You are trying to run 32-bit Java from a 64-bit Command Prompt without the full path. Fix: Do not rely on PATH. Use the full path: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre1.8.0_XXX\bin\java.exe" -version
A 32-bit process can only address a maximum of 4GB of RAM. In the Java world, the practical limit is actually much lower—usually around 1.5GB to 2GB of heap space.
: Check if you truly need the 32-bit version. 32-bit Java is restricted to a maximum of 4GB of RAM (often less in practice), which can cause performance issues in memory-heavy apps like Minecraft modpacks .
Finally: ding . The installer. She right-clicked, . The old wizard appeared—Windows XP-era gradients, serif fonts, a “Next” button that had seen better decades. She clicked through: Install for all users , default features , C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre1.8.0_202 .
Open a Command Prompt and run:
The error log pointed to one thing: Unsupported major.minor version 52.0 . The 64-bit JRE she’d installed last week was too modern, too wide, too… much.