Java problems with Firefox

I've been running Firefox 1.0.4 since it came out, without any problems.
Recently I started having problems with Java not working.
Sometimes an Applet will appear to start but nothing happpens ... it might open a window but instead of the application starting up all I get is a blank screen.
Other times when I click a link nothing at all happens.

I've played around with the settings - Enable Java and Enable JavaScript ... turning them off, restarting the browser and then turning them back on again.
Sometime this works ... sometimes it doesn't.
If I can get it started again, it might work for awhile and then it suddely stops.
It's completely random and doesn't seem to be specific to any one site.

No big deal here ... I downloaded Netscape 8.0.1 and actually like it better than Firefox now.
But I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem.

thanks

 

Sir Gerald,
you gave a detailed description, but omitted some important information,
like Java version. Do you have any Applet which you could share with us, to test? I have this beautiful inspirational page , which has two interesting features. The part at the beginning, with turning pages, is an applet, while at least two other items are Flash controlled. I have some browsers depositing the Java cup, and FF1.0.4 does, but with all browsers I tried, the Java part works.
I got into this because of its strange behavior with the Flash part. It worked fine with any gecko browser, Netscape, Mozilla or Firefox, but IE gives me broken links. With Firefox, it started nicely, and the applet works, but the flash part will do nothing, after working 2/3 of the way. May be it is a busy time, but all was well in Mozilla1.7.8 and Netscape 8.0.1 earlier today.
Of course it started up again, by itself. It will take a lot of time with dial-up.

 

Now isn't this quite interesting.

That site had no Audio with NS 8. Needed Quicktime. Which actuall already exist but not according to NS.

NS 8 does not exist at the moment because YO-YO here messed up.

IE would SOMETIMES work and other times only maybe half.

Firefox 1.04 works JUST FINE right from the original install.

In fact as of right now Firefox is doing the better job for me.

Check out what is running in the background. Over time I have found that sites like that DO NOT like too much stuff running in the background.

I was also having audio problems with the site untill I found that I had TWO DIFFERENT audio players running. WMP and And NeroShowtime. Nero left the scene and no problems since. ( well at least not yet )

BillyBob

PS.
I also found that if I had two browsers open that site would not behave. Somebody must have been arguing about who was gonna do what.

BB

 

Westside ... I'm not sure what vesion of Java comes with Firefox 1.0.4.
But whatever it is, I've made no changes.

As far as examples ... the worst problem is with a streaming stock quotes program on the ETrade website. The Java window opens but the program doesn't start. I also have problems with any of the Yahoo games that are Java driven.

It's working fine this morning ... the link you've provided comes up ok.

I think BB might be onto sommething ... "too much stuff running in the background."

thanks

 

Not only too much stuff running at the same time but the ORDER in which things were run And is VERY time consumming to find out.

As to time; I have plenty of it. I am retired and have time to EXPERIMENT with various combinations.

A miss-behaving prevously run program can TOTALLY mess up a free lunch.
Or something run previous may use a different version of something. ( such as Java for instance ) and then not clean up properly when shut down.

BillyBob

 

Latest update ... I can't get it to work at all now.

I rebooted Windows and started up only Firefox, then tried to bring up the stock quotes page I referred to earlier and what I get is just a blank page.
I went to the Java site to see if there was a newer version and the site tells me I've got the latest version. (can't remember what it is, but I'm sure it's the latest)

I tried some of the Yahoo games that I know are Java driven and ... same thing.
The window opens but the game doesn't start.

I'm having to use Netscape for all my Java apps.

Has anybody else seen this problem ?

~

 

It is hard to tell not knowing what we have. I just want to add that Java and javascript two entirely different things. As for Java, I had mentioned somewhere that our friend Billy Bob, I believe, gave a great link , which requires Java to show the beautiful photos, and Flash for the rest, including the music. Both work fine. When the page comes up, and it takes no time with cable, I can see the tell-tale coffee cup, and then it take a while for Flash to do anything. If you had a working system before, it should be working now. I have a Java plugin file, NPJPI150_03.dll, in the Firefox plugins folder, and it matches the version which is listed in the Add/Remove.
At this point if I was given a choice between browsers, IE6 would come at the vey buttom, since it does not work with Flash.
I don't know what you did, since your first e-mail showed that you did a number of things, not necessarily useful. I would expect that Java is needed for what you want to do, but if it is a site which is easy to use, i.e. no signon, I would be happy to see how it works for me.

 

Westside ... check out this link Browser test page

It's a good site to use when troubleshooting annoying browser problems.
You'll notice about the 5th paragraph down ... the Java test.
If your Java is working correctly it should say something like -

Your browsers Java version is: 1.3 || Java enabled: Yes!

- which is what I'm currently getting.
So I'm gonna assume that what it's telling me is what I've already verified myself - Java is properly installed and enabled.

BB's link works fine.
When I click it I get the photos and the music.

But ... and here's where it gets really annoying ... several other Java driven sites don't work for me.

Here's a link you can check out that currently doesn't work for me http://games.yahoo.com/games/downloads/cb.html

It is a functioning link ... I can get it to work with Netscape and IE.
The problem is specific to Firefox.

~

 

Sir Gerald:
For whatever it's worth, the java at your yahoo games site works fine with FF 1.0.4 for me.
When I clicked on the browser test page you suggested, though, "interestingly" (or mysteriously) enough, it tells me that my Browser is Netscape, with the Version being Mozilla 5.0 -- I've never installed either Netscape or Mozilla on this computer. Does FF register as Netscape/Mozilla somehow?
At that same browser test page, under plug-ins, there's a series of
"Java(TM) 2 Platform Standard Edition 5.0 Update 2" entries - seven of them, to be exact.

http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml tells me that my version of Java is 1.5.0_02
Here's another java test site: http://www.fitwise.com/testjava.asp (it has a "general problem solving" section)
Hope you'll post back and let us know if/what you end up doing that fixes your problem!

 

Java seems to always say it's the latest version. However, they are up to revision 3, so you can try downloading the offline installer from Sun. Uninstall the one you've got, reboot, and install the 1.5.0.03 one.

I help it out a little by following the advice of a poster here. I don't remember where the post is, but he stated he didn't believe the Java plugin files were always properly activated on Firefox/Netscape.

If you go to the Java folder in Program Files, you'll see a bunch of files that start with NP. Copy all the np files to the Plugins folder of Firefox/Netscape. I did that and don't have any Java problems.

If you put aboutlugins into your navigation window and go there, you'll see all the plugins active. All those NP files are listed for Java in mine.

I think older Sun Java versions found the mozilla varient (Mozilla, Firefox, Netscape) browser's plugin folder better, because I didn't need to copy the plugin's myself for them to appear in the plugins folder. Now, if I don't copy them myself they're not there.

Edit: I don't know why the colon is a smiley face, but it's about "colon "plugins, not about "smiley face "plugins!

 

It is incredibly confusing to get the correct version and link. Until proven otherwise 1.5 update3 is the latest version. I checked Rebecca's links, and it have the Duke trying to fake me out. But the link to the downloads yields update 2, but I got this for update 3 . However, I am using Deer Park alpha1, which is a test nightly for the future firefox1.1, and the coffee cup is showing up, and I don't have any .dll file in the plugin folder.
So, who knows what's going on, but a v.5 is recommended. I selected the JRE download file.

 

Yeah, their site is attrocious. And I know the automatic version checking is faulty. Whatever you've got is the latest verson, according to that thing. But, yes, 1.5.0.03 is currently the latest. (That's Update 3.)

What I added was that sometimes you've also got to put the files into the Plugins folder yourself, even after installing the thing.

Makes you wonder about how well the actual product works, with their choices in website design and installation problems they've got.

Macromedia isn't any better. They've never provided an automatic fix for needing "Load Library CWD" added as a compatibility fix with Microsoft's Compatibility Administrator Toolkit for Shockwave to work on Mozilla type browsers (unless you don't use Windows XP). I run that thing and create the fix the first thing after installing Firefox/Netscape/Mozilla. I'm sure most folks don't do that, or even have the Toolkit (it doesn't come with XP, just an older version on the cd). They just don't get Shockwave on their non-Internet Explorer browsers. (Or, I'm just one of the few that that happens to on ANY computer I install a Mozilla type browser on. I'm just special that way.)

 

rebecca - re: the site I sent you to ... yes, I have FF 1.0.4 I get the same thing as you did. That must be how it registers FF.
Since my Java version appears to be an old one - 1.3, it looks like I need to update it.

~

 

interesting ... both of the sites you gave links to tell me my Java version is 1.4.2_07

Looks like the site I was using is not as helpful as I thought.
Anyway ... I'm gonna remove what I've got and install the newest version.

 

I agree ... it is confusing.
I stumbled across the site you mentioned here yesterday, and downloaded JRE 5.0 Update 3 - which seems to be plain old Java for end-users with none of the development apps included.

I'm planning on removing my current version 5.0 update 2 - later today and installing the newest verson.

~

 

Eck - when I go into Control Panel | Add/Remove programs, it tells me I've got 5.0 update 2.
I'm planning on removing that and installing update 3.

Where do I go in Firefox to find out what plugins I've got ?

~

 

I am not suggesting that you try this, but they are working on v.6, i.e. 1.6 .
And, I concur with Eck about the near impossibility of getting any information. I did a search, and went through the websites till I got what I wanted. It should not not work that way.
One may try to take a look at the Release Notes, but I am getting nothing out of them.
Sir G. I noticed that you gave another reply, so I deleted any reference to previous replies. Anyway, I am an end-user, and the reference which I gave should be informative. However, I am not sure that it is necessary to update from an early Update.

 

I'm not sure I follow you here.
My current plan is to remove update 2 and install update 3.

Normally, I wouldn't worry about having the latest updates ... my philosophy is if it's working, don't mess with it.
But ... since I am having Java problems I think an update is in order.

~

 

I deleted my old version and installed 1.5.0.03
I'm still having the problem.

I think I figured out what my problem is.
The Java plugins are not in the Program files/Firefox folder.

I took a look at the Netscape folder and it has 7 Java plugins - the .dll files

aboutlugins shows all the Java .dll files are installed, but don't they need to be in the plugins folder to actually work ?

Any ideas ?

~

 

sir_gerald,

The plugin files shouldn't have to be in the plugins folder, but since you're having problems, I would suggest moving them there. If it doesn't help, you haven't lost anything, or done any harm. These are the files to copy to the plugins folder:

NPJava11.dll
NPJava12.dll
NPJava13.dll
NPJava14.dll
NPJava32.dll
NPJPI150_03.dll
NPOJI610.dll