"JRE 1.3 or higher must be installed!" / "JDK 1.3 or higher must be installed!" errors installing JAI 1.1.3 on Windows 7 (x64)

Question

I am getting these errors...

Severe: JRE 1.3 or higher must be installed!

Severe: JDK 1.3 or higher must be installed!

...when installing JAI (Java Advanced Imaging) 1.1.3 on Windows 7 (x64), with JRE 7 (1.7) installed at "C:\Program Files\Java\jre7" and JDK 7 (1.7) installed at "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0".

Following http://download.java.net/media/jai/builds/release/1_1_3/INSTALL.html#Windows, specifically this is what I did:

Visited:

• http://download.java.net/media/jai/builds/release/
• http://download.java.net/media/jai/builds/release/1_1_3/ (latest version)

Downloaded:

• http://download.java.net/media/jai/builds/release/1_1_3/jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586-jdk.exe
• http://download.java.net/media/jai/builds/release/1_1_3/jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586-jre.exe
• http://download.java.net/media/jai/builds/release/1_1_3/jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586.exe
• http://download.java.net/media/jai/builds/release/1_1_3/jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586.jar.zip

EDIT (QUESTION): It would be great if someone could break down the difference between these files. The instructions at http://download.java.net/media/jai/builds/release/1_1_3/INSTALL.html#Windows do not go into enough detail and assume you already know what's what.

EDIT: As noted in the comments below, the .exe are exclusive installs, but I wished to install them to all three locations (to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Sun Microsystems\Java Advanced Imaging 1.1.3" as well as to my JDK and JRE locations), as I was not sure which I would need at my work as a Java developer. As far as I know, I just need to install the JDK version, and the .zip is a manual install of the same thing. I am not sure though! Unverified.

Installed:

• jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586.exe (installed fine)
• jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586-jre.exe <---- this is what causes one of the errors.
• jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586-jdk.exe <---- this is what causes one of the errors.

The errors appear to be the same issue of not finding where Java (JRE and JDK) is installed.

I have the following environment variables set:

• JAVA_HOME = C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0
• Path = ...;C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0\bin

EDIT: This makes me think the problem is something deeper than environment variables, as there's no environment variables for JRE like there is for JDK (i.e., JAVA_HOME), right?

Fixes I have tried (to no avail):

• Re-installing*.
• Re-downloading and re-installing*.
• Adding "C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin" to "Path" and re-installing*.
• Adding "C:\Program Files\Java\jre7" to "Path", without removing the above Path addition, and re-installing*.
• Adding "C:\PROGRA~1\Java\jre7" to "Path", and verified it was the proper folder, and re-installing*.
• Changing JAVA_HOME from "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0" to "C:\PROGRA~1\Java\JDK17~1.0", and verified it properly forwards back to the original folder in Windows, and re-installing*.
• Re-installing Java to a non-space folder, "C:\xxx\xxx\jdk1.7.0", where the x's are letters not spaces, and verified it works properly with "java -version" command line, and re-installing**.

*Downloading and installing jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586-jre.exe

**Downloading and installing jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586-jdk.exe

None of this worked. :(

I have not tried:

• Using an older JRE than 7 (1.7)

Any help would be great.

POSSIBLE (HACK) SOLUTION: What about manual installation? It's what we've opted to do at work. Is it possible to figure out what files are installed (without installing it since I cannot)?

EDIT: I have also verified that "JAI (Java Advanced Imaging) Image I/O" has the same problems on my system.

Answer 1

JAI is only available on 32bit (x86) JRE, so you need to install the 32 bit JRE on Windows 7.

JAI uses some native implementations (dlls) in order to accelerate the processing, so only installs on a 32bit JRE.

When installing JAI, it tries to detect the installed JRE and should be a 32bit JRE. You can install 32bit JRE on a Windows 7 x64, the only "difference" is the performance and the maximum memory available to java applications.

Install JAva 7 JRE 32bit from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/java-se-jre-7-download-432155.html select "Windows x86 Offline".

Another way is manual installation from JAI as zip, use jai-1_1_3-lib-windows-i586.jar.zip and execute from the 32bit JRE.