Can't run java programs??

I downloaded java version 6 update 5 and then tried to compile my code but it spits back 'javac' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. Any ideas?

Make sure that the bin directory in included in your PATH. Under Windows, right-click My Computer, Properties -> Advanced -> Environment Variables (not sure about English menu names). At the bottom, look for PATH, and add the sdk bin directory to it and click OK. Open a new command prompt and try again.

One slight improvement on that.

Create a new environment variable called JAVA_HOME and set it to the path to your JDK, without the bin folder (e.g. C:\jdk1.6.0_05 or C:\Program Files\jdk1.6.0_05). The change the PATH variable as Christophe said, but instead of adding the JDK bin folder, add it as follows: "%JAVA_HOME%\bin" (include the quotes).

That way, not only is your environment set up for a possible future installation of other tools such as Apache Ant, but it also allows you to change the much shorter value of JAVA_HOME instead of the long PATH when you upgrade to another version. Remember, PATH includes many paths, and the JDK could be somewhere in the middle.

Thanks Rob for the addon. I'm also using the %JAVA_HOME% variable to set the PATH, as I have several versions installed on my machine.