AdHoc no longer launches on Windows 8

[mitchell_teixei]

Hello - I'm having trouble launching AdHoc (formerly Discover, of course) on my new Windows 8  laptop.  Does anyone have troubleshooting experience beyond what's in the KB posted?   

I was previously able to run AdHoc, now it won't run.  All latest Windows Updates are applied and a new Java has been installed since experiencing the difficulty launching.  My reliable Vista box right beside me still runs AdHoc just fine.    I have also tried launching AdHoc with Firewall and Antivirus disabled, neither has helped.  The JavaWS process starts along with the Java banner, then it all goes away. No error messages on screen and no logged errors.

Thank you for any info/ideas.  

[Nikhil_Bisne]

Hi Mitchell,

To confirm you're using the latest version of the .jnlp file right? Also please clarify if you were able to run Ad Hoc at all on your new laptop. I suspect It has something to do with the Java version installed. Here are the pre requisites mentioned.

Thanks

Nikhil

[mitchell_teixei]

Hi thanks for the info.  Yes, I was once able to run AdHoc a few times.  Unfortunately some time went by between the last time it ran and application of various Windows Updates.  It was then that I realized AdHoc was no longer launching and I began troubleshooting by checking Java, etc.  Even the most recent batch of Windows Updates didn't help.

At this point, I'll pull down another .jnlp file and try again.  What I'd like to know is if AdHoc has some settings or switches I can change in the .jnlp file to create a log to lead me to a resolution.

Thanks for any info!

[Gigazelle]

The first thing I'd try is clearing your java cache:

https://www.java.com/en/download/help/plugin_cache.xml

If that doesn't work, try doing a fresh uninstall/reinstall of Java with a new discover.jnlp file. If that still doesn't work, there's some deeper digging we can do.

[mitchell_teixei]

Thanks - I've done all of the above at least a couple times now.  At one point I even tried rolling back to the original JRE I loaded when the unit arrived.  No luck.

I've pulled a new .jnlp file, checked my path environment value and I've verified there's no old JREs installed.  Currently I have v8 update 40 verified using the Sun site.  I have cleared the cache and even tried running with cache disabled.  Clearing the cache was one of the first remedies I tried many days ago.

When I try to launch Discover.jnlp, the Java Sun splash screen pops and stays up several seconds, then goes away.  Usually within a few seconds I'd see the Discover splash screen/cert approval acceptance panel, but no, not at all.  

Any new ideas for troubleshooting are welcome.

[mitchell_teixei]

My next idea is to open a ticket with Customer Care - any other ideas?  

Thanks kindly for any info or ideas.

[mitchell_teixei · Accepted solution]

I'm replying to my own post, but I made a  breakthrough at last.  I just re-installed the 64-bit Java JRE and launched from the command prompt with console logging enabled.  To my amazement, I am now running AdHoc once again.  For some reason the 32-bit version was never launching, but as long as this 64-bit JRE works, I'm OK.

Still would love to hear of any debug switches or other info for debugging Ad Hoc/Discover launches on Windows.

Regards,

MitchellT

[Gigazelle]

Great info, Mitchell. I appreciate the update.

I've found that having 32-bit and 64-bit java installed simultaneously has a tendency to cause issues once every blue moon. Whenever Java gives me a popup saying a new version is available, I always go to the 'More Downloads' page and manually download the offline 64-bit version. I currently don't have the 32-bit version installed, and I've found it MUCH easier to track and troubleshoot any Java issues that arise.

(This goes for Ad Hoc on my work computer and Minecraft on my home computer).