Java issue (nonexistent Java Runtime)

I'm currently having an issue with playing Minecraft. I played Minecraft perfectly before I had an issue with my computer. Now when I open the minecraft.exe file (or try to open Java itself from the start menu) it says there is a problem with Java:

The registry refers to a non-existent Java Runtime Environment installation or the runtime is corrupted. The system cannot find the path specified

I re-installed Java but it seems there is a problem with my windows installer:

"Error 1723. There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. A DLL required for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor."

I tried to reinstall the Windows Installation service however this says there is not enough space (even though I have about 12GB free on my hard drive). I'm not sure if this is the correct file I'm trying to install but I thought it was worth a shot.

Solution 1:

Here's what I did on Windows 7:

Open the registry editor (regedit.exe) using an administrator account.

Go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment

For each version under this path, verify if the paths for the JavaHome and RuntimeLib variables are correct. RuntimeLib should refer to an existent jvm.dll file, JavaHome should be the start of this path with the \bin\client\jvm.dll part removed.

If you have multiple versions in the registry and you do not have a corresponding java version on your disk for one of them, remove the superfluous registry entry.

If the correspondinig java version is at another location on your disk, update the paths. For each version of Java you have, you need to do this twice (once for the particular build you have (example 1.7.0_04) and once for the base version (example 1.7). Mine (but take care, I installed to a custom location) are:

• JavaHome C:\java\jre
• RuntimeLib C:\java\jre\7\bin\jvm.dll

I got the error because I moved the software to another directory after installation.

Solution 2:

Try renaming the .exe to a .jar People are having this same issue and this seems to solve it.

Once you've tried that, remove every instance of Java you have and reinstall with a package from Java's website. Make sure it's the right architecture (32-64 bit). Try removing Java with the Windows Cleanup Utility, then reboot, the reinstall.

EDIT: Come to think of it, back when I ran windows a similar thing happened to me. Try upgrading to the latest version of Windows Installer. If you're already at the latest, try reinstalling.