering extended mode
**Test.tex
(Test.tex
LaTeX2e <2015/01/01> patch level 2
Babel <3.9m> and hyphenation patterns for 69 languages loaded.

("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\article.cls"
Document Class: article 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class
("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\size10.clo"
File: size10.clo 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX file (size option)
)
\c@part=\count79
\c@section=\count80
\c@subsection=\count81
\c@subsubsection=\count82
\c@paragraph=\count83
\c@subparagraph=\count84
\c@figure=\count85
\c@table=\count86
\abovecaptionskip=\skip41
\belowcaptionskip=\skip42
\bibindent=\dimen102
) ("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\fontenc.sty"
Package: fontenc 2005/09/27 v1.99g Standard LaTeX package
("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\t1enc.def"
File: t1enc.def 2005/09/27 v1.99g Standard LaTeX file
LaTeX Font Info: Redeclaring font encoding T1 on input line 48.
)) ("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\inputenc.sty"
Package: inputenc 2015/03/17 v1.2c Input encoding file
\inpenc@prehook=\toks14
\inpenc@posthook=\toks15
("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\latin9.def"
File: latin9.def 2015/03/17 v1.2c Input encoding file
)) ("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\generic\babel\babel.sty"
Package: babel 2015/08/03 3.9m The Babel package
*************************************
* Local config file bblopts.cfg used
*
("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\00miktex\bblopts.cfg"
File: bblopts.cfg 2006/07/31 v1.0 MiKTeX 'babel' configuration
)

! Package babel Error: You haven't specified a language option.

See the babel package documentation for explanation.
Type H <return> for immediate help.
...

l.333 ...ry to proceed from here, type x to quit.}

You need to specify a language, either as a global option
or as an optional argument to the \usepackage command;
You shouldn't try to proceed from here, type x to quit.

)

LaTeX Warning: Unused global option(s):
[english].

No file Test.aux.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OML/cmm/m/it on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for T1/cmr/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OT1/cmr/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OMS/cmsy/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OMX/cmex/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for U/cmr/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
[1

{C:/Users/Val/AppData/Local/MiKTeX/2.9/pdftex/config/pdftex.map}] (Test.aux) )
Here is how much of TeX's memory you used:
540 strings out of 493673
5719 string characters out of 3141536
56670 words of memory out of 3000000
3954 multiletter control sequences out of 15000+200000
4403 words of font info for 15 fonts, out of 3000000 for 9000
1025 hyphenation exceptions out of 8191
23i,4n,17p,136b,113s stack positions out of 5000i,500n,10000p,200000b,50000s

<C:\Users\Val\AppData\Local\MiKTeX\2.9\fonts\pk\ljfour\jknappen\ec\dpi600\ecrm1
000.pk>
Output written on Test.pdf (1 page, 4190 bytes).
PDF statistics:
19 PDF objects out of 1000 (max. 8388607)
0 named destinations out of 1000 (max. 500000)
1 words of extra memory for PDF output out of 10000 (max. 10000000)

Whenever I try to view a document as a PDF with a language other than "English" set in the document settings, I get this error log, in this case with the English (USA) setting:

This is pdfTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-1.40.16 (MiKTeX 2.9) (preloaded format=pdflatex 2016.5.17) 18 MAY 2016 09:12
entering extended mode
**Test.tex
(Test.tex
LaTeX2e <2015/01/01> patch level 2
Babel <3.9m> and hyphenation patterns for 69 languages loaded.

("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\article.cls"
Document Class: article 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class
("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\size10.clo"
File: size10.clo 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX file (size option)
)
\c@part=\count79
\c@section=\count80
\c@subsection=\count81
\c@subsubsection=\count82
\c@paragraph=\count83
\c@subparagraph=\count84
\c@figure=\count85
\c@table=\count86
\abovecaptionskip=\skip41
\belowcaptionskip=\skip42
\bibindent=\dimen102
) ("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\fontenc.sty"
Package: fontenc 2005/09/27 v1.99g Standard LaTeX package
("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\t1enc.def"
File: t1enc.def 2005/09/27 v1.99g Standard LaTeX file
LaTeX Font Info: Redeclaring font encoding T1 on input line 48.
)) ("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\inputenc.sty"
Package: inputenc 2015/03/17 v1.2c Input encoding file
\inpenc@prehook=\toks14
\inpenc@posthook=\toks15
("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\base\latin9.def"
File: latin9.def 2015/03/17 v1.2c Input encoding file
)) ("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\generic\babel\babel.sty"
Package: babel 2015/08/03 3.9m The Babel package
*************************************
* Local config file bblopts.cfg used
*
("C:\Program Files (x86)\MiKTeX 2.9\tex\latex\00miktex\bblopts.cfg"
File: bblopts.cfg 2006/07/31 v1.0 MiKTeX 'babel' configuration
)

! Package babel Error: Unknown option `american'. Either you misspelled it
(babel) or the language definition file american.ldf was not fou
nd.

See the babel package documentation for explanation.
Type H <return> for immediate help.
...

l.300 \ProcessOptions*

Valid options are: shorthands=, KeepShorthandsActive,
activeacute, activegrave, noconfigs, safe=, main=, math=
headfoot=, strings=, config=, hyphenmap=, or a language name.


! Package babel Error: You haven't specified a language option.

See the babel package documentation for explanation.
Type H <return> for immediate help.
...

l.333 ...ry to proceed from here, type x to quit.}

You need to specify a language, either as a global option
or as an optional argument to the \usepackage command;
You shouldn't try to proceed from here, type x to quit.

)
No file Test.aux.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OML/cmm/m/it on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for T1/cmr/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OT1/cmr/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OMS/cmsy/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for OMX/cmex/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: Checking defaults for U/cmr/m/n on input line 9.
LaTeX Font Info: ... okay on input line 9.
[1

{C:/Users/Val/AppData/Local/MiKTeX/2.9/pdftex/config/pdftex.map}] (Test.aux) )
Here is how much of TeX's memory you used:
539 strings out of 493673
5709 string characters out of 3141536
56079 words of memory out of 3000000
3953 multiletter control sequences out of 15000+200000
4403 words of font info for 15 fonts, out of 3000000 for 9000
1025 hyphenation exceptions out of 8191
23i,4n,18p,136b,113s stack positions out of 5000i,500n,10000p,200000b,50000s

<C:\Users\Val\AppData\Local\MiKTeX\2.9\fonts\pk\ljfour\jknappen\ec\dpi600\ecrm1
000.pk>
Output written on Test.pdf (1 page, 4190 bytes).
PDF statistics:
19 PDF objects out of 1000 (max. 8388607)
0 named destinations out of 1000 (max. 500000)
1 words of extra memory for PDF output out of 10000 (max. 10000000)

Any help with this problem would be greatly appreciated as I have a project due soon I would like to use LyX to complete. Thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide.

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi,

perhaps post your .lyx file here (a reduced copy is enough, so a copy where you removed your text content), and a pdfLaTeX export (so we can check by LaTeX).

Stefan