Java SE (Java Platform, Standard Edition)

Hello!

I installed J2SE 5.0 on my home (Win98) PC 4-5 weeks ago. I installed it on my D: drive partition with my other applications. My relatively small C: drive partition is reserved for Windows stuff, even though many applications still install files there in 'C:\Program Files' without any intervention from me -- Sun's JDKs do this, they put huge files in the 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\Java' folder.

Anyway, yesterday, my C: drive filled up (one of the other applications was dumping large temp files there without me knowing!) and in an effort to clean up, I removed some of the J2SE 5.0 files that I thought were temporary, left over from the installation. BAD MOVE!

Later, after all was cleaned up, my instinct was to uninstall J2SE 5.0 and reinstall. The uninstaller complained it could not continue because it could not find a particular DLL (it didn't say which one). Basically, I couldn't uninstall using this uninstaller anymore, so I set out to manually cleanup.

I've removed the J2SE 5.0 folder from my D: drive. I removed the 'C:\Program Files\Common Files\Java' folder and all its subfolders. I also found an installation folder in 'C:\WINDOWS\Local Settings\Application Data' and removed it.

Finally, I removed every entry referring to J2SE and JDK from the Windows Registry. I only had J2SE 5.0 installed and there is no reference to any version of a JDK or J2SE in the registry.

In theory, my PC is completely clean of a JDK (I'd even emptied the recycle bin and now I wished I hadn't!)

Then I ran the J2SE 5.0 install programme again -- and it eventually stops and says "You already have this version of the JDK installed."

WHAT? How can this be?, I ask!

Does anyone know of any other files and/or locations the JDK stores in? The installer must be finding a file to check to come up with its conclusion that I have J2SE 5.0 installed. As I said earlier, the Windows Registry has no references to it anymore.

Help! I can't install J2SE 5.0 again until I fix this!

Personally, I think this is a flaw in the installation program. It should allow one to install over anything that was left over from a previous install -- or a botched uninstall! :-(

Many thanks in advance for any help.

- Garry