[Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't die!

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demo
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[Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't die!

Post by demo »

Hi All,

A problem with this same basic description has cropped up a great many years ago and seems to come back now and then.

...I've been using computers since before Microsoft even existed, so by now I know how to do my homework. And yes, I brought up Microsoft because the platform is Windows. Here's the path I've taken:

Happily using OpenOffice, today I needed to edit a pdf, and decided to use OO to do it. I opened Writer and it responded with a large pop-up that was blank except for the OO logo and in the footer-bar it said "Loading:" and blue squares got about half way across to the right with a centered pop-up titled "JRE Required", and text reading, "OpenOffice requires a Java runtime environment (JRE) to perform this task. Please install JRE and restart OpenOffice."

I'm a programmer who uses Java and this is on my personal development box, so knowing a full JDK and more than one JRE was already on the box, I double checked, figured something needed an update, and updated OpenOffice from whatever it was to the latest, 4.1.5. As you can guess, that changed nothing. I found my way to the Tools -> Options -> OpenOffice -> Java settings, asked it to Add... and went through the exact same steps as so many before me. When it repeatedly, and errantly, kept repeating "The folder you selected does not contain a Java runtime environment. Please select a different folder.", I figured "it's broken", and did an online search.

This got me to a large handful of web pages, a great number on this very site in this forum, where others have been through this same path since roughly 2011, maybe longer, I didn't have the patience to look at older entries. Among the more helpful of these are:

From Sept. 2017:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=90192

From June, 2018:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=88978

From Oct. 2016:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=85667#p399946

From May, 2015:
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=77245

I even found a current bug, number 121955:
https://bz.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=121955

Along the way of trying all the suggested things, I've installed the only 32 bit JRE I could easily find (version 1.6.0_12 - aka "version 6"), and the Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package MFC Security Update file msvcr100.dll. I even told the handy Java installation handler about the new 1.6 installation and it happily recognizes it.

Of course, nothing has worked or I wouldn't be posting now. My setup:

Windows 7 Professional with SP1, 64 bit.
OpenOffice 4.1.5

Not sure what else is needed.

I'd like to recommend the OpenOffice project firstly, dramatically improve the error messages on this topic. For example, it must be well known by now that a 32 bit JRE is needed, so the pop-up should know it's Windows and on a 64 bit box and tell the person what's going on. It also can't possibly be the case that the files aren't visible, so instead of saying an installation wasn't found, it can say an installation was found it can't use. I'm sure there are other ways in which the error messages can be improved. No, error messages aren't a high priority for most developers, but they ARE a top priority for users when something is going wrong. Non-useful error messages reflect badly on entire projects.

I'd also like to suggest the OpenOffice project get rid of this problem forever. How embarrassing that it can't solve this bitwise problem! I'd bet there are a number of ways this could be permanently solved, not the least of which is to have a compiled 64 bit version. ...It's not as if 64 bit computers sitting on desktops are anything new. For one thing, Java can be embedded. My wild guess is, being a developer myself, the developers aren't interested because THEY never have the problem.

Neither of my suggestions helps solve the problem now, though. ... I'm guessing it's going to be something like, "OH! You can't use something as old as JRE 1.6!" But before I do this :crazy: any further, I'd like to get some pointers, please. Hopefully someone has been here before me!
Last edited by demo on Mon Apr 09, 2018 11:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bill
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Re: JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't die!

Post by Bill »

The official site for downloading the current version of Java is java.com. You can find the current offline installers for the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version at https://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp .
demo wrote:Neither of my suggestions helps solve the problem now, though. ... I'm guessing it's going to be something like, "OH! You can't use something as old as JRE 1.6!" But before I do this :crazy: any further, I'd like to get some pointers, please. Hopefully someone has been here before me!
In a way, it may be because it's old. I seem to recall that AOO will only recognize JRE versions released by Oracle but I don't know where or if this has been documented. The version you're trying to use was probably released by Sun Microsystems.
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Re: JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't die!

Post by Villeroy »

Please, edit this topic's initial post and add "[Solved]" to the subject line if your problem has been solved.
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demo
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Re: JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't die!

Post by demo »

Bill wrote:The official site for downloading the current version of Java is java.com. You can find the current offline installers for the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version at https://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp .
demo wrote:Neither of my suggestions helps solve the problem now, though. ... I'm guessing it's going to be something like, "OH! You can't use something as old as JRE 1.6!" But before I do this :crazy: any further, I'd like to get some pointers, please. Hopefully someone has been here before me!
In a way, it may be because it's old. I seem to recall that AOO will only recognize JRE versions released by Oracle but I don't know where or if this has been documented. The version you're trying to use was probably released by Sun Microsystems.
Well, you posit two possibilities, Bill, one that it's because it's old, the other because it isn't from Oracle, and IDK which, but I installed the latest and now _that_ problem is solved, thanks. However, it still won't open my PDF (either for read or edit). . . I thought that OpenOffice could open PDF files for write access, but SURELY it should be able to do so for a least _read_ access, yes? Instead it opens OpenCalc. -shrug-

-sigh- Well, at least that's a different problem.
OpenOffice 4.1.5
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3 versions of Java installed, including 32 bit 1.6.0_12 (AKA version 6)
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RoryOF
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Re: [solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by RoryOF »

OpenOffice needs a particular extension installed to permit reading and making small (cosmetic) changes to PDF files. I never recommend its use for either; as I frequently need to access PDF files of several hundred pages, I prefer a dedicated PDF reader, and on the rare occasions I need to edit a PDF file, I use specialised tools.
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by Villeroy »

Simply install https://libreoffice.org/ . It comes as a 64-bit version for Windows and with the PDF extension preinstalled.
Please, edit this topic's initial post and add "[Solved]" to the subject line if your problem has been solved.
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Bill
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Re: JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't die!

Post by Bill »

demo wrote:
Bill wrote:The official site for downloading the current version of Java is java.com. You can find the current offline installers for the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version at https://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp .
demo wrote:Neither of my suggestions helps solve the problem now, though. ... I'm guessing it's going to be something like, "OH! You can't use something as old as JRE 1.6!" But before I do this :crazy: any further, I'd like to get some pointers, please. Hopefully someone has been here before me!
In a way, it may be because it's old. I seem to recall that AOO will only recognize JRE versions released by Oracle but I don't know where or if this has been documented. The version you're trying to use was probably released by Sun Microsystems.
Well, you posit two possibilities, Bill, one that it's because it's old, the other because it isn't from Oracle, and IDK which, but I installed the latest and now _that_ problem is solved, thanks.
Actually, I now think my recollection was wrong and I have no idea why the old JRE didn't work (I only keep the current version installed and can't test JRE 1.6). Sorry for the confusion. It's the legacy versions of OOo that will recognize JRE versions from Sun but not JRE versions from Oracle.
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AdmiralJaden
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by AdmiralJaden »

I didn't see it mentioned, so I wanted to add:

I recently solved this problem by installing both versions of Java (32-bit and 64-bit), and then hitting "add" on the java options (it auto-populated at that moment).

So, I think at the very least, everyone should make sure they have both versions, just in case. It doesn't hurt the computer to run both versions, in fact I've had to do that in the past, depending on the program, because I have a 64-bit OS.
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lkmcmains
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by lkmcmains »

For crying out loud, Fix This Problem!!! I run into this problem regularly. I have Java installed. Java works in my browsers and from the command line. When I try to add a JRE within OpenOffice options, the box is never populated, and when I point it explicitly to a JRE directory, it insists that no executable JRE is found! So I repeat, for crying out loud, fix it! Or ship an appropriate JRE with Openoffice. Or do something! I don't understand how this problem can be allowed to exist for years!
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by Zizi64 »

Larry
OpenOffice.Org 3.2.0
Ubuntu Linux 10.04 LTS
Are you really using that archaic old version of the OpenOffice?
Try a newer version of the Apache OpenOffice, or the LibreOffice.
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Please, edit the initial post in the topic: add the word [Solved] at the beginning of the subject line - if your problem has been solved.
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by Bill »

Ubuntu 10.04 is also ancient and obsolete. No one will fix an obsolete version of OOo so it can be used on an obsolete operating system.
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by Villeroy »

Ubuntu ships the right Java runtime for its office suite. There should be no problem with Ubuntu 10.4 and its OpenOffice suite and any version of Java shipped with the same distribution.
Please, edit this topic's initial post and add "[Solved]" to the subject line if your problem has been solved.
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by John_Ha »

lkmcmains wrote:For crying out loud, Fix This Problem!!!
There is no problem. If you use function requiring Java then install the AOO pre-requisite of 32-bit Java and keep it updated.
lkmcmains wrote: ... Or ship an appropriate JRE with Openoffice.
Java is regularly updated so it would need to be updated by the user - just as now.

A search on Java would have found [Solved] Problems installing latest Java update on Windows
LO 6.4.4.2, Windows 10 Home 64 bit

See the Writer Guide, the Writer FAQ, the Writer Tutorials and Writer for students.

Remember: Always save your Writer files as .odt files. - see here for the many reasons why.
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by jrkrideau »

As an aside, the current Ubuntu is 18.04
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Re: [Solved, again] JRE not found - the "bug" that wouldn't

Post by Villeroy »

Well, there are good reasons to run a very old Linux on very old hardware. New versions of Ubuntu (<= 12.4) don't support Pentium processors for instance. But then you should also install matching software like OpenOffice.org 3 and some Java6. As far as I remember, the Java runtimes from the respective distributions always worked with the OpenOffice.org from the same distributions. With "distributions" I mean the precompiled and user friendly desktop distributions of that time.
Please, edit this topic's initial post and add "[Solved]" to the subject line if your problem has been solved.
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