"Could Not Find a Valid Java Virtual Machine to Load" Error During Install

When installing Applicare you may get the following error in the beginning of the install:

LaunchAnywhere Error:

Could not find a valid Java virtual machine to load
You may need to reinstall a supported Java virtual machine

This error arises when the Applicare installer can't find a supported JVM in which to run. The path to Java must be on the system PATH for the installer to be able to find and use it. Alternatively, you can pass the location of the Java VM to the installer with the LAX_VM argument.

• On Windows systems append the PATH to the JRE bin subdirectory and rerun the installer.

or

AP7xx.exe LAX_VM "C:\Program Files\java-whatever\jre\bin\java.exe"

Because there is a space in the Program Files directory name, you are required to add quotes around the file name.

• On UNIX and Linux systems include the path to the JRE bin directory on the PATH in the shell from which you are running the installer and export the PATH environmental variable before rerunning the installer from the same shell.

or

AP7xx.bin LAX_VM /opt/ibm-Java-whatever/java/bin/java

Even if you can invoke Java from a command line successfully it doesn't guarantee the path to the JRE bin directory is on the PATH.