Could not create java virtual machine

My PC operating system is Windows Vista and I encountered a strange error message recently. I was browsing a website that runs on java and got this strange error message window. It said “could not create java virtual machine”. I  have installed the latest java (Java Version 6 Update 18) and my windows is up to date.

I googled a lot in an effort to find a fix for this issue.  Looked like many of them had the same issue and there were many solutions posted. I tried all of those solutions but in vain. Then I accidently found a way to fix this java error issue.

The miracle fix (Windows Vista/XP):

1) Press “Windows” and “Pause/Break” keys together. This will bring up the “System Properties” windows

Image by java_devices via Flickr

 

2) Go to “Advanced” tab and click the “Environment Variables” button.

3) In the “Systme variables” section, look for variable names “JAVA_HOME” and “JAVA_OPTIONS”. Clear the variable values for both of them. Click ok to this window and then to the main system properties window.

That should hopefully fix the “Could not create java virtual machine” issue.