Running Tomcat (Service mode) with default Java Virtual Machine (JVM) could cause some strange problem sometimes. It's because your own development may depends on a particular VM (e.g. the HotSpot VM). In this case, you will need to specify the JVM instead of using the default one. To do this, run the tomcat7w.exe in TOMCAT_HOME\bin\ , and select the the Java tab. You will find the Java Virtual Machine option as shown below: