JRE 1.3 and JRE 1.5 on one PC - problems with Firefox

grofaty · Post by **grofaty** » August 7th, 2006, 10:22 pm

Hi,
I have two JRE versions installed on my Windows XP SP2 computer. I need JRE 1.3.1_09 because of one legacy application which does NOT run on JRE 1.5 and I need JRE 1.5.0_05 to see web page http://www.sqlinform.com which I need every day.

So I need two JREs to run two applets - old legacy app and above web page.

In Internet Explorer 6.0 everything runs OK. But using Firefox v1.5.0.6 the above web page does not run (BTW, it also didn't run in previous versions of Firefox).

Testing the default java used in web browser with page:
http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml
- the result in Internet Explorer is JRE 1.5.0_05
- the result in Firefox is JRE 1.3.1_09

How to set in Firefox to use the default JRE 1.5 and not 1.3?

I have created two tests:

1. test: I have uninstalled JRE 1.3.1_09 and left JRE 1.5.0_05 installed. Start Firefox and above web page is displayed correctly. Also java test page specified above returs JRE 1.5.0_05 is installed.

This would be OK, if I didn't need an old JRE because of legacy java application.

2. test: I uninstalled JRE 1.5 (JRE 1.3 I have uninstalled in previous test) and first installed JRE 1.3 and then JRE 1.5 to have original situation mentioned at the top of this problem.

Then I have copied file C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_05\bin\NPOJI610.dll to folder C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins and now Firefox default java is 1.5_0_05 and above web page works fine, but as you probably guess my old legacy java application is not working anymore. When this old legacy app is starting the browser craches. Deleting file NPOJI610.dll from plug-in folder enables old legacy app to work again, but the main problem still persist.

How to make Firefox work with old legacy application (which by the way has specified in <object> and <embed> tab to run java 1.3.1_09) and to run all other java application in JRE 1.5?

The funny thing is Internet Explorer rus just like I want, so old legacy app in JRE 1.3 and all others in JRE 1.5. How to set Firefox to do the same?

BTW, I have downloaded both JREs from http://java.sun.com/products/archive/index.html

BTW, I can't user JRE 1.5.0_06 and above because Sun has created 'stupid' "security enhancement" in 1.5.0_06 which prevents runing applets in any other JRE beside the latest JRE (so ignores object/embed JRE definition), so my old legacy java application does not work.

Thanks,
Grofaty

the-edmeister · Post by **the-edmeister** » August 7th, 2006, 10:57 pm

Grofaty,

Have you tried running that legacy application with JRE 1.5.0?
AFAIK, Java has good legacy support for older applets and beans.

Type about:plugins in the Firefox URL bar and hit Enter.

You will see exactly which Java DLL's are available and the MIME Type boxes will tell you exactly which version of applets and beans are supported by each DLL you see listed. I would be very surprised if 1.5.0_06 didn't support a 1.3.1 applet or bean - I can't check my Java installation for you because I am using the recently released 1.4.2_12 version of JRE because I have less trouble with 1.4.2 than I did with 1.5.0 versions.

Ed

grofaty · Post by **grofaty** » August 8th, 2006, 1:17 am

Hi,
Yes, I have tried running that legacy application with JRE 1.5 but some dialog boxes are not working correctly in version 1.5 (refresh of dialogs are not working at all unless mouse button is pressed - I can't afford to click 100-times to see the whole tree-hierarchy, just because of refresh not working in JRE 1.5).

Ok, back to the problem of two versions of JRE (1.3 and 1.5):
What is funny is that running on Internet Explorer it works fine!!! So IE runs each JRE
What is more funny is running on Firefox works fine if only JRE 1.5.0_05 is installed, but if I install JRE 1.3.1_09 and JRE 1.5.0_05 (first install 1.3 and then 1.5) then Firefox starts all internet web pages in JRE 1.3 instread of JRE 1.5 which is the default in Internet Explorer.

So how to define in Firefox that JRE 1.5 is the default JRE if no <object><embed> java version in HMTL file is specified?

I have saved the output pdf file got from about:plugins (please see the output):
http://www3.shrani.si/files/aboutplu789546.pdf

I have saved the output pdf file got from http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml site:
http://www3.shrani.si/files/javatest789547.pdf

Thanks,
Grofaty

krick · Post by **krick** » July 11th, 2007, 6:47 am

I'm having the same issue and I was wondering if you have come up with a solution.

I read somewhere that when dealing with applications that require 1.3.1 specifically, you need to install the newest JRE first, THEN install the 1.3.1 JRE.

For my situation, I was hoping to find a solution that involves a private local JRE just for Firefox that no other applications can see.

the-edmeister · Post by **the-edmeister** » July 11th, 2007, 7:57 am

See if this posting by Alice helps:
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... 82#2541182

.

grofaty · Post by **grofaty** » July 11th, 2007, 10:47 pm

krick,

1. JRE 1.5.0_06, 1.5.0_07, 1.5.0_08 and 1.5.0_09 have some kind of settings that does always run any legacy applet in the most resent JRE witch is 1.5, no mather if object or embed HTML tab specifies differently. This is stated by Sun, because of security reason.

2. So first of all uninstall any 1.5.0_06, 1.5.0_07, 1.5.0_08 and 1.5.0_09.

3. To run legacy applet you need to have specified object and embed HTML tags in your web page. Object tag uses Internet Explorer, embed tag uses Mozilla type browsers (Firefox, Netscapte etc). So tags beggins like this:
<object classid="clsid:CAFEEFAC-0013-0001-0009-ABCDEFFEDCBA"
<embed type="application/x-java-applet;version=1.3"

4. a) For Internet Explorer 6.0 or Internet Explorer 7.0 on Windows
Add new key to registry path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Deployment\Policy (use program regedit.exe)
If path does not exist create it!

Add new dword in above specified path:
DWORD: EnableSecureStaticVersioning = 0 (Hex)

4. b) Firefox 2.0
4. b) I. Uninstall all JRE from computer
4. b) II. Install JRE 1.3.1_09 into directory: C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.3.1_09

Bear in mind that JRE 1.3 by default installs into directory C:\Program Files\JavaSoft\jre\1.3.1_09. So at install path rename JavaSoft to Java, delete directory jre and rename 1.3.1_09 to jre1.3.1_09.

4. b) III. Install 1.5.0_10 into default directory that is C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_10

If you need any more detailed info, this is not Firefox problem or Internet Explorer problem. So the best forum to find out the JRE problems is Sun Java forum: http://forum.java.sun.com/forum.jspa?forumID=32
there you can search for 1.5.0_06 and you will get a lot of threads...

Hope this helps,
Grofaty

krick · Post by **krick** » July 12th, 2007, 9:13 am

The problem that I have doesn't have anything to do with legacy applets. I have a legacy application (not applet) on a development machine that requires JRE 1.3.1.

I'm not allowed to install Java the traditional way because it becomes the default JRE for the whole machine.

I would like to have applet support in Firefox however. I was hoping there was some way to use a private local copy of Java within Firefox, possibly within the plugins directory, so that no other application on the machine would see or know about it.

I've used plenty of Java applications in the past that came bundled with their own local copy of the specific JRE that they required, I was hoping that Firefox was able to work the same way with regards to Java applet support.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » July 12th, 2007, 10:54 am

Have you thought of using virtual pc? Will that work for you?