[Solved] OpenOffice 4.1.1 Won't Recognize Java JRE

[mediatech]

After updating to OO 4.1.1 the installed Java JRE was no longer recognized.

I've seen two threads dealing with this issue: My solution was based on a suggestion in another thread that was not verified.

The version of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable installed on the machine was 2008.
Installing Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable let OpenOffice 4.1.1 recognize the already-installed JRE. Problem solved.

A second machine updated to OO 4.1.1 worked perfectly at recognizing JRE. That machine did have the Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable already installed.

[Bill]

What version of the JRE is installed?

What does the error message say? If the JRE is "not recognized", that's usually because no 32-bit JRE is installed. Not having the MS Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable installed results in "Jre is defective" error.

[mediatech]

The JRE Version is 1.7.0_67.
The 32 bit installation of this JRE was tested and found to be working using the Oracle test page.

IIRC the initial error message on OO startup said that JRE was defective.

However Tools|Options|Java did not show any installed JREs.
I recall getting a "not recognized" or "not found" error message as I attempted to browse to the installed JRE that OO could not automatically find.

Neither error message provided any actionable solution which was to install MS Visual C++ 2010.
Installing MS Visual C++ 2010 immediately fixed the problem.

If that was your suggestion over in another thread it worked like a champ.

[Jim Shaffer]

I'm having this Java issue, and no suggestion posted so far has fixed it.

I have MS Visual C++ 2010 runtime installed, and have had for quite a while. The previous version of OO that I was using, OOO 3.something I think, claimed that no JRE was installed, even though I have 1.7.0_67 installed. Selecting its directory in the options menu resulted in the claim that the directory didn't contain a JRE.

In hopes of fixing the problem, I upgraded to the latest AOO. Now, the options menu shows the JRE installed and selected, but it claims it's defective.

I do have 5 other versions of the Visual C++ Redistributable package installed -- 2005, 3 from 2008, and 2013. Is this the problem -- should I have only one of them? I'm a little wary of uninstalling any of them because I have no idea what other software might be using them.

[Bill]

Please post your operating system. What works on mine might not work on yours.

[Jim Shaffer]

Windows 7 Home Premium, Service Pack 1, 32-bit

[Jim Shaffer]

I've tried reinstalling the JRE, using both 1.7.0_72 and 1.8.0_25, but still no good. It still complains about the JRE being defective. But this time, when I go into the options menu, if I select one of the JREs, then go back to the database, OO just exits with no error messages at all!

[RoryOF]

For OpenOffice running on Windows you _must_ use a 32 bit Java. In downloading from http://www.java.com these are listed as i586 (I think).

[Jim Shaffer]

I'm definitely using the 32-bit version. I guess I'll try de-installing all versions of Java and starting from scratch, because I don't know what else to try.

[Jim Shaffer]

I finally got it working. I STILL don't know what the initial problem was, since I've always had the C++ libraries installed, but the later problems I've been having after upgrading/reinstalling Java were entirely of my own making...

After the last Java install I tried, I found that the Java test that it wanted to do after installation caused my browser to silently exit, just like OO was doing. So now I knew that it was definitely a Java problem. That's when it hit me -- one of the earliest things I tried, following suggestions on a web site from several years ago, was setting an environment variable pointing to the JRE directory. The problem was, after upgrading Java, it pointed to the wrong directory! I deleted the environment variable and all is well. But as I said, I still don't know what was causing the problem in the first place, because I had it before I had any Java environment variables set.

[mediatech]

Glad you got it working.

FWIW my system had Visual C++2005 and 2008 versions.
Installing the Visual C++ 2010 redistributable solved my problem with OO not recognizing the JRE.

I don't know if it will run under Visual C++ 2013 since I do not have it installed.

That's when it hit me -- one of the earliest things I tried, following suggestions on a web site from several years ago, was setting an environment variable pointing to the JRE directory. The problem was, after upgrading Java, it pointed to the wrong directory! I deleted the environment variable and all is well. But as I said, I still don't know what was causing the problem in the first place, because I had it before I had any Java environment variables set.

Maybe it would have (and now does) run under Visual C++2010 - but not with the Visual C++ 2013 that was installed - and that now having the environment variable correct allows JRE to run under 2010.
Just guessing...