Troubleshooting Java Problems in Internet Explorer

ID: Q168806


The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows NT 4.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

This article describes how to troubleshoot problems with Java. The following topics are discussed:

  • Determining the scope of the Java problem.


  • Java problems on one Web site.


  • Java problems on all Web sites.



MORE INFORMATION

Determining the Scope of the Java Problem

To determine the scope of the Java problem, follow these steps:
  1. Access the following Microsoft Java Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/most/howto/java.htm.


  2. If the Java program operates correctly, the problem is probably specific to one Web site. Follow the steps in the "Java Problems on One Web Site" section in this article. If neither of the Java programs operate correctly, the problem is most likely specific to all Web sites. Follow the steps in the "Java Problems on All Web Sites" section in this article.


Java Problems on One Web Site

If you are unable to view a Web site that contains Java programs, but are able to view other Web sites that contain Java programs, follow these steps to resolve the issue:
  1. Download the Microsoft virtual machine from the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/java.


  2. Visit the Web site that exhibited the problem, and test to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the issue has not been resolved, continue with step 3.


  3. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop, and then click Properties on the menu that appears.


  4. For Internet Explorer 3.x, on the Advanced tab, click the Enable Java JIT Compiler check box to clear it, and then click OK. For Internet Explorer 4.0 and 4.01, on the Advanced tab, click the Java JIT Compiler Enabled check box to clear it, and then click OK.


  5. Visit the Web site that exhibited the problem, and test to determine if the issue has been resolved.


  6. If the problem no longer occurs, view the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    Q155163 Java Program Does Not Run with Java JIT Compiler Enabled


  7. If the problem still occurs, we recommend that you contact the author of the Web site, notify him or her of the problem, and submit a problem report to Microsoft from this Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/java.


Java Problems on All Web Sites

If you are unable to view any Web site that contains Java programs, follow these steps to resolve the issue:
  1. Right-click the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop, and then click Properties on the menu that appears.


  2. For Internet Explorer 3.x, on the Security tab, verify that the Enable Java Programs option is enabled. If the Enable Java Programs option is not enabled, click the check box to select it, click OK, and then follow the steps in the "Determining the Scope of the Java Problem" section in this article to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the Enable Java Programs option is enabled, continue with step 3.

    For Internet Explorer 4.0 and 4.01, on the Security tab, verify that the Disable Java option is not enabled.

    NOTE: This option is available only with the Custom option. Java is not disabled if you have selected High, Medium, or Low security.

    If the Disable Java option is enabled, click High Safety, Medium Safety, or Low Safety, click OK, and then follow the steps in the "Determining the Scope of the Java Problem" section in this article to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the problem still occurs, skip to step 5.


  3. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.


  4. Type "*classes.zip" (without quotation marks) in the Named box, click the drive that contains the Windows folder in the Look In box, and then click Find Now.


  5. For Internet Explorer 3.x, verify that you have the following two files:
    • The Classes.zip file in the Windows\Java\Classes folder


    • The Tclasses.zip file in the Windows\Java\Trustlib folder


    For Internet Explorer 4.0 and 4.01, if there is a blank space where the Java program should be displayed, the issue may be with a Java class. Look for a 5-megabyte (MB) .zip class file (among several other .zip files) in the Windows\Java\Packages folder to verify it is present. If no 5-MB .zip file is present, skip to step 9. This .zip file can have a different name for each occurrence. If the file is present, verify that the correct path entry is present in the following key in the registry:


    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Code Store Database\
    Global Namespace\Java Packages\com\ms\lang\


  6. If one or both of these files is missing, continue with step 7. If both files are present in the correct folders, skip to step 10.


  7. WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

    For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

    Click Start, point to Find, click Files Or Folders, type "classr.exe" (without quotation marks) in the Named box, click the drive that contains the Windows folder in the Look In box, and then click Find Now.


  8. If you find the Classr.exe file, double-click it to rebuild the Classes.zip and Tclasses.zip files, and then follow the steps in the "Determining the Scope of the Java Problem" section in this article to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the issue has not been resolved, skip to step 11.


  9. Follow the steps in the "Determining the Scope of the Java Problem" section in this article to determine if the issue has been resolved. If this issue has not been resolved, continue with step 10.


  10. For Internet Explorer 3.x, use Registry Editor to verify that the ClassPath value in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft VM registry key contains the following data value:
    
          C:\WINDOWS\java\classes\classes.zip;C:\WINDOWS\java\classes; 
    If this entry is present, continue with step 11. If this entry is not present, reinstall the Microsoft virtual machine for Internet Explorer. To do so, go to the following Microsoft Web site and click Microsoft virtual machine:
    http://www.microsoft.com/java
    Choose to save the program to disk in a temporary folder, double-click the executable file, and follow the directions for installation.

    For Internet Explorer 4.0 and 4.01, use Registry Editor to verify that the ClassPath value in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Java VM registry key contains the following data value if you upgraded from Internet Explorer 3.x to Internet Explorer 4.0 or 4.01:
    
          C:\WINDOWS\java\classes\classes.zip;C:\WINDOWS\java\classes; 
    If you installed Internet Explorer 4.0 or 4.01 without upgrading from Internet Explorer 3.x, check for the following data value:
    
          C:\WINDOWS\java\classes; 


  11. Change the display settings to a lower resolution and fewer colors. To do so, follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Display.


    2. On the Settings tab, click 16 Colors in the Color Palette box, and then move the Desktop Area slider to the far left (640 By 480 Pixels).


    3. Click OK.


    4. Follow the steps in the "Determining the Scope of the Java Problem" section in this article to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the issue has been resolved, notify the video adapter manufacturer of the problem and request a video adapter driver update. If the issue has not been resolved, continue with step 12.




  12. Restart Windows 95 using minimal drivers. To do so, follow these steps:

    1. Click Start, click Run, type "sysedit" (without quotation marks) in the Open box, and then click OK.


    2. View the System.ini file to verify that it contains the following line:
      
      system.drv=system.drv 
      If the "system.drv=" line is different from the above line, place a semicolon (;) in front of the line, add "system.drv=system.drv" (without quotation marks) to the [boot] section, and then click Save on the File menu.


    3. View the Win.ini file and place a semicolon (;) in front of the "run=" line.


    4. Quit System Configuration Editor. If you are prompted to save any files, do so.


    5. Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Step By Step Confirmation from the Startup menu.


    6. When you are prompted to process the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files, press N. When you are prompted to load all Windows drivers, press Y, and then hold down the SHIFT key while Windows starts to prevent items in the Startup group from being processed.


    7. Follow the steps in the "Determining the Scope of the Java Problem" section in this article to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the issue has been resolved, continue with step 13. If the issue has not been resolved, skip to step 15.




  13. Remove each of the programs from the Startup group individually to isolate the problem program, restarting Windows after you remove each program. To do so, drag a program from the Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp folder to another folder, and then restart Windows. Follow the steps in the "Determining the Scope of the Java Problem" section in this article to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the issue has not been resolved, drag another program from the Startup group, and so on. If the issue still has not been resolved after all programs are removed from the Startup group, continue with step 14.


  14. Isolate any conflicts with terminate-and-stay-resident programs (TSRs) or real-mode device drivers. To do so, restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Step By Step Confirmation from the Startup menu. Press N for every TSR or real-mode device driver. When Windows restarts, follow the steps in the "Determining the Scope of the Java Problem" section in this article to determine if the issue has been resolved. If the issue has not been resolved, continue with step 15.


  15. If you connect to the Internet using a local area network (LAN), contact your network system administrator and verify that you have access to Java programs through the network firewall.


If these steps do not resolve the issue, please contact Microsoft Technical Support.

Additional query words: script errors

Keywords : kbenv kbtshoot msiew95 msient kbIE300 kbIE301 kbIE400 kbIE401 kbIE302 kbIE500
Version : WINDOWS:
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo


Last Reviewed: July 28, 1999
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