Its your PATH which isnt set properly.
Assuming your using windows.
1) Right-click on 'My Computer' and select properties.
2) A number of tabbed panes is now available. Select the 'Advanced' tab.
3) Select the 'Environmen Variables' button.
In there you will find a System Variable called CLASSPATH. This is the path
that windows
checks each time you call something from the command prompt. In that
CLASSPATH you must
set the absolute path to your java distribution.

EXAMPLE:
On my machine that looks like:
Variable            Value
CLASSPATH   .;X:\Java\jre1.5.0_07\lib\ext\QTJava.zip

Note the . (dot) and the ; (semi-colon) before the X which is the letter for
your given drive.
Also note that this is the JRE distrobution which is why it aims at a *.zip
file. If you have the
JDK package then direct the path to the BIN directory under JDK.

I think you've just downloaded the devkit for enterprise stuff -- which (a) is
/not/ a good place to start learning the language, and (b) does not (if I
remember correctly) inlcude the "normal" JDK which is where the compiler and so
on are.

You should look for the real JDK at:
   http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

There are versions with and without "netbeans" (a large IDE), and it seems
there's even one with the JEE stuff included (which I guess is not the thing
you've already downloaded or you wouldn't be having these problems).

   -- chris

Hello again.

Please refrain from multi-posting in future.

If you need to reach several groups, you can X-post by
(Separate multiple groups with commas), but that
is usually unnecessary.

You have found a good group for beginners, in c.l.j.help.

Andrew T.