Develop Reference

Eclipse stating that isntall directory is location of JAVA_HOME

I was trying to setup a workspace for modding in Minecraft, and got a error stating that my JAVA_HOME directory was not found. After messing around and installing a new JDK, running Eclipse states that:
"A Java Runtime Enviroment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK)" must be avaiable in order to run Eclipse. No Java virtual Machine was found after searching the following locations: C:\Users\|My Username|\Desktop\Eclipse\jre\bin\javaw.exe
javaw.exe is your current PATH"
I was checking my PATH and JAVA_HOME variables, which where both set to C:\Programm Files(x86)\Java\jdk1.8.0_51
The file eclipse is looking for is the standart directory where java stores its javaw.exe, i.e Java\jdk1.8.0_51\jdk\bin\jawaw.exe, but Eclipse is somehow thinking my path is set to the Eclipse installation directory. Does anyone know how to fix this issue?

It is a bad idea to have JAVA_HOME set to a folder in "c:\program files..." because of the space in the folder name. Whenever this value is used as a command line argument, the receiver would interprete it as two arguments ("C:\program" and "file...").
Move your jdk into a folder without space in the name, and correct your JAVA_HOME variable.
BTW: eclipse resolves first the system PATH variable in order to find a suitable java SDK. It's a good practice, to declare the desired SDK in the eclipse.ini file (in eclipse install-folder). Add there an argument:
....
-vm
C:\JDK8\bin\javaw.exe
-vmargs
-Xms40m
-Xmx384m
Note that the -vm arg and its value must appear on separete lines and must be placed just before the -vmargs argument.

Windows 7 command line jps not working

Others have asked this question but the answer is usually the same and not helpful to my problem. I installed JDK, and added C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_25\bin to the path system variable. I checked, jps.exe is in that directory. I restarted my computer but still have had no luck. When I run jps I get the error:
'jps is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable command or batch file'
When I run C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_25\bin\jps.exe on the command line it works fine. Working in Windows 7.

Mildly obvious mistake, but I realize that I had spaces in between the directories in my path and that caused them to not be recognized. So I had %OTHER_PATH%; C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_25; %ANOTHER_PATH%, which I just had to switch to %OTHER_PATH%;C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_25;%ANOTHER_PATH%

Your JDK bin directory does not exist in PATH variable.
To add this you need to do below steps.
Go to "Control Panel >> System >> Advanced system settings >>
Environment Variables
Click 'Path' from System variables
Click Edit.
Now add the path "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_72\bin"
Now open command window and write jps. It will work now.

In addition to the above solutions, still if you have issue with jps command, Please check whether the default system installed java(JRE) path is already available in the Path variable.
My case i faced the same issue and observed the following path already available in the path variable.
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Oracle\Java\javapath"
So I had to change the position(move up) of my new JAVA_HOME path, new JAVA_HOME path is above the default oracle javapath.

Updating Java Breaks Eclipse Running

I just updated Java because I got a notification to do so. Now, whenever I try to run something in Eclipse, I get an error: Unable to locate executable for jre1.8.0_20. From my understanding, I should be able to keep the old installation of Java and just point Eclipse at the jre. Is my understanding incorrect? How do I fix this problem?
java -version returns java version "1.8.0_25"

While the other two answers are technically correct here is slightly more detail.
In your eclipse.ini file (which should be in the same directory as where you installed eclipse) add the lines
-vm
C:/path/to/java/jdk1.8.0_20\jre\bin\javaw.exe
Then save and reopen eclipse

In eclipse.ini file use -vm to point javaw.exe file with entire path, where it is available.

I had the exact same problem. After looking at this answer: Eclipse returns error message "Java was started but returned exit code = 1" the key for me was to move the -vm line above the -vmargs entry in the eclipse.ini and to point it to bin\server\jvm.dll instead of bin\javaw.exe

look in the eclipse.ini file, that's where it specifies the JVM to run with.

As you didn't tell us which version of eclipse are you using, the way that I solve this problem is to
remove the line in eclipse.ini file:
-Dsun.lang.ClassLoader.allowArraySyntax=true
This worked for me (eclipse-jee-luna-R-win32-x86_64.zip).

Cannot start Eclipse - Java error

Eclipse (Indigo) suddenly stopped working, giving the rather well-known error when trying to start it:
Java was starte but returned exit code=1
...
I've tried adding this to the eclipse.ini file:
-vm
C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_03\jre\bin\server\jvm.dll
just before the -vmarg line.
This gets rid of the error message, but now there's just a short glimpse of the eclipse startup image, then it disappears. And eclipse doesn't start, of course.
As mentioned, this suddenly happened, without any changes to eclipse or the java installation. When the problem occured, I finally accepted the annoying Java update nag screen and installed the update.It didn't help at all.
Any ideas?
EDIT: I noticed in the eclipse.ini file these lines:
-vmargs
-Dosgi.requiredJavaVersion=1.5
I tried changing the version to 1.7, and even removing the two lines alltogether. Still the error message.
Here's the complete error message:

Try replacing the backslashes with regular slashes. My eclipse.ini looks like this:
-vm
C:/Program Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_45/bin

Eclipse requires JDK bin as the virtual machine. Give path to javaw.exe as -vm argument.
my -vm argument looks like this
-vm C:/Program Files/Java/jdk1.7.0_55/bin/javaw.exe
As you were saying this suddenly stopped working, there must be some change to JAVA_HOME or related PATH variables in your environment configuration which would have removed reference to JDK home.

Add the -vm argument to the eclipse.ini file like you did earlier, make sure you give the path to the java or javaw.exe and put the path in "" like this
"C:\program files...." when your path has spaces

Eclipse is not opening

I'm new to java and eclipse. I even saw this type of query on this website. But I have applied all those methods and it was also helpful. But when I try to open eclipse, it is not opening:
This is my path for java
C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6
this is where my eclipse is
C:\Users\New folder\eclipse
But when I run the eclipse I'm getting an error
"A java rumtime environment(JRE) or java development kit(JDK) must be
available in order to run eclipse. No java virtual machine was found
after searching the following location: C:\Users\New
folder\eclipse\jre\bin\javaw.exe javaw.exe in your current path"
Please tell me the possible solution.
Thanks in advance!

If you have installed jdk then Eclipse won't have any issue to start. I think you just have installed JRE to run java programs. You need to install JDK.
To check whether you have installed JDK. Check Path C:\Program Files (x86)\Java. Your Java directory should contain directory jdk1.6.., If you don't have this directory there, search it at other places. If you did not find directory then you didn't install JDK.
Download JDK from here.

You should set JAVA_HOME and JRE_HOME variable. http://www.javawebonline.com/java-se-programming/beginners/java_home-jre_home-environment-variables/
And another suggestion is you should move your java home to another location and test your path to java such as
C:\Java\jre6
instead of
C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre6.

Go to C:\Users\New folder\eclipse
Open eclipse.ini file with text editor and add the javaw location there
( right after -vm part ) like so:
-vm
C:/Program Files/Java/jdk1.6.0_33/bin/javaw.exe <--- change to your path
-vmargs

Open the command prompt by pressing Windows+r, type cmd and press Enter.
Type javac and check the output.
If it gives all the options and usage, then you have configured the PATH vairables correctly, or else you have not set them up correctly.
Try it by checking the value at the command prompt.
NOTE
You need to open a new command prompt each time you change the environment variables.

If you have two Program Files folder in your C: drive
such as
C:\Program Files
C:\Program Files (x86)
then try to put your java inside
C:\Program Files
instead of C:\Program Files (x86)

It seems you are running 64 bit eclipse in 64 bit operating system. If you are running 64 bit eclipse then you need 64 bit JDK. Please install 64 bit JDK and run eclipse.