I'm having problems trying to give read FilePermission to an applet under jre version 1.4.2_08 on a Win98 system. I had previously been using jre version 1.3.1 and had no problems using the applet to read files. I had setup the .java.policy file using policytool. When I installed jre 1.4.2_08 the applet no longer works. It gets access denied FilePermission ... read errors:

java.security.AccessControlException: access denied (java.io.FilePermission E:\Miscellaneous\SailJazz read)
at java.security.AccessControlContext.checkPermission(Unknown Source)
at java.security.AccessController.checkPermission(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.SecurityManager.checkPermission(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.SecurityManager.checkRead(Unknown Source)
at java.io.File.exists(Unknown Source)
at NormsDev.SearchFiles.SearchFiles.searchForMatches(SearchFiles.java)
at NormsDev.SearchFiles.SearchFiles.doSearch(SearchFiles.java)
at SearchApplet$1.run(SearchApplet.java)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)


For testing I have two browsers: NS 7.02 and IE 6.0. I have left NS using jre 1.3.1 plugin for its applets. It continues to work fine. When I configure IE to use jre 1.3.1 it works. When I change IE to use 1.4.2 it gets the access denied. FilePermission ... read error.

The CodeBase is set to a folder above where the jar file resides: file:/E:/Miscellaneous/-
I have several jar files within subfolders that use that same CodeBase hence the ending -
The target is set to the folder above the subfolders that the applet is to read: E:/Miscellaneous/SailJazz
I have other targets with an ending / that also don't work.

Have there been changes to the policy file contents or usage between 1.3.1 and 1.4.2?

How does one find the problem? My prior experiences trouble shooting has been the shotgun approach: keep trying all possible combinations until it works. Surely there is a better way. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Norm