I installed the Java J2RE 1.4.0 yesterday, and when I tried to install Limewire today it says I need 1.3.x, I didn't want to download this and install another JRE that seems unnecessary.

Shouldn't the installer check to see if you have the required version or a newer version?

I second this. Really wanted to install Limewire, but it tries to force install JRE 1.3.1_2 on me. I cancel that install, and Limewire installs - but deletes its own executable.

WTF?

- Gurm

I'm encountering the same issue. There is always the possibility of incompatibilities between JDK's, but if there really is a problem, the error message should be more specific. Saying that you have to regress to an older version without any real explanation as to why is not a good solution.

I may have found a workaround for this on Windows machines. It involves changing the registry, so this isn't for the faint of heart. I do not make any guarantees about this. I must also note that changing the registry can have very serious side effects if something is done incorrectly. If something does go wrong and your computer becomes unstable, I can't help you.

I'm running Windows 2000 Pro, so the key may be different for Win9x and WinXP.

In the registry editor, find the following key:

My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Runtime Environment

In it, there are two sub-keys: 1.4 and 1.4.0. All I did was create a third subkey called 1.3.1 with the exact same String Values found in the 1.4 (and 1.4.0) key.

I found that I had to logout of the system and then log back in before the new key took effect. Once I did this, I launched the LimeWire installer, and everything appears to be working without a hitch.

As I mentioned in the previous post, there are incompatibilities between different JDK's (and JRE's). So, this may have some weird issues that I haven't encountered yet.

Also, I CAN ALMOST GUARANTEE THAT THE LIMEWIRE DEVELOPERS WILL NOT SUPPORT THIS CONFIGURATION. DON'T GO RUNNING TO THEM IF THIS DOESN'T WORK FOR YOU. THEY MAY HUNT ME DOWN AND SMACK ME.

It looks like Limewire has fixed the problem with installing related to using Java version 1.4.0. There is a link off of the Limewire Pro download page for windows users that have trouble installing. I tried that install file and it only told me I should download java 1.3.1 and gave me the page to do so but did not try to install it itself. It went on to finish installing Limewire and runs perfect, no problems whoohooooo! There is likely a link for this off the basic Limewire download page too I would think though I have not checked.