FAQ:    Why doesn't the Java Runtime (JRE) operate correctly on my computer?

Problem:  you're having trouble getting the Grader Client software to run; in particular, if you're getting a message like "Bad command or file name", or the black DOS window just flashes up and then goes away:

• First of all, verify that the java runtime is installed; using Windows Explorer:
• Find the directory where you installed it; for illustration, let's say that was C:\Program Files\jre1.1.7B
• Look in the directory C:\Program Files\jre1.1.7B\bin
• There should be a file there called jre.exe
• If not, reinstall the JRE.

• If it's there, you have a path problem.
• Open up a DOS window and type the command path and press the Enter key.
• The directory C:\Program Files\jre1.1.7B\bin should appear in the path string -- if it doesn't, you need to add it.
• How you do that depends on whether you're running Win95/98 or WinNT.

• For Win95/98:
• use Explorer to look in the root directory on your C drive.
• There should be a file named autoexec.bat
• Open that file in an editor (Notepad will do) and find the line that starts with "path=".
• Go to the end of that line and add ;"C:\Program Files\jre1.1.7B\bin" including the semicolon and the quotation marks.
            (Be sure to use the appropriate java bin path on your machine, if it's different from this example.)
• If the autoexec.bat file doesn't contain a line that starts with "path=", then add the line
                    path="C:\Program Files\jre1.1.7B\bin"
          to the file.
• Reboot your computer and it should work.
• For WinNT:
• Go to the Start menu, to Settings, and start Control Panel.
• Open the System tool and click on the Environment tab.
• In the top window, scroll if necessary, and find the line starting with Path.
• Click on that line and the path string will be displayed in the text box line labeled "value" near the bottom.
• Edit that line to add C:\Program Files\jre1.1.7B\bin (or whatever is the appropriate java bin path on your machine). It's not necessary to use double quotes with NT.  Click on the Apply button and close the System tool and Control Panel. It should now work.
• Note:  in both cases, the path entries are separated by semicolons (;) so be sure to add semicolons as appropriate.