Installing the BDK on Windows Platform

After downloading the Windows version of the BDK, locate the file JavaBeans Architecture: DBDK Download on your hard drive.
(The end portion of the filename refers to the date that this version of the BDK was updated.
Depending on the update status of the BDK, the file you downloaded may have a slightly different name.)
To install the BDK from this self-executing file, double click the file icon in the Windows Explorer. This will start the InstallShield Wizard program.
The InstallShield Wizard will guide you step by step through the installation process.
However the BDK is "pure Java" and should run on any JDK 1.1 enabled system.
The BDK includes a file named README.jsp that is located in the main Bdk directory. Be sure to read this file to find out additional information regarding the version of the BDK you have installed.

JavaTM Development Kit

Version JDK 1.5: Installation Instructions for Microsoft Windows
The installation and configuration process can be broken down into the following steps:

Run the JDK installer, if necessary
Update PATH and CLASSPATH variables
Running the JDK tools

If you experience trouble along the way, check the Troubleshooting the Installation section at the end of this document.

Run the JDK installer, if necessary.
To run the JDK installer, double-click on the icon of the downloaded file. Follow the instructions the installer provides.
When done with the installation, you can delete the download file to recover disk space.
Depending on the version of the JDK installed, a directory Tree will be generated. The docs directory and its contents will be installed when you download and unpack the JDK documentation.
Included in the unpacked files is a file lib/classes.zip. DO NOT UNZIP THE CLASSES.ZIP FILE. This file contains all of the core class binaries, and must remain in its zipped form for the JDK to use it.

Update PATH and CLASSPATH variables
It is possible for you to run the JDK without modifying any system environment variables (such as PATH or CLASSPATH) or modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT.
However, you should test that CLASSPATH is not set, and most developers set PATH as a convenience.
If you are using Windows, it is preferable to make the following environment variable changes in the Control Panel instead of in autoexec.bat.
Start the Control Panel, select System, then edit the environment variables.
PATH - Set the PATH variable if you want to be able to run the executables (javac.exe, java.exe, javadoc.exe, etc.) from any directory.
If you do not set the path variable, you need to specify the path to the executable when running it. The path variable is merely a convenience to the developer and not necessary to set.
1. To find out the current value of your PATH, at the DOS prompt type:
  C:> path
2. To change the PATH permanently, open the AUTOEXEC.BAT file and make the change to the PATH statement. To edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file in Windows
1. Start a text editor by choosing "Start", "Programs", "Accessories", and choosing WordPad or NotePad.
2. Choose Open from the File menu and type "c:\autoexec.bat" for the filename This will open the file for editing.
3. Look for the PATH statement. Notice that the PATH statement is a series of directories separated by semi-colons (;). Windows looks for programs in the PATH directories in order, from left to right. Look for other JDK versions in the PATH.
There should only be one path to a classes.zip file. When in doubt, put the java directory at the end of the path statement. For example, in the following PATH statement, we have added the java directory at the end:
```
PATH C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\;C:\DOS;C:\JDK1.1.4\BIN 
```
Running the JDK tools
Your computer system should now be configured and ready to use the Java Development Kit. You start a tool by typing its name into the DOS window with a filename as an argument. None of the Java tools are Windows programs with GUI interfaces, they are all run from the DOS command line. You can't run a JDK tool by double-clicking its icon.