JDBC Connection failing with ORA-12505 on Win8, Oracle 11g XE - jdbc

Question

I'm having an error that goes beyond what I see in TNS-12505: TNS:listener does not currently know of SID given in connect descriptor
I'm using Windows 8, Oracle 11.2 XE, java 1.7.15, and Eclipse Juno SR2.
The error I receive is:
java.sql.SQLException: Listener refused the connection with the following error:
ORA-12505, TNS:listener does not currently know of SID given in connect descriptor
I have the driver registered properly, and I've edited the listener.ora to make the service explicit, in both ways I've seen given as exampled - under SID_LIST_LISTENER, I added:
(SID_DESC =
(SID_NAME = XE)
(ORACLE_HOME = C:\oraclexe\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\server)
)
and under LISTENER = (DESCRIPTION_LIST I added
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521))
(CONNECT_DATA =
(SERVER = DEDICATED)
(SERVICE_NAME = XE)
)
tnsnames.ora contains, as its first entry:
XE =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = localhost)(PORT = 1521))
(CONNECT_DATA =
(SERVER = DEDICATED)
(SERVICE_NAME = XE)
)
)
The source code making the calls is:
Class.forName(JDBC_DRIVER);
String connectionString = "jdbc:oracle:thin:localhost:1521/XE";
myConnection = DriverManager.getConnection(connectionString, "myuser", "myuserpw");
I've also been through the following permutations on the connectionString. with results noted here:
jdbc:oracle:thin:#localhost:1521:XE // java.sql.SQLException: ORA-01017: invalid username/password; logon denied
jdbc:oracle:thin:localhost:1521:XE // error ORA 12505
jdbc:oracle:thin:#//localhost:1521:XE // error java.sql.SQLRecoverableException: IO Error: The Network Adapter could not establish the connection
jdbc:oracle:thin:#localhost:1521/XE // error ORA-01017
jdbc:oracle:thin:#//localhost:1521/XE // error ORA-01017
Anyone have ideas?

Answer 1

I have an Answer! (Bloody-minded stubbornness is its own reward, I guess)
I changed which Connection call I made and restructured the connection string thataway, as in:
String connectionString = "jdbc:oracle:thin:myuser/mypw#localhost:1521:XE";
myConnection = DriverManager.getConnection(connectionString);
THAT works! Now the next guy can Google it. The version of the call with three parameters blows up every time I try it, but the same fundamental string with the username/pw embedded works in the single-parameter call.
I believe this is a bug in the driver provided with the XE database - oh Oracle, will you let us know?

Answer 2

OPEN cmd
execute the lsnrctl command.
Type start in the LSNRCTL> prompt.