Confusion/Questions About Java

[Les]

Running Windows XP Pro, SP-2

I just downloaded and installed the latest version of Java (version 6, update 15).

1. When I  look under Program Files / Java, I find 3 folders:

   jre 1.5.0, dated 11/9/2005

   jre 1.6.0_0, dated 6/21/2007

   jre 6, dated 9/2/2009  (obviously the latest download)

 2. When I look under Contro Panel /JAVA, under the "Java" tab, View and manage Java runtime versions and settings for Java applications and applets, I find the 3 versions (above) listed and enabled.

 3. When I look under Contro Panel / Add/Remove  Programs, I find 2 Java entries:

   Java(TM) 6 Update 15 (obviously the update that was just installed)

   Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 6 Update 1

My question(s) are:

 1. Are all of these versions/folders needed?

 2. Shouldn't the latest update replace the previous versions?

 3. What items can I delete (i.e., what's not necessary), and how can I remove them?  It appears to me that the Java listings in Add/Remove Programs are for the latest version, which I probably shouldn't remove. Would I need to edit the registry to properly delete the older versions?

 4. Should I simply disable the 2 older versions in the Java Control Panel, and not bother deleting them (although I'd prefer to free up the additional disk space if they're not required)?

I could use some knowledgeable advice from you folks.

Thanks.

[mike_swan · Accepted solution]

Firstly i would like to advise that you un-install Java and manually delete any Java Folders once you have done so if any still exist.

In the same sense, re-install Java (Latest Version) and make sure that it works. Use the Java tester on the Java website to do this. (Google, "Java Tester").

Then try to complete any of the actions that you were trying to before.

If this is still an issue please let me know and we can discuss some more advanced resolutions with registry changes.

[Les]

Hi, Mike. Thanks for the reply.

First, let me clarify: I never had any issues with Java - it was working just fine. I simply wanted to delete any of the unnecessary Java versions on my hard drive, but I wasn't sure what I could or couldn't delete without creating problems.

Having said that, I followed your advice and completely deleted all versions of Java from my hard drive, then re-installed the latest version. All is working well.

I still don't understand why the periodic Java updates that I perform don't delete the older versions as part of the update process, so I suppose that I'll encounter the a same situation in the future.

Anyway, thanks for your advice, I appreciate it.

[Napestelita]

Thanks, I'll try your suggestions later...