Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Startup Error 'Illegal Argument Exception'

The Leopard OS and Java updates to it have caused an Illegal Argument Exception error to come up at startup on systems that have run the program before.  

The common denominator seems to be the moving of the desktop icon to the dock or into an Applications folder from the desktop.  The safest steps to resolve this are to clear the Temporary Internet Files from Java and delete the shortcuts from the dock or Applications folder to get everything cleared.  To clear the Java Temporary Internet Files, open Finder and go to Applications - Utilities – Java and open Java Preferences.app. At the bottom of the first tab there will be either a Delete Files button (click and click OK through to clear the applications/applets) or a Settings button (click Settings then Delete Files in the new window).