Have you tried several different java applications to determine if it's Java thats not working, or simply that you need an older version?
Have you run any Ad-Ware scanners? Its possible that ad-ware is re-infecting your fresh installs.
- Other JRE's
Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition, v 1.4.2 (J2SE)
http://javashoplm.sun.com/ECom/docs/...actionId=noreg
- Spyware scanners - All Freeware.
Hijackthis
http://www.merijn.org/files/hijackthis.zip
Ad-Aware
http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE...ubj=dl&tag=top5
Spybot S&D
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html
If all of that fails...
- Open task manager, kill all tasks that are javaw related, or iexplore.exe related
- Uninstall all versions of Java
- Delete c:\program files\java
- Reboot
- Install 1.4.2
- Test Java
- May want to install 1.5, but if 1.4.2 is workin' - Don't fix it , if it ain't broken