Why wont the Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) start

Question

I have ZAP installed on a build server (Windows 2008 R2) and on my Windows 7 desktop, and Zap only occasionally starts. I click on the program and my cursor shows it is waiting for a second or 2 and then nothing. Attempting to run from the command line will also not show any signs of running. Then just out of the blue the program may launch. Is it possible it just takes forever to start. I left my computer running and the next day when I came to work there was the UI. I get the same results if I try to run the program in the headless state. with the -daemon flag. it never starts, it never shows up in the task manager, as an application or a process

thanks Noel

Answer 1

Turns out there were 2 issues. The first was that the tool was taking 4-5 minutes to start (I timed it several times at around 4m 30s). I did not have the patience to wait, so I would try to start it again. Attempting to start the application when one had started, but no UI was showing invariable caused the application to hang. Secondly if you start it as a headless application there is no way to stop it. So if you have it headless and then try to start the application it will cause it to hang. THe easiest way to tell if it is running is to follow the log information being written out as suggested by Psiion above in his link. To kill the process, look in the task manager for the java process and kill it.

Answer 2

Just in case anyone stumbles across this post, my problem was I didn't have Java installed. I had removed it a few months ago due to security considerations.

You can stop your browsesr using Java easily by using the Java control panel http://www.java.com/en/download/help/disable_browser.xml

Answer 3

I was facing a similar issue, the ZAP tool was working fine on my local machine but was displaying erratic behavior on the Virtual Machine. I tried all the previously mentioned suggestions but none of them could mitigate the issue. Upon checking the log files i found out that the HSQLDB files were being locked even after closing the tool or even if the tool did not start. I eventually figured out that the difference between the 2 environments was just the operating system. My local had Windows 10 pro while the VM had Windows 10 enterprise. So in case if any one else is facing similar, kindly check the operating system.