Java virtual machine launcher error is the common problem faced by Java users. This usually appears on Windows OS when you try to launch any application. The reason for this exception is that there are multiple JVMs installed on your system and each Operating System has its own preferred settings. As a result, at some point in time, you may face this issue while using Java applications or games.
SOLUTIONS: Here are some quick ways which will help you solve this problem quickly :
1 – Uninstall All Installed JRE’s From Control Panel
Click on the Windows Menu and from the menu bar, select Control Panel. In the case of Windows 7 or Vista, you can directly open the Control panel by typing control in the search box.
In the Control panel, go to Java | uninstall a program. This will open up all installed versions present on your system. Select them one by one and click on the Uninstall/Change button. It also clears any leftover files which may be causing this issue. Click the OK button when you are prompted with a confirmation message to proceed further. Follow steps 4-6 for each version installed on your system. Once done with uninstalling all versions, restart your computer for changes to take effect. Repeat steps 1-4 to install the latest version of Java.
2 – Update JRE On Your Computer
To check whether you have an updated version of Java on your system, go to Control Panel > Java. From there, click on the Update tab and see if any update is available for download. If yes, then it is recommended that you update the same immediately by clicking on the “Update” button. You can also opt for a “Recommended” update if not automatically detected.
3 – Disable Or Rename Incompatible java Processes through Task Manager
In Windows 10/8/7, Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC simultaneously which will launch the Task Manager window. Here select the Details tab from under the Performance section at the left-hand side panel of the task manager. Now, scroll down to find java related processes or any other processes which you think are causing this issue.
If it is a java process make sure the path reads “C:\Program Files\Java\jre1….0_xx”. Here xx represents the Java version.
Now instead of closing the window, right-click on it and select the Go Tasks menu option. This will open up the Task Manager options screen where you can opt for the End task button under the “More Details” tab. If required close the Task manager window directly by clicking on x at the top right-hand corner of the task manager window. Do steps 6-8 for all incompatible java processes found in your system.
4 – Delete Unwanted Registry Keys
To get rid of invalid entries from your system, you may need to delete some unknown registry keys found in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and HKEY_CURRENT_USER sections of Registry. This will remove all associated invalid entries which might be causing this issue.
To open Registry Editor, type Regedit in the Run option or go to Start Menu > Type %AppData% > Regedit and hit Enter. From there navigate to the following paths:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft (for Java installations).
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\JavaSoft (for user-specific Java installations) Delete all the entries under those two paths for Java-related processes as well as other processes if it is not required. Do steps 3-5 for all of them. When done with deleting registry entries, close Registry Editor and restart your system. This will resolve java launch errors on Windows OS.
5 – Disable Java Auto Update
To fix this issue, you are required to disable automatic updates of Java on your system. This can be done in two ways: Uninstall all installed versions of java and re-install the latest version. Once installation is completed, it will prompt an update. If you allow the updates to be downloaded automatically, it may install an incompatible version over the current working version which in turn creates issues while launching any application or game. To avoid this situation follow steps 1-4. Set up a rule that only the latest java update is allowed. So, what happens when there are multiple JVMs installed? There are different libraries being added to classpath with different versions by each JVM during the run time which might lead to errors like the “Failed to load Main-Class manifest attribute from …” error. To avoid this issue, you can follow steps 1-3 right after java installation which will set up the same version of JVM on your system.
Final Words:
As I have mentioned earlier, this error message may appear due to incompatibility between the java version being used for the system and file type. By following the tips provided in this article users can easily fix the issue without consulting any IT person or Java Expert. If this did not help you to launch an executable file, then go through other possible workarounds provided here.
