installing and repairing Java Web Start : Java Glossary

You were probably directed to this entry because your Java Web Start Java application installer is not working. There are four likely reasons for that:

1. You don’t have an up-to-date browser. If you don’t, or don’t know, download one and install it. They are free.
2. You must have a recent Java installed i.e. JRE 1.6.0_14. If you don’t have it, or don’t know, download and install it now. Java is free. Java Web Start is automatically installed as part of Java.
3. Repairing possibly damaged Java Web Start Associations of the *.jnlp files (MIME application/x-java-jnlp-file) to be handled by javaws.exe in Windows. These tell windows to hand any *.jnlp Java Web Start files to javaws.exe.
4. Repairing possibly damaged Java Web Start Associations of the *.jnlp files to be handled by javaws.exe in your browser. These tell your browser to hand any *.jnlp Java Web Start files to javaws.exe.

Repairing The Windows W98/Me/NT/W2K/XP/W2K3 JNLP Association

1. Click Start.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Control Panel.
4. Click Folder Options.
5. Click File Types.
6. If you don’t see JNLP, Click new. Type JNLP for the file extension. Click advanced. Select JNLP file for associated file type. Click OK.
7. Select JNLP.
8. Click Advanced.
9. Click open.
10. Click edit.
11. Action: should say Open. Application to perform action: should say "C:\Program Files\java\jre6\bin\javaws.exe" "%1". If it doesn’t, fix it.
12. Uncheck DDE.
13. Click OK.
14. Click Set As Default to make Open the default action. Likely Open will be the only action.
15. Click OK.
16. Click Close.
17. Click X in the upper right corner to close.

Repairing The Windows Vista JNLP Association

1. Click Start.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Click Programs
4. Click Default Programs.
5. Click Associate a file type or protocol with a program.
6. Click extension jnlp.
7. Click change Program.
8. Select javaws or navigate to C:\Program Files\java\jre6\bin\javaws.exe
9. Alternatively, use Creative Elements utility.

Repairing The Browser JNLP MIME Association

How Set up *.jnlp association for Java Web Start in Various Browsers
Last revised/verified: 2008-01-23
Logo	Browser	What To Do
	Opera	Opera is the only browser to work completely with both local and web based jnlp files. It has the best CSS style sheet support. It is faster than the others, so I recommend it. However, I fully understand it is easier to convince someone to switch wives than browsers. On the other paw I have begged the Opera browser people to make this setup automatic, but they have flatly refused. Here is how you teach Opera to hand off *.jnlp files it finds to Java Web Start, javaws.exe. : Click Tools ⇒ Preferences ⇒ Advanced ⇒ Downloads. Check to see if an association for jnlp is already there. If there is no entry, Click new. If there is one already, select it and Click edit. The MIME type should read application/x-java-jnlp-file, the file extension should read jnlp and open with default application should be selected. Click OK ⇒ OK. Opera has a bug and sometimes setting up the association still won’t make JWS work. To fix it, shut down Opera, and manually edit the opera6.ini file. Remove the two lines containing the string “jnlp”, i.e. Then fire up Opera again and try running a Java Web Start app. Tell the dialog to launch with javaws.exe. It will repair opera6.ini to look something like this:
	Firefox	Firefox does not seem to have a way of configuring associations other than selecting download rather than run for a small built-in set. Nevertheless it partly works, at least for jnlp files out on the web. It does not work for ones on local hard disk. It seems to bungle along with Windows associations and MIME type hints from webservers. Firefox will ask you what to do with an extension it has never seen before on download. This gives you an indirect way to set up an automatic association.
	Sea Monkey	Sea Monkey does not seem to have a way of configuring associations other than selecting download rather than run for a small built-in set. Nevertheless it partly works, at least for jnlp files out on the web. It does not work for ones on local hard disk. It seems to bungle along with Windows associations and MIME type hints from webservers. Sea Monkey will ask you what to do with an extension it has never seen before on download. This gives you an indirect way to set up an automatic association.
	IE 7	To set up the association between *.jnlp files and javaws.exe in Windows which also handles IE: In Windows, not IE, Click Start ⇒ Settings ⇒ Control Panel ⇒ Folder Options ⇒ File Types. Check to see if there is already an association for *.jnlp files. If there is no entry for *.jnlp files already then Click new ⇒ advanced ⇒ select "jnlp file" If there is an entry, select it and Click advanced. Then edit the open application used to perform action field and make sure it is set to "C:\Program Files\java\jre6\bin\javaws.exe" "%1". Uncheck DDE. Click OK. Click Set As Default to make Open the default action. Likely Open will be the only action. Click OK ⇒ Close. Even after all this is done, IE will only half work. It will work with JNLP files loaded off the web, but not ones from local hard disk. This is because webservers provide a MIME type to give IE an extra hint, where the Windows file system provides no MIME types. Techies might want to look at the associations configuration in the registry.
	IE 6	To set up the association between *.jnlp files and javaws.exe in Windows which also handles IE: In Windows, not IE, Click Start ⇒ Settings ⇒ Control Panel ⇒ Folder Options ⇒ File Types. Check to see if there is already an association for *.jnlp files. If there is no entry for *.jnlp files already then Click new ⇒ advanced ⇒ select "jnlp file" If there is an entry, select it and Click advanced. Then edit the open application used to perform action field and make sure it is set to "C:\Program Files\java\jre6\bin\javaws.exe" "%1". Uncheck DDE. Click OK. Click Set As Default to make Open the default action. Likely Open will be the only action. Click OK ⇒ Close. Even after all this is done, IE will only half work. It will work with JNLP files loaded off the web, but not ones from local hard disk. This is because webservers provide a MIME type to give IE an extra hint, where the Windows file system provides no MIME types. Techies might want to look at the associations configuration in the registry.
	Safari	Safari does not have its own MIME/extension settings. It uses whatever is configured in Windows.