Can't get local DB to spin up in Neo4j Desktop

[emigre459]

I'm trying to create a test Neo4j database via Neo4j Desktop. However, while I can create the db just fine, when I click on Start, I get the attached error message:

I'm using Neo4j Desktop 1.4.8 and the local databases I'm having trouble with are blank, freshly created, and I've attempted to create them using neo4j 4.2.1, 4.3.2, and 4.3.4 with the same (bad) result each time. Based on the content of neo4j.log, it seems like either I have a bad Java install or for some reason the database process is spinning up but it's not registering as having been started in Desktop. I removed all Java distributions I could find except the ones installed alongside Neo4j Desktop and reset my JAVA_HOME and PATH environment variables to point at JDK11 from the Desktop distribution. Opening up Terminal for the local database in question and running java -version results in:

openjdk version "11.0.8" 2020-07-14 LTS OpenJDK Runtime Environment Zulu11.41+23-CA (build 11.0.8+10-LTS) OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Zulu11.41+23-CA (build 11.0.8+10-LTS, mixed mode)

This seems fine to me. Does anyone have any ideas on what could be happening? I'll also note that I've uninstalled Neo4j Desktop, deleted all folders with "neo4j" in the title, restarted (to drop any lingering processes) and reinstalled Desktop and the problem remains. I was able to spin up local databases in Desktop a bunch in the recent past, but I didn't do it for the last month or two and now I can't get it to work anymore. Please help!

neo4j.log:

WARNING: Unable to determine Java Version

Neo4j is already running.

log.log (Desktop log):

[2021-09-23 16:44:49.915] [info] Retrieving status for DBMS[database-c9ed12b4-fe9d-4331-b612-2dfb62f3e078]
[2021-09-23 16:44:49.927] [info] Retrieved status for DBMS[database-c9ed12b4-fe9d-4331-b612-2dfb62f3e078]: false
[2021-09-23 16:44:49.957] [info] Checking ports
[2021-09-23 16:44:49.993] [info] Starting Neo4j
[2021-09-23 16:44:49.993] [info] Starting DBMS [database-c9ed12b4-fe9d-4331-b612-2dfb62f3e078] 'v4.3.2'
[2021-09-23 16:44:50.015] [info] Retrieved status for DBMS[database-c9ed12b4-fe9d-4331-b612-2dfb62f3e078]: true
[2021-09-23 16:44:50.020] [info] Check if neo4j is available on { host: '127.0.0.1', path: '/', port: 7687 }
[2021-09-23 16:44:50.020] [info] Check if neo4j is available on { host: '127.0.0.1', path: '/', port: 7474 }
[2021-09-23 16:44:52.049] [info] Neo4j @ 7474 is down. connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:7474
[2021-09-23 16:44:52.050] [info] Neo4j @ 7687 is down. connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:7687
[2021-09-23 16:44:53.058] [info] Retrieved status for DBMS[database-c9ed12b4-fe9d-4331-b612-2dfb62f3e078]: true
[2021-09-23 16:44:53.060] [info] Check if neo4j is available on { host: '127.0.0.1', path: '/', port: 7687 }
[2021-09-23 16:44:53.060] [info] Check if neo4j is available on { host: '127.0.0.1', path: '/', port: 7474 }
[2021-09-23 16:44:55.080] [info] Neo4j @ 7687 is down. connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:7687
[2021-09-23 16:44:55.081] [info] Neo4j @ 7474 is down. connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:7474
[2021-09-23 16:44:56.093] [info] Retrieved status for DBMS[database-c9ed12b4-fe9d-4331-b612-2dfb62f3e078]: false
[2021-09-23 16:45:02.958] [info] Online check request: https://dist.neo4j.org/neo4j-desktop/win/latest.yml
[2021-09-23 16:45:03.113] [info] Online check response: 200 version: 1.4.8
files
[2021-09-23 16:45:42.961] [info] Online check request: https://dist.neo4j.org/neo4j-desktop/win/latest.yml
[2021-09-23 16:45:43.069] [info] Online check response: 200 version: 1.4.8
files
[2021-09-23 16:46:22.971] [info] Online check request: https://dist.neo4j.org/neo4j-desktop/win/latest.yml
[2021-09-23 16:46:23.078] [info] Online check response: 200 version: 1.4.8
files

[carib]

emigre459:

ted, and I've attempted to create them using neo4j 4.2.1, 4.3.2, and 4.3.4 with the same (bad) result each time. Based on the content of neo4j.log, it seems like either I have a bad Java in

Before spinning up the new database, were you performing other queries on any other local databases? Could be a corruption issue. It's not optimal, but have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling Neo4j again?

[emigre459]

Hi Carib, no, I wasn't. And I've reinstalled multiple times, including a full wipe of all Neo4j folders after an uninstall and a subsequent restart to kill any lingering processes before reinstalling Desktop. No dice.

[carib]

Are you on a Windows machine? If so, do you have the latest version of PowerShell installed?

It just dawned on me that I came across a user with a similar issue, if you're on a windows machine:

Pure frustration when installing Neo4J desktop on Windows Desktop

This looks and sounds very familiar. I got this error too multiple times before, typically after updating Neo4j browser if my memory servers right. Yes, this was frustrating as hell. I'm on windows. I think the way I solved this was by uninstalling and reinstalling Neo4j in my PC (I backed up my database with the neo4j-admin tool). My experience learning Neo4j was quite frustrating as well and looking back I wished I had asked more questions on this forum. There was no need to suffer alone.

[emigre459]

I've seen others complain about this "you need to change ports" issue. I'm not seeing that error though.

[emigre459]

Sorry, I should have mentioned my Neo4j Desktop is installed on my Windows 10 machine. I did check my PowerShell version and it's 5.1 and whenever I spin up Desktop, neo4j.log says:

[2021-09-24 10:00:34.737] [info]  PowerShell compatibility check
[2021-09-24 10:00:37.969] [info]  PowerShell version: 5. Required version: 5.
[2021-09-24 10:00:39.733] [info]  PowerShell language mode: FullLanguage

[david_rosenblum]

I would think a conflicting version of java installed on your machine . From a command window, what do you get from

java -version

[emigre459]

I thought that was the issue too, especially since the log for this database is complaining about not being able to identify the Java version. But when I run the terminal by opening it up for that database via the three dot menu and run java -version, I get:

openjdk version "11.0.8" 2020-07-14 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Zulu11.41+23-CA (build 11.0.8+10-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Zulu11.41+23-CA (build 11.0.8+10-LTS, mixed mode)

which is the v11 openjdk distribution that came with Neo4j Desktop (I changed my JAVA_HOME and PATH variables specifically to point at that so there's be no issues and deleted all other versions of Java from my system, to no avail).

[apremgeorge]

I have the same problem, same local dbms worked yesterday, today not working, creating local dbms keep spinning

[luis_sales]

I have the same problem! I just installed Neo4j Desktop. I had installed before, so I uninstalled (because I was still having this issue), installed with admin rights, and still nothing!

[laviben]

same here.
neo4j 4.2.x working.
neo4j 4.3.x not working (log shows 'Neo4j is already running.')
hope neo4j staff will see this post.

[luis_sales]

Did absolutely no one solve this?

[emigre459]

Unfortunately, no, I haven't heard anything on this front and have not been able to figure out anything further on my end. I've had to just start spinning up Linux servers with Neo4j Community Edition on them to test stuff out at this point, assuming I don't already have a server up and running for work that can be used for testing. I'm sure using the Community Edition Docker image and spinning up localhost containers would work as well, but of course it's still sad to see that Desktop can't be utilized for local DBs on my end.

[yifei_ren99]

I met the same problem! I'm using it for school homework, and the professor said we can use
Neo4j AuraDB Enterprise SLA - Neo4j Graph Database Platform instead. Hope it can help someone.

[gabriel_toma]

Download the JDK version you need from here Java Download | Java 8, Java 11, Java 13 - Linux, Windows & macOS, as a zip, un-archive and place the contents in the folder indicated in the logs

My log file:
WARNING: Unable to determine Java Version
Error: could not open D:\Users\tomgabr\AppData\Local\Neo4j\Relate\Cache\runtime\zulu11.41.23-ca-jdk11.0.8-win_x64\lib\jvm.cfg' Powershell : Error: could not open D:\Users\tomgabr\AppData\Local\Neo4j\Relate\Cache\runtime\zulu11.41.23-ca-jdk11.0.8-win_x64\lib\jvm.cfg'
At D:\Users\tomgabr\AppData\Local\Neo4j\Relate\Cache\neo4j-start.ps1:11 char:1

• Powershell -NoProfile -NonInteractive -NoLogo `
• CategoryInfo : NotSpecified: (Error: could no...64\lib\jvm.cfg':String) , RemoteException
• FullyQualifiedErrorId : NativeCommandError

Hence, folder is "D:\Users\tomgabr\AppData\Local\Neo4j\Relate\Cache\runtime\zulu11.41.23-ca-jdk11.0.8-win_x64" and JDK version is "Java 11 (LTS)" x64