Java runtime update question

Hi,

A friend asked me a question.
She has an icon near the clock with a message that there are updates for Java runtime.

As some of you might remember, I myself have still only W98SE.
She has XP SP2 Home Dutch.
Usually I do the maintenance on the computers for them, but haven't been there a few weeks and don't have the time until at least the weekend to go there.

Is this perhaps a message that there is an update for SUN Java for her?

Thanks in advance !
Regards, Jan.

 

Hi FanJ,

Yes it is normal. I just received an outbound request from my firewall today to update. Unless of course her system has already been compromised and something bad is using it to phone home. But it is normal for it to every so often try to update.

 

Hi Devinco,

Thanks a lot !!!

For the moment I have to trust that there is no malware on the machines there...
She told me that she has set it to remind her again in three days.
Maybe I can get there in the weekend.

Thanks again !
Most warmest regards, Jan.

 

I believe you can set the interval that it checks for a update ( I have it set for once a month, I think that is the default setting), and it will leave a icon in the tray when it checks ( at least it has when I have checked manually) weather it up-dates or not.

 

Thanks Carver !!!

It is clear that I have to pay more attention to it when I'll be there.


Most warmest regards, Jan.

 

Question I have about updating Java.
I don't have mine set to auto update and I rarely see the little coffee cup appearing.
The odd site requires Java. Is it advisable to update Java everytime there is an update even if I don't seem to use if much?
I have it disabled in Opera unless I really need it which I haven't to date.

I know some of the updates are security reasons and I have uninstalled each time I downloaded to latest version.
I didn't actually update the last time but now I have seen this post it has reminded me to ask if updating is best even though I don't seem to be using it a lot. I know the emoticons etc are Java script but the actual coffee cup icon use
Thanks (sorry for hijacking the thread)

 

Robyn,
Updating java is much the same as anything else, there will be performance improvements, new features (and new bugs) and sometimes silent bug fixes that are being rolled out before they are discovered and exploited

If java doesn't get used very much then you might as well keep it automatically updated, although I expect that being active in the security forums you will know about any issues before your automatic update time rolls around

Like you, I leave java disabled unless I need it which isn't very often for general web browsing.

 

No problem at all Robyn !
Since I obviously must have missed something on the PC's of my friends (I feel embarrassed about that... ), I can only learn about your questions and the answers. As I said earlier, since I myself have only W98SE and don't have the SUN Java, I know nothing about it and need to learn about it.
All info is highly appreciated

PS: could you or someone else post a screenshot of that icon for me?
Thanks !

Most warm regards, Jan.

 

Thanks Fran very much appreciated.

gottadoit - thanks for the fruther information.
I think the update part was a little over looked by me due to the fact I have always been advised to uninstall the previous verison as sometimes Sun Java's update install was not always stable. I was following this method until recently when I had only just updated & there was yet another (uninstall/install )

I don't mind my AV and certain programs checking for updates but was never too keen for Java doing this on its own.
I think I would be best to update even if it does mean manually.

 

Oops, I forgot to thank you too gottadoit : thanks !!!

About manually updating : how do I do that in case there is not an icon in the tray telling there is an update?
Sorry again for all my dumb questions about this

 

Start/Control Panel/Java Control Panel/Update/update now. I used to use Windows 98 SE, I got Sun Java runtime after I heard of a M$ Java exploit. Now I have a new computer with Windows XP on it, Windows XP has no native Java. So I used Suns. Java has its own Viruses which collects it its cashe, which should remain empty.

 

Two comments on the Sun JRE update situation.

1. Both the Update Now within the program, and even the Download link on their site, are often long out of date, sometimes as much as a month or two after an "official" Update release. Your best bet is to keep an eye on "Updates" topics here and there, which will usually include a link to the latest version.

2. Your best bet (hmm, repeating myself ) when installing is to uninstall the older version first. Otherwise it'll show up in Add-Remove as two separate programs, and generally be treated as two including in folder structure and in the registry, which gets messy. Applet caching etc. are in Doc/Settings, not the program file, so they'll still be there and get picked up by the new installation.

Oops, almost forgot 3. It's a good idea to go to the Manual Downloads page and get the Offline installer version, which you can run whenever. It's much smaller and faster than doing the "regular" installation online, especially if you're on dialup.