How to run Eclipse?

When you unzip the Eclipse SDK, it creates a base install directory called eclipse. The directory layout looks something like this: eclipse/

1. features/ ''the directory containing Eclipse features''
2. plugins/ ''the directory containing Eclipse plugins''
3. eclipse.exe ''platform executable''
4. cpl-v10.html ''the CPL license''
5. install.ini
6. jre/ ''the JRE to run Eclipse with'' (This may not be present)
7. notice.html
8. readme
9. startup.jar ''classes needed to start the platform''

If available under the eclipse/jre directory, the Eclipse JRE will be used; otherwise the launcher will consult the JAVA_HOME system path variable. To explicitly specify a JVM of your choice, you can use the -vm command line argument: eclipse -vm c:/jre/bin/javaw.exe Another option is to put startup configuration into an eclipse.ini file. The Eclipse program launcher will read arguments from either the command-line or the configuration file named eclipse.ini. To specify a JVM using configuration file, create a text file named eclipse.ini in the same folder as eclipse.exe with these contents: -vm c:/jre/bin/javaw.exe You should always use -vm so you can be sure of what VM you are using. Installers for other applications sometimes modify the JAVA_HOME variable, thus changing the VM used to launch Eclipse without your knowing about it.