I wrote earlier about a problem installing Java update and didn't get any answers; however, I now am pretty sure this is a problem with the Windows Installer Service. I have Googled and been on the Microsoft site and read and read for several hours now and I really can't find much of anything. I wrote to Microsoft and they answered me with a bunch of links, most of which I'd already been to and which did me no good. From my Googling I surmise that this is quite a widespread problem. Is there anyone in this forum who knows of anything that can be done about this problem?

Thanks,
Sophy

well if the issue was with the installer service itself you should not be able to install anything else. Can you install something else and see what happens, also if you could, please download Proccess Monitor from the technet website and capture a trace while you install the java patch. that will give us somplace to start!

Since I first wrote this I've changed my mind about it being a problem with Windows Installer. I have downloaded that Process Monitor and will run it and get back to you.

In the meantime, perhaps the following will help. When I try to download the Java update I get the following error message:

Error 1101.Error reading from file:http://javadl-esd.sun.com/update/1.6.0/sp-1.6.0_07/sp1033.MST. Verify that the file exists and that you can access it.

I typed the above http address from the error message into my browser; it allowed me to save a file to my desktop and I opened with Notepad. It was mostly gibberish, but there were some clear messages in it as follows:

TLOSS error
SING error
DOMAIN error
R6029
- This application cannot run using the active version of the Microsoft .NET Runtime
Please contact the application's support team for more information.
R6028
- unable to initialize heap
R6027
- not enough space for lowio initialization
R6026
- not enough space for stdio initialization
R6025
- pure virtual function call
R6024
- not enough space for _onexit/atexit table
R6019
- unable to open console device
R6018
- unexpected heap error
R6017
- unexpected multithread lock error
R6016
- not enough space for thread data

This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way.
Please contact the application's support team for more information.
R6009
- not enough space for environment
R6008
- not enough space for arguments
R6002
- floating point not loaded
Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library

Runtime Error!

Program: ... <program name unknown> Program: A buffer overrun has been detected which has corrupted the program's
internal state. The program cannot safely continue execution and must
now be terminated.
Buffer overrun detected! A security error of unknown cause has been detected which has
corrupted the program's internal state. The program cannot safely
continue execution and must now be terminated.
Unknown security failure detected!

I'm sorry but I'll need more help. I have the Process Monitor running. I think you want me to try and install the Java update while this is running, but I don't understand what you mean by "capture a trace." What exactly do I need to do? I tried to go into the help files for Process Monitor but nothing shows up when I click on a topic. Over on the right where the info should be it says "Navigation to the web page was cancelled." Or "The address is not valid."

I finally got an answer through the Sun forum. I am pasting the exact answer as follows:

Go to this page http://java.sun.com/ and click the Java SE download link at the right. Select either the JDK or the JRE download (if you want to creat and compile Java programs you want the JDK, otherwise the JRE.) Save the download to your disk. Click the downloaded file to install Java.

I saved the download to C/Users/Cindy -- rather than to my desktop. I exited BitDefender, went into the Users/Cindy file -- clicked to install and it installed like a dream.

I want to express thanks for all the help, and now hopefully this process that worked for me will work for others who are having trouble.

Sophy

Strange. Some people are also having that issue with XP, so it's not a Vista thing. Seemingly it's a problem with Sun's installer.

To quote technet ArticleID/KB 280670:

and

Clearly, it's trying to download a transform (that's what the .MST file is) from their web server in certain cases, and Windows Installer doesn't support that, so it shouldn't do it, ever (why try to make it do something that won't work?) It must be a glitch/bug in their MSI installer's code/conditions.

I might have a look sometime (I don't have any apps that require Sun's Java though, so I don't normally install it). Hopefully I'll manage to reproduce the problem, then log the msi installer (verbose), and also trace it with process monitor.

Edit: it installs just fine right from my desktop. Can't reproduce the problem. Oh well.

This post has been edited by crahak: Jul 11 2008, 09:31 PM

well, I'm running XP pro SP3 and I can't install the update either. So it is not a vista thing.
on the other hand, I had no problem installing Java the first time but I guess that has todo with the fact I downloaded first and installed later.

I don't understand what a transform is. more important, does anyone know a solution?