17 Windows JRE Installer Options
This page describes options for installing, configuring, and creating a log file for the Windows Java Runtime Environment.
This page contains the following topics:
See «JDK 8 and JRE 8 Installation Start Here» for general information about installing JDK 8 and JRE 8.
Introduction
This page describes options for installation of the Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) on Windows 32-bit platform. It is intended for:
- System administrators deploying the JRE with Java Plug-in and Java Web Start technologies on multiple PCs in their Intranet without user interaction.
- Vendors having products requiring the JRE. The JRE can be silently (non-interactively from the command line) installed with their product.
JRE installers are built using Microsoft Window Installer (MSI) 2.0 technology. MSI contains built-in support for silent installations. This topic explains how to manually install the JRE using the .exe file that runs the MSI.
Command-Line Installation
This section describes the command-line options for the JRE Windows Offline Installer. Run the installer as follows:
jre [INSTALLCFG=configuration_file_path] [options]
- jre refers to the JRE Windows Offline Installer base file name (for example, jre-8u05-windows-i586.exe ).
- INSTALLCFG= configuration_file_path specifies the path of the installer configuration file. See «Installing With a Configuration File» for more information.
- options are options with specified values separated by spaces. Use the same options as listed in Table 20-1, «Configuration File Options». In addition, you may use the option /s for the JRE Windows Offline Installer to perform a silent installation.
Static Installation
If you perform a static installation of the JRE (by specifying the command-line or configuration file option STATIC=1 ), then the Java Auto Update feature will leave that JRE installed during a Java update. A later version of the same JRE family will be installed in a separate directory. This mode ensures that vendors, who require a specific version of the JRE for their product, can be certain that the JRE will not be overwritten by a newer version.
The default installation directory of a static JRE is C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre n (for 32-bit versions) or C:\Program Files\Java\jre n (for 64-bit versions), where n is the full Java SE release and update number (for example, n = 1.8.0_20 for release 8 update 20).
Creating a Log File
Use a log file to verify that an installation succeeded. To create a log file describing the installation, append /L C:\ path setup.log to the install command and scroll to the end of the log file to verify.
The following is an example of creating a log file:
jre-8-windows-i586.exe /s /L C:\pathsetup.log
This example causes the log to be written to the path setup.log file.
Java 8 Silent Install (How-To Guide)
The Java Runtime Environment, or JRE, is a software layer that runs on top of a computer’s operating system software and provides the class libraries and other resources that a specific Java program needs to run. The Java Development Kit, or JDK, is a set of tools for developing Java applications. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Java 8 from the command line using both EXE & MSI installers.
How to Install Java 8 Silently
Java SE Runtime Environment 8
- Sign in to your Oracle account (Create an account if you don’t have one)
- https://login.oracle.com/mysso/signon.jsp
- Download the Java JRE 8 (32-bit)Installer
- https://download.oracle.com/otn/java/jdk/8-b132/jre-8-windows-i586.exe
- Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command: jre-8-windows-i586.exe /s
- Press Enter
- Sign in to your Oracle account (Create an account if you don’t have one)
- https://login.oracle.com/mysso/signon.jsp
- Download the Java JRE 8 (64-bit)Installer
- https://download.oracle.com/otn/java/jdk/8-b132/jre-8-windows-x64.exe
- Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command: jre-8-windows-x64.exe /s
- Press Enter
After a few moments you will find Java entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
- Sign in to your Oracle account (Create an account if you don’t have one)
- https://login.oracle.com/mysso/signon.jsp
- Download the Java JDK 8 (32-bit)Installer
- https://download.oracle.com/otn/java/jdk/8-b132/jdk-8-windows-i586.exe
- Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command: jdk-8-windows-i586.exe /s
- Press Enter
- Sign in to your Oracle account (Create an account if you don’t have one)
- https://login.oracle.com/mysso/signon.jsp
- Download the Java JDK 8 (64-bit)Installer
- https://download.oracle.com/otn/java/jdk/8-b132/jdk-8-windows-x64.exe
- Download the file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command: jdk-8-windows-x64.exe /s
- Press Enter
- Sign in to your Oracle account (Create an account if you don’t have one)
- https://login.oracle.com/mysso/signon.jsp
- Download the Java JRE 8 (32-bit)Installer
- https://download.oracle.com/otn/java/jdk/8-b132/jre-8-windows-i586.exe
- Download the EXE file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Manually launch the jre-8-windows-i586.exe
- Once you see the Java Setup – Welcome window, Navigate to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\jre1.8.0
- Copy the jre1.8.0.msi to C:\Downloads
- Cancel & Close the “Java Setup – Welcome” window
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command: MsiExec.exe /i jre1.8.0.msi /qn
- Press Enter
- Sign in to your Oracle account (Create an account if you don’t have one)
- https://login.oracle.com/mysso/signon.jsp
- Download the Java JRE 8 (64-bit)Installer
- https://download.oracle.com/otn/java/jdk/8-b132/jre-8-windows-x64.exe
- Download the EXE file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Manually launch the jre-8-windows-x64.exe
- Once you see the Java Setup – Welcome window, Navigate to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\jre1.8.0_x64
- Copy the jre1.8.0.msi to C:\Downloads
- Cancel & Close the “Java Setup – Welcome” window
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command: MsiExec.exe /i jre1.8.0.msi /qn
- Press Enter
- Sign in to your Oracle account (Create an account if you don’t have one)
- https://login.oracle.com/mysso/signon.jsp
- Download the Java JDK 8 (32-bit)Installer
- https://download.oracle.com/otn/java/jdk/8-b132/jdk-8-windows-i586.exe
- Download the EXE file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Manually launch the jdk-8-windows-i586.exe
- On the Java SE Development Kit 8 – Setup window, Click Next
- Once you see the Java SE Development Kit 8 – Custom Setup window, Navigate to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\
- Copy the jdk1.8.0 folder to C:\Downloads
- Cancel & Close the “Java SE Development Kit 8 – Custom Setup”window
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads\jdk1.8.0 folder
- Enter the following command: MsiExec.exe /i jdk1.8.0.msi /qn
- Press Enter
- Sign in to your Oracle account (Create an account if you don’t have one)
- https://login.oracle.com/mysso/signon.jsp
- Download the Java JDK 8 (64-bit)Installer
- https://download.oracle.com/otn/java/jdk/8-b132/jdk-8-windows-x64.exe
- Download the EXE file to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Manually launch the jdk-8-windows-x64.exe
- On the Java SE Development Kit 8 (64-bit) – Setup window, Click Next
- Once you see the Java SE Development Kit 8 (64-bit) – Custom Setup window, Navigate to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\LocalLow\Sun\Java\
- Copy the jdk1.8.0_x64 folder to C:\Downloads
- Cancel & Close the “Java SE Development Kit 8 (64-bit) – Custom Setup” window
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads\jdk1.8.0_x64 folder
- Enter the following command: MsiExec.exe /i jdk1.8.0.msi /qn
- Press Enter
The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.
Additional Configurations
Create an Installation Log File
The Java installers offer the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following commands to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.