JRE issue with getting Spring Tool Suite installed

I downloaded Spring Toolset 3.6 from here:

https://spring.io/tools/sts/all

Unzipped it, launched sts.exe and got this error:

---------------------------
STS
---------------------------
A Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or Java Development Kit (JDK)
must be available in order to run STS. No Java virtual machine
was found after searching the following locations:
D:Setupspring36sts-bundlests-3.6.3.RELEASEjrebinjavaw.exe
javaw.exe in your current PATH
---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

I have following version of (32 bit) java

C:UsersChad>java.exe -version
java version "1.7.0_71"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.7.0_71-b14)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 24.71-b01, mixed mode, sharing)

I tried adding the following 2 lines to the top of the STS.ini:

-vm
C:WindowsSysWOW64javaw.exe

and got this error:

---------------------------
STS
---------------------------
Java was started but returned exit code=13
C:WindowsSysWOW64javaw.exe
-Dosgi.requiredJavaVersion=1.6
-Xms40m
-Xmx768m
-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
-Dorg.eclipse.swt.browser.IEVersion=10001
-jar D:Setupspring36sts-bundlests-3.6.3.RELEASE\plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.3.0.v20140415-2008.jar
-os win32
-ws win32
-arch x86_64
-showsplash
-launcher D:Setupspring36sts-bundlests-3.6.3.RELEASESTS.exe
-name STS
--launcher.library D:Setupspring36sts-bundlests-3.6.3.RELEASE\plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher.win32.win32.x86_64_1.1.200.v20140603-1326eclipse_1603.dll
-startup D:Setupspring36sts-bundlests-3.6.3.RELEASE\plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.3.0.v20140415-2008.jar
--launcher.overrideVmargs
-exitdata 1240_5c
-product org.springsource.sts.ide
-vm C:WindowsSysWOW64javaw.exe
-vmargs
-Dosgi.requiredJavaVersion=1.6
-Xms40m
-Xmx768m
-XX:MaxPermSize=256m
-Dorg.eclipse.swt.browser.IEVersion=10001
-jar D:Setupspring36sts-bundlests-3.6.3.RELEASE\plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.3.0.v20140415-2008.jar 
---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

Tried adding an Env variable:

JAVA_HOME = C:WindowsSysWOW64

…same error

when I opened up the Java Control panel, I saw that the active version, 1.7 pointed to this path:

C:Program Files (x86)Javajre7binjavaw.exe

I also tried adding the following to my PATH variable

C:Program Files (x86)Javajre7bin

…no change,

When I noticed the following line in one of the error messages above:

Dosgi.requiredJavaVersion=1.6

I tried switching the active version of java (the one checked inh the control panel) to the 1.65 version and I changed all of the above paths to point to reference it.

C:Program Files (x86)Javajre6binjavaw.exe

I’m sure I didn’t try all permutations, but I am obviously gasping at straws.

I also tried downloading the 32 bit JDK because I saw something about maybe needing that.

Is this some sort of a 32/64 bit mix up? The STS zip file was named indicating a 32 bit version, although at work on my laptop I somewhere found a version that had both 32 and 64 in the name of the zip. I only saw one version of the app in the zip file. How can one app be both 32 and 64 bit at the same time?

spring-tool-suite-3.6.3.RELEASE-e4.4.1-win32.zip

This is my first attempt to try anything using Java and I’m frustrated just starting…

Answer

Your STS/Eclipse is x64 bit I think due to this line “-arch x86_64” in your STS startup error. You’d need to specify -vm argument in STS.ini. For example: -vm C:JavaJDK1.6binjavaw.exe

The folder you’ve specified C:WindowsSysWOW64javaw.exe… is it pointing to the right x64 VM? The JDK/JRE folder must have bin, lib and other sub-folders. The javaw.exe that you point to must be in the “bin” folder. I don’t see the “bin” in your VM path. Keep the file structure of the JDK/JRE folder unchanged.