Windows .exe Launcher Opens, but Won't Run Minecraft

[lonely_cube]

Random idea: Download the .jar of the launcher, right click it, and select "Open With:". Navigate to your Java 7 folder (mine's in C:\Program Files\Java\jre7\bin) and selected java.exe. See if the launcher runs when it's told which executable to latch onto.

When I tried that, a command prompt window opened, some text appeared in it, and then it closed before I could read what it was.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I don't know if this matters, but Java isn't in my Program Files folder. It's in "Program Files (x86)". I don't know if that matters, or what that directory is for, but I thought I might as well mention it.

Just to see if this is a java spesific problem, could you try to uninstall some other programs just to see if that work? Just see if you find any you don't want/need anyway
Suspecting that this might be a more serious problem with your windows installation, or possibly that the older javas were deleted manualy.

I tried that a while ago, and I can uninstall other things just fine. It is Java-specific.

Sorry I didn't get back to you quickly!

Did you try repairing Java and then uninstalling it?
I don't know of any other ways to get rid of Java that haven't already been provided.

That's fine! I've had other people helping me out. I'm actually really happy with the help I've been getting; thank you, all of you!
The option to repair Java doesn't appear in Programs and Features, so no, I haven't tried it. If there's another way to try to repair it, please let me know and I'll give it a shot.

EDIT 2: Okay, I've made some progress, I guess. I managed to uninstall Java 7, leaving me only with Java 6 Update 27 (64-bit). Programs and Features tells me that I have that one installed, but there is no Java folder, or anywhere else I can think of that the files would be, in Program Files or Program Files (x86). I guess that means there's some leftover registry data for Java 6 Update 27, enough to keep it the default version of Java (despite the fact that it isn't really there), but not enough for Revo Uninstaller to find it. I reinstalled Java 7, and it installed properly, but I still get the same errors.
The problem is also bigger than FTB now: I can't seem to open any programs that require Java. I think I might have to get support from Java themselves, even though they charge money for it. If anyone has any other ideas on how I could solve the problem, I'd be extremely grateful.

Actually, I had an idea, but it might be illegal. If I could find the actual files for Java 6 Update 27 and put them in my Programs folder, maybe Revo could find it and successfully remove the registry data. Is there a way to legally obtain the files for older versions of Java? I can't seem to find them anywhere on the Java site itself, so I'm a bit doubtful.

 

[Punny Bunny]

It's doubtful the files exist in loose file format, and it's even less likely that an uninstaller (Windows or Revo) could work from them.

New tactic: Install the latest version of 64-bit Java 7 here. After that's installed, use the following directions to attempt to set up a new default Java (instead of the broken 32-bit one). Won't fix registry, but hopefully it can bypass it. =)

Change your PATH variable so that it has the location of the jdk5/bin directory:

1. Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Advanced
2. Click on Environment Variables, under System Variables, find PATH, and click on it.
3. In the Edit windows, modify PATH by adding the location of your jdk5/bin directory to the beginning. If you do not have the item PATH, you may select to add a new variable and add PATH as the name and the location of the directory as the value.
4. Close the window.
5. Reopen Command prompt window, and run java -version

 

[lonely_cube]

Fair enough. I did what you said, and although Command Prompt says I have Java 1.7.0_09, I still get the same error when I try to run FTB. All programs that aren't Minecraft-related seem to be working fine now, but the .exe FTB Launcher and the regular Minecraft Launcher are both giving me this error: "The registry refers to a nonexistent Java Runtime Environment installation or the runtime is corrupted. The system cannot find the path specified." The .jar FTB Launcher still just opens Command Prompt very briefly and then closes.

At least it's only a Minecraft problem now, instead of a computer-wide problem. Thanks for the help!