Help! Java has not worked for years!

[David Ogden]

My Java has been down for years. We gave it to some tech support guys almost 4 years ago so that they could clear out a virus, and ever since we got it back the Java has not worked. It's not a browser issue because it does not work in IE or Firefox and both say that it IS enabled. It also does not work outside of browsers, like LimeWire for instance which doesn't work because it requires java. It's installed on my computer, I've gone through all the tech forums I could find and it seems like no one has my issue. Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong?

[Greg Brannon]

You need to be more specific:

What doesn't work?

What sites don't work?

What error messages do you get?

You use the word 'it' a lot, which one can logically assume means 'Java,' but help those who want to help you by being more specific. Which Java, what version, on what OS, etc?

This site is largely devoted to Java programming, and this sub-forum is for Java programming topics that are a step above the beginner's typical procedural or syntactical questions. Your problem sounds like an OS issue, but you give us no info about your OS.

Take a breath and start over.

[David Ogden]

Yeah sorry I just read over the post again and it is kind of confusing. I meant I gave my computer to tech support guys a while ago. I have Windows XP SP2. My current Java version is is Java 6.0.220. Here's some more of the info you asked for...

Absolutely anything that requires Java does not work. I use Limewire as an example to prove it's not a browser issue. I have not had any trouble with websites not working, just things like programs and games. The main reason I want Java to function again is so I can play games at Pogo.com. If I try to play them right now, when I click the game, a popup appears to notify me that it requires Java to play and gives me a link where I can download it. It's as if Java is not even there. I don't get any kinds of error messages and never have, just anything that requires Java will tell me that I do not have Java installed on my computer, even though I do. I've reinstalled Java countless times and kept it updated but that doesn't help.

If you need to know anything else then feel free to specify and I'll let you know.
Got any ideas?

[Henry Wong]

I have to say that the OP has much much more patience than me... four years !! Wow !!

I would have uninstalled the corrupted JDK, downloaded a new JDK, and installed it -- a long time ago.

Henry

[Rob Spoor]

I second uninstalling and reinstalling, only I'd go for the JRE instead of the JDK since David doesn't seem to be a programmer.

David, if you open a Command Prompt window, type in "java" (without quotes) and press enter, what does it show?

[David Ogden]

I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling multiple times to no avail.

Rob - If I type java in a command prompt window it says "'java' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file"

[Henry Wong]

David Ogden wrote:
Rob - If I type java in a command prompt window it says "'java' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file"

Did you set the PATH variable so that windows can find it? Installing Java doesn't automagically make everything work -- in the case of the windows prompt, you need to add the java bin dir into the PATH variable.

Henry

[David Ogden]

Did you set the PATH variable so that windows can find it? Installing Java doesn't automagically make everything work -- in the case of the windows prompt, you need to add the java bin dir into the PATH variable.

How do I go about doing that?

[Rob Spoor]

Henry Wong wrote:

David Ogden wrote:
Rob - If I type java in a command prompt window it says "'java' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file"

Did you set the PATH variable so that windows can find it? Installing Java doesn't automagically make everything work -- in the case of the windows prompt, you need to add the java bin dir into the PATH variable.

Henry

Actually, if you install the JRE it will put a java.exe file inside C:\Windows\system32. This folder should always be on the path so it should work automatically.

[Henry Wong]

Rob Prime wrote:
Actually, if you install the JRE it will put a java.exe file inside C:\Windows\system32. This folder should always be on the path so it should work automatically.

Really? Is this a new thing? Because I have never had java.exe installed in that dir... wait a sec.... Nope. Not in my current machine either. It always installs as a directory under program files.

[EDIT] Oh wait.... I always installed the JDK. Is this only for the JRE?

Henry

[Henry Wong]

David Ogden wrote:

Did you set the PATH variable so that windows can find it? Installing Java doesn't automagically make everything work -- in the case of the windows prompt, you need to add the java bin dir into the PATH variable.

How do I go about doing that?

https://coderanch.com/how-to/java/how-to-create-java-program

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

Henry Wong wrote:
Really? Is this a new thing? Because I have never had java.exe installed in that dir

That java.exe is for the use of the Java Plug-In. They may have stopped doing it in recent versions, but they did do this for many years. It causes a particular class of newbie programmer bugs where they compile a class, and when they run it they can "incompatible version", because they have an old java.exe in c:/Windows .

[Rob Spoor]

I've always had this file present after installing the JDK (with included JRE, yes). It's nothing more than a wrapper that checks the Windows registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment, value CurrentVersion which must match one of the sub-keys) for the actual location of the JVM to run.

[David Ogden]

Okay so today I decided to try uninstalling/reinstalling it, and to my surprise neither can actually be done.

If I try to uninstall the file through Add/Remove Programs (it's labeled as Java(TM) 6 Update 22) I get a prompt saying "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable... Click OK to try again, or enter an alternate path to a folder containing the installation package 'jre1.6.0_11-c-l.msi' in the box below".

I get the exact same message if I try reinstalling the downloaded file "jxpiinstall.exe". It goes through an installation screen for the Java Installer, then says "The software has already been installed on your computer. Would you like to reinstall it?" I click Yes and that's when it goes to the same window saying "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable".

I get the feeling the two problems are related and if I can figure out what's wrong with the uninstall/reinstall process then the problem with my JRE will be fixed. Does anyone know what might be wrong?

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

Well, first, the obvious answer: is your computer on a LAN, with shared disks? If so, have you talked to the manager of that LAN? If not, your computer seems to think it is, and that's obviously an issue!

[David Ogden]

Ernest Friedman-Hill wrote:Well, first, the obvious answer: is your computer on a LAN, with shared disks? If so, have you talked to the manager of that LAN? If not, your computer seems to think it is, and that's obviously an issue!

Wait, what exactly is the issue?

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

The error message says

The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable

Meaning that your computer thinks that Java is installed on a shared disk somewhere, and that shared disk is unreachable, so it can be neither installed nor uninstalled. You need to convince your computer that there is no such disk, and it should forget about anything it thinks is stored there. I actually couldn't tell you how to do this; I wonder if this is one of the many circumstances where reinstalling Windows is the only workable solution.

Gah -- Microsoft!

[Joanne Neal]

David Ogden wrote:If I try to uninstall the file through Add/Remove Programs (it's labeled as Java(TM) 6 Update 22) I get a prompt saying "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable... Click OK to try again, or enter an alternate path to a folder containing the installation package 'jre1.6.0_11-c-l.msi' in the box below".

The 'box below' should contain the location where the uninstaller thinks that file should be. Check if this location exists. If it doesn't (or the box is empty), do you have access to the jre1.6.0_11-c-l.msi file somewhere else ? If so, just change the text in the box to the path of this file.

[David Ogden]

Ernest - I'm on my own home DSL so I don't think that's the problem.

Joanne - I can't find the file anywhere. I tried running a search for the exact file name and it found nothing

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

David Ogden wrote:Ernest - I'm on my own home DSL so I don't think that's the problem.

No, it sounds like that is precisely the problem. Your computer believes that Java is available on a server on a LAN. That LAN is unreachable, though, because it doesn't exist. Therefore, you can neither uninstall the copy your computer believes exists, nor can you install a new one, since it believes there is an (unreachable) copy already.

Again, I'm not enough of a Windows tech to tell you how to fix this -- anyone else know?

[Sumit Bisht]

David, found the FAQ for jre(Java) here, http://www.virginia.edu/integratedsystem/gettingStarted/JRE.html

If the program isn't uninstalling, why don't you try installing a separate Java install.

After install, set your java PATH, www.java.com/en/download/help/path.xml
hth