Error occurred during initialization of VM (java/lang/NoClassDefFoundError: java/lang/Object)

Question

I'm trying to install Java to use Eclipse (I followed all instructions to install Java and Eclipse) but my Eclipse is not starting due to some bad configuration I guess. I can't figure out why it's not working for me.

Eclipse Installation:

1. Extracted Eclipse at C:\eclipse
2. Created a shortcut to my desktop having target C:\eclipse\eclipse.exe

When I try to run Eclipse with this shortcut, I see following Eclipse splash screen for a second and it disappears. Eclipse does not start at all.

JAVA Installation:

1. Installed JDK at C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_10
2. Installed JRE at C:\Program Files\Java\jre7

Environment Variables Configuration:

JAVA_HOME = C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_10 PATH = C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_10\bin; 

I tested my Java installation using the console and figured out this issue but I don't know how to fix it, and I guess this is causing Eclipse not to start.

Problem:

Answer 1

Go to Eclipse folder, locate eclipse.ini file, add following entry (before -vmargs if present):

-vm C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_10\bin\javaw.exe 

Save file and execute eclipse.exe.