Is it safe to delete the program: Java 2 Runtime Environment

Java 2 Runtime Environment,SE v1.4.2_03
Microsoft Windows SP2
Hp pavilion a735w- AMD Athlon XP 3000+
2.10 GHz, 448MB of RAM

Am not receiving no error messages. Everytime I scan for viruses it says something about Java with a destructive program install. And anyway why do we need java on our computers? And do you think I have a good computer based on the information above?

Java is needed for some sites to create animations on the pages. Needed? Only if you want a little extra on the pages. Sun Java is more secure than the one from Microsoft. BTW, there is an update for your version of Java.

Can you give more information on the alert? "Something about Java" doesn't help much.

Wayne

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First, download the newest Java 1.4.2_09 installer file to your desktop using the info below, then uninstall your _03 version from the Control Panel/Add-Remove Programs section and DON'T install the _09 version yet...Just leave the installer file on your desktop.

Click on the link to Sun's Java below, then click on the "Download Windows J2SE JRE" download link that is in the "J2SE v 1.4.2_09 JRE includes the JVM technology" section. Download the full "Windows Offline Installation" file to your desktop,(about 15 MB), scan it with your antivirus (just to be sure it's clean), then uninstall Java 1.5 from the Control Panel, then shut down all background programs, including your antivirus, then run the installer.

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

After that, you can now run tests by visiting all your favorite websites, including Windows Update.. See if you like the results of running without Java. (In order to verify that you're also running without Microsoft's Virtual Machine Java, you'll need to open "Internet Options/Advanced tab", then UNCHECK the box next to "JIT Compiler for virtual machine enabled" in the "Microsoft VM" section.) If you leave the Microsoft VM enabled, you'll still have Java running but it's the older, insecure version that Microsoft released a while back. If you leave the Microsoft version running, you won't see the true results of running without Java.

So, depending on whether you like those results, or not, you can now decide on whether to install the new 1.4.2_09 version of Sun's Java..

Just my opinion here, but I install it on ALL the machines I oversee. There are too many programs and internet sites that require Java to function correctly.

Hope this helps.

Grif

(In order to verify that you're also running without Microsoft's Virtual Machine Java, you'll need to open "Internet Options/Advanced tab", then UNCHECK the box next to "JIT Compiler for virtual machine enabled" in the "Microsoft VM" section.

You originally concerned whether you could run WITHOUT Java entirely..(You asked: "And anyway why do we need java on our computers?") That's what I'm trying to get you to see.

Depending on the Windows XP installation on your machine, you "may" have received the Microsoft Virtual Machine version of Java.. (It now has to be installed separately from Windows and most brand name computers install it, but not always.) Although you can easily uninstall the Sun version of Java, IF you leave the Microsoft version running, you'll still see Java applets when you visit websites. You won't be able to see what Java does. If you want to disable the ability of the Microsoft VM to display Java, you'll need to UNCHECK the "JIT compiler" box per my instructions in addition to uninstalling Sun's Java 03 version. If the Microsoft VM section and the "JIT compiler" box are not listed in the Internet Options/Advanced tab, then you don't need to follow the instructions because the Microsoft VM was not installed.

Hope this helps.

Grif