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InstallationXP | How to install Java on Windows XP |
Bad news: Windows does not ship with Java, so the first thing to do is install the J2SE (Java 2 Software Environment).
Download the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 1.4 from here. If you are only interested in running mxj objects that other people have developed, you need only download the JRE (Java Runtime Environment), but if you're interested in developing your own Java externals you'll also need to download the SDK (Software Development Kit).
At the time of writing this document the most current version of the J2SE is 1.4.2_03. The downloads are offered in two ways: the "online installation" allows you to download a smaller file, but requires that you be connected to the internet during installation, whereas the "offline installation" selection results in the downloading of a significantly bigger file that contains everything you need. Both methods should give the same result.
After a normal installation all Java-related files and programs are kept in subfolders of Program Files/Java organized by version number. To confirm the installation, start a command prompt and type java -version. You should see something like the below:
java version "1.4.2_03"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_04-b05)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2_04-b05, mixed mode)