Java Machine (Windows XP Pro)

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Was wondering if anyone has had problems downloading Java Virtual Machine while using Windows XP Pro. Does it crash XP? Please let me know. Thanks!

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No problems, been using it since Beta 2 and on. Now have it installed on 4 machines, 1 Home, 3 Pro.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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So Dave…you don’t think that Java is causing my system to freeze up?

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If it is related to installing the JVM, then it’s because something else is wrong – and installing the JVM involed symptoms.

Like Dave, I’ve installed the JVM numerous times and had no ill effects.

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Well, since my system froze up twice before, I decided to install it again (Windows XP pro) and then start adding programs, one at a time. How long do I need to wait between installs to determine which program (if any) was freezing my machine?

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Do you restart the machine after each install even if the program does not ask?

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Actually, if the installation program does not ask me to shut down, I don’t shut down. Should I be shutting down after each and every installation of a new program? Also, how about installing new drivers? Should I shut down after each new driver install (although I think I have no choice but to shut down)?

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I think it’s just an old habit that dies hard – stemming from the days when you had to reboot the machine if you so much as sneezed in its direction (and, in the case of NT, re-apply the service pack and reboot AGAIN).

Ideally, if you’re not prompted for a reboot, you shouldn’t need to. But that old habit drives me to do it anyway, just in case some file that was in use needs to be replaced at startup.

With drivers, regardless of what the installer does, a reboot is always a good idea. USB peripherals usually allow you to avoid that, but video, sound, and NIC drivers nearly always force a reboot, because they are in use when you update them.

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Well said Mark, This is why I reboot on almost every install.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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That just made me think of when I installed Office 2000 on Windows 2000, and it didn’t ask to reboot. I sat there dumbfounded for a few minutes, and then said “Yeah, RIIIIIIIIIGHT” and rebooted the machine anyway!!

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I think I understand. Reboot after every installation!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions/advice on which Windows Updates I should install?

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All critical updates and any others that apply to your system. If you do not use Windows Messenger, then the updates would not apply. Do the same thinking on any non critical update.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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Well, I guess the distinction i was trying to make, Dave, was which critical updates do I need to install? I know that there have been a few since October, 2001, and then there have been some cumulative patches. Do I need to install every single critical update or be selective, and if I should be selective, then which ones should I install? Thanks in advance for your advice!

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I install ALL critical updates. I have found that the critical updates have done no harm to my system(s), knocking on wood.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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OK, Dave, just to clarify one more time…

Install ALL critical updates even if they are the one’s from late last year? Don’t some of the ‘cumulative patches/updates’ cover the earlier ones? I hate to keep harping on this, but when it comes to Win XP, I’ve learned (the hard way), not to do anything blindly. Thanks!

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Yes, if there are any that are “cumulative” the single ones will NOT appear in your list. If any update has been installed on your machine it will NOT be listed.

Also when ever you do a clean rebuild you will need to rerun ALL of them again

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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OK…understand so far. Would you suggest that I install the latest update first, and then rerun the update program to see which one’s disappear off the list (assuming that the later one’s are cumulative), or earliest to latest? Thanks again Dave!

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When you download the updates, anything cumulative should already be rolled together. Windows Update is actually pretty good about not setting you up with duplicate updates – and in XP, the critical updates are pre-selected. Just download the defaulted selections and let them install, and check back after a reboot to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

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Well, wish me luck . Will report back tomorrow, unless my computer blows up…

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That’s a tough judgement call. I look at whether the program makes substantial changes – something like Office, for example, would prompt me to wait a week. Norton Systemworks/Antivirus and the like are the same. If it’s a simple little add-in, sometimes I will throw caution to the wind and not wait at all. Some of this is also based on past experience, too – but in general, any driver updates or major application installations would likely benefit from a few days worth of trouble free operation before installing anything else.

The other option is to use System Restore or to perform a backup if you can, and see how the machine behaves after the install. Java wouldn’t have made me decide to wait for long, but it is an upgrade (so to speak) to Internet Explorer, which is tightly bound to Windows these days.

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IE being “tightly bound” to Windows XP? That’s an understatement…LOL.

Anyways, my instincts were right than. I’m using outlook express for a few days before I install Office XP. Also, I’m only going to install the Outlook XP and Word 2000, the programs that I actually use!

Regarding SystemWorks, I haven’t had a problem since installing it. I needed to install it right after I installed Win XP so that I could surf the internet. I wanted to have a antivirus program, so I just installed the minimum set of programs. Although Norton Utilities was installed, I haven’t activated it. I’m scared of that program, because I think it might be the culpret of many of my earlier problems.

Regarding System Restore, when my system was really having a bad time of it, I couldn’t even get System Restore to restore to an earlier configuration. It gave me an error message saying it couldn’t restore to an earlier restore point.

I just want to make sure that I install nothing that is going to conflict with Windows XP, and have a smooth running system, that’s not too much to ask, is it?

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks…d

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