Thread: I am having troublefully installing java SE on windows 8

I watched this video to assist me in installing java SE(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mINYU1AD_aw) I had no issues until about @ 2:50 mark on the video where they asked me to click on the path name but it isn't displayed on my advanced system menu. They then say if it isn't displayed, click on the "new" button. When I click on the "new" button, the menu shows a "variable name" and a "variable value" but , both boxes there are adjacent to those two variables are empty. What should I do? Why isn't the path name showing up in my advanced system settings menu when I click on the environmental variables button?

I don't know why you don't already have a PATH environment variable because I don't use Windows 8.

When you click on the "New" button, all you need to do is fill in:

• Variable name: PATH
• Variable value: path to your Java installation's bin folder

See PATH and CLASSPATH (The Java™ Tutorials > Essential Classes > The Platform Environment)

Originally Posted by jashburn

I don't know why you don't already have a PATH environment variable because I don't use Windows 8.

When you click on the "New" button, all you need to do is fill in:

• Variable name: PATH
• Variable value: path to your Java installation's bin folder

See PATH and CLASSPATH (The Java™ Tutorials > Essential Classes > The Platform Environment)

I am still lost as a an american foreigner in the sahara desert.There are no instructions for how to copy the variable path name in windows 8
. Would I ONLY copy this phrase"C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_05" into variable value name or do I need to copy another phrase in addition to that?

Did you check out the link that jashburn provided. We'll do our best to help you, but you have to make an effort. Review the provided links, follow the instructions given either here or in the links, report back with results and ask new questions. Sometimes you just have to try things, experiment, find what works and what doesn't.

Originally Posted by GregBrannon

Did you check out the link that jashburn provided. We'll do our best to help you, but you have to make an effort. Review the provided links, follow the instructions given either here or in the links, report back with results and ask new questions. Sometimes you just have to try things, experiment, find what works and what doesn't.

I have made an effort , but I don't want to mess up my computer. The uploader in the video says that if I past in the wrong variable name, I could damaged my computer.

I'm sure you could find a video that tells you that turning on your computer could damage it.

Pasting in a wrong variable name will not damage your computer, at least not irrevocably.

Since you earlier mentioned that you do not have the PATH environment variable set, putting in the wrong value for this variable now will NOT mess up your computer. If you're modifying an environment variable that already has an existing value, then all you need to do is to copy the current value (by highlight the value and press Ctrl-C) and paste it into Notepad as a backup before modifying it.

Originally Posted by noblegas

Would I ONLY copy this phrase"C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_05" into variable value name or do I need to copy another phrase in addition to that?

It should be:

• Variable name: PATH
• Variable value: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_05\bin

Originally Posted by jashburn

Since you earlier mentioned that you do not have the PATH environment variable set, putting in the wrong value for this variable now will NOT mess up your computer. If you're modifying an environment variable that already has an existing value, then all you need to do is to copy the current value (by highlight the value and press Ctrl-C) and paste it into Notepad as a backup before modifying it.



It should be:

• Variable name: PATH
• Variable value: C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_05\bin

Okay, I went to environmental variables and added what you recommended in the variable name and the variable value boxes in addition to what the video uploader recommended. I go then proceed to write and compile my first java code which I saved as "test.java" in textpad 7. My output for the code is supposed to be "HellWorld!" but this is what results . HEre is the code I wrote:

public class test{

public static void main(String [] args){
System.out.printIn("HellWorld!");
}

}

and here is the output that resulted when I attempted to compile my code:

C:\Users\Courtney\SkyDrive\Documents\test.java:4: error: cannot find symbol
System.out.printIn("HellWorld!");
^
symbol: method printIn(String)
location: variable out of type PrintStream
1 error

Tool completed with exit code 1

What did I do wrong

Progress! Good job.

println() has a small 'L' rather than a capital 'I'.

Thank you! That did the trick! There was a more elaborated step by step process that I had to follow when compiling my java code in windows 7 that was performed in the command window. For every java code I write and compile from now on, all I have to do now is go to textpad 7, write out my java code, select tools in textpad 7, compile and once the code compiled correctly, select the tool menu again , go to External tools and run the java application?

If that's what is working for you, sounds right. You might also experiment with leaving textpad after saving your source code and going to the command line to compile the source code and run the .class file(s), but I don't know what obstacles that may introduce that the textpad approach clears for you.