JAVA WILL NOT LOAD

[ianbell]

Hi folks,
New member and hope you can help with a problem - I am re-setting a system for which I have formatted the HD and have a real problem with Java - trying to download and install Java 1l.5 ver 11 on W98SE using IE6 as a browser - the on line instal doesn't work and I have run the manual download 4 times at 1 1/2 hrs per shot on dial up - the download completes without problem but then the installation program will not run - double clicking on the thing just produces a flicker or two and then nothing.  All other downloads I have tried work fine - spent days on this with no result and any help will be appreciated!
Ian

[soybean]

Is this the file you downloaded, jre-6u1-windows-i586-p.exe?

Maybe you should try the Sun Download Manager 2.0

[ianbell]

Java download manager is a small and not very good program - Firefox's internal DM  is better in my opinion - I tried the version Jre-6 etc. which is another 11/2 hr download with the same result - nada.
Anything else I download with a setup and self extraction program works fine - this is driving me nuts and I would so happily do without Java  but have to have the dammed thing to open sites like E-Pass and etc.  I did try an archive download of version 1-4 which opened with no trouble and runs fine - the up-grade option included does not work just providing a very helpful "download is not possible" message.
I have now tried six downloads on two browsers:  reloaded W98SE and up-graded all drivers I can find.
Now what?

[patio]

Try un-installing the previous version of java before installing the new one...

[ianbell]

Been there and done that several times - still nada - could my Registry somehow be screwed up even though my RegClean program says not - I ran Scandisk in DOS and instead of showing the last 3 startups it shows a bunch of dates in 2008 ?

[patio]

Sounds like that machine has more issues than just non-functioning java...

More info.

[soybean]

I ran Scandisk in DOS and instead of showing the last 3 startups it shows a bunch of dates in 2008 ?

What?  Scandisk does not shows dates.  Do you know what you're doing?

Java download manager is a small and not very good program - Firefox's internal DM  is better in my opinion - I tried the version Jre-6 etc. which is another 11/2 hr download with the same result - nada.

That doesn't make sense.  The Sun Download Manager is just for Java from Sun; it is not a general purpose download manager.  And, I believe this download should not take anywhere near 1 1/2 hours, even on dialup; it's just a browser plug-in.   

I have now tried six downloads on two browsers:  reloaded W98SE and up-graded all drivers I can find.

Did format your hard drive and the install Win 98SE?  I'd bet not.  And, it looks like that's, indeed, what you need to do.  Then, you'll know you have a fresh registry.

[ianbell]

What?  Scandisk does not shows dates.  Do you know what you're doing?

SORRY!  I meant Scanreg, after 10 hrs or so my brain slips once in a while!

  And, I believe this download should not take anywhere near 1 1/2 hours, even on dialup; it's just a browser plug-in. 

I don't know when you last used dial up, but a 15.3KB file is more than just a minor down-load!

Did format your hard drive and the install Win 98SE?  I'd bet not.  And, it looks like that's, indeed, what you need to do.  Then, you'll know you have a fresh registry.

I did a full format, scan, defrag and cleaned it with windex [joke].

Anyway, I found a download that works at http://tracker.5star-network.com/download.mis?id=19913&siteId=1 even then the upgrade function does not work but the version is current enough for my purposes - enough time wasted on this garbage and thanks to those who tried to help and even to those who just made snarky comments.

[soybean]

Well, thanks for the feedback.  It's rather difficult to help with such problems without being able to directly work with, to sit at, the computer having the problem. 

I have an eMachine here, my mother's old computer.  Several months ago, I formatted the hard drive and installed Windows 98SE with the Restore CD that came with the computer.  I was not sure of it's status regarding java.  So, I found this test page from Sun Microsystems: http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml.  It indicated I need to update java on this eMachine.  I clicked on the button to download and install java, which installed JSE 2 Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 11.  With my broadband/DSL Internet connection, the download and installation completed in under 5 minutes, I believe. 

I then returned to the test page and it confirmed the update and that java was working right.  I opened Control Panel and see a JAVA icon, something that was not there before this update.  At this point, I also saw a Java icon in the system tray, just to the left of the time. 

I think one thing that makes getting and/or updating java is that Sun's web pages for java have many products other than the java commonly needed in PCs running Windows, and this makes finding the right thing confusing.

By the way, a 15.3KB file is, indeed, just a minor down-load, even with dialup.  You have a 56K modem, right?  So, if you have a good dialup connection, you're probably actually getting a download speed at least in the 40K or higher range.  I suspect what you really mean is that you used the online installation option and the 15.3KB was just the initial installation file; it's what started the installation and you had to be online to complete the installation.  So, the total amount of data downloaded to complete the installation was much greater than 15.3KB.

[ianbell]

y the way, a 15.3KB file is, indeed, just a minor down-load, even with dialup.  You have a 56K modem, right?  So, if you have a good dialup connection, you're probably actually getting a download speed at least in the 40K or higher range.  I suspect what you really mean is that you used the online installation option and the 15.3KB was just the initial installation file; it's what started the installation and you had to be online to complete the installation.  So, the total amount of data downloaded to complete the installation was much greater than 15.3KB.

Please let us put an end to this!   The download I am talking about was not an on-line install which is obvious if you look at the url I posted as a source - the download is 15,623KB and takes well over an hour with a good HSP56 modem.  I live in the country where Bell Canada does not consider it worthwhile to provide DSl service and Rogers Cable feel the same!  Dial up sucks and can be so slow that you can actually watch 1kb at a time slowly click up on a download - a really good connection, like at 3am might go at 5kb - I am currently downloading a song from Soulseek which is about 5.2KB and it will take around 35 mins to complete, so thank you very much for telling me that you can get in 5 mins what takes me 11/2 hrs to complete.

[soybean]

Oh, 15,623KB, that's quite different than 15.3KB.  Well, sorry to hear your Internet access is so slow.  My brother lives in a rural area in Ohio, where I grew up, and broadband is not available there.  So, I can sympathize with your predicament and sorry for seeming insensitive to it in my previous posts.

[ianbell]

Apology accepted - thanks again for offers of help. - Still cannot figure out why SCANREG in DOS shows dates  like 03 28 08 and I did make the mistake of running SCANREG/RESTORE a week or so ago and wiped out almost every program file in the box - had to re-install almost everything including drivers and Windows Update.  Things seem to be working OK for now, but I still have the feeling that the system is unstable and could crash at any time, and don't know why!  I am starting to think bad motherboard?

[patio]

How healthy is that hard drive ? ?
DLoad and run the manuf. diagnostics available free from their website.