Java auto updater: can I delete it?

Voyager2002

I am annoyed because this programme is constantly asking permission to make changes (whether I give permission or not seems to make no difference). Can I just get rid of Java, or would that stop other things working?

I run a Sony Vaio laptop with Windows 7.

Oblivion

I deleted Java ages ago it was such a pain in the ****. I certainly don't miss it, everything I use or access runs fine without it.


Control Panel > Programs & Features > Delete Java. Sorted.


It's simple enough to re-download if you ever did find a burning need for it.

Jivesinger

+1 to what Oblivion says about deleting it; you probably don't need it.

But if you *do* discover that you have a need for it, make sure you keep it up to date because out-of-date versions of Java can be vulnerable to malware attacks.

So from that point of view the auto-updater does serve an important purpose.

I think you can change the settings so it only informs you of changes rather than actually doing the update, but if you do this, you must keep it up to date yourself or risk malware.

paddyrg

Very unlikely you need it at all and Java is probably the single biggest security risk on your PC. Oracle released 32 patches this week, 31 critical remote exploit ones. People knock MS security but it is excellent compared with Java of late.