Removing Old Version of JAVA?

[Charliec]

In dealing with the Antivirus 2008, David H. Lipman had suggested I
run the vulnerability Scan at
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online to determine what
software has vulnerabilities and need to be updated/patched to
mitigate the exploitation of the vulnerabilities.

I ran the vulnerability scanning as he suggested and everything
checks out OK except JAVA applications. The scan indicates that I
have 4 versions of JAVA on my system:

- Version 6.0.70.6 (the latest according to the JAVA web site and it
scans OK).
- Version 6.0.60.6 (recommends to remove via Add/Remove)
- Version 6.0.50.13 (recommends to remove)
- Version 6.0.30.5 (recommend to remove)

Before removing those via Add/Remove, I wanted to check with you all
on a couple of things. Might there be programs on my system that
require the older versions to run -or- is the newest version
compatible with programs using previous versions.

I wonder why the JAVA update does not remove the older versions?

BTW, I'm running WinXP SP3 with all the latest updates.

Thanks for any thoughts/suggestions.

Charliec
******************************************************
Charliec

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

I ran the vulnerability scanning as he suggested and everything
checks out OK except JAVA applications. The scan indicates that I
have 4 versions of JAVA on my system:

- Version 6.0.70.6 (the latest according to the JAVA web site and it
scans OK).
- Version 6.0.60.6 (recommends to remove via Add/Remove)
- Version 6.0.50.13 (recommends to remove)
- Version 6.0.30.5 (recommend to remove)

Before removing those via Add/Remove, I wanted to check with you all
on a couple of things. Might there be programs on my system that
require the older versions to run -or- is the newest version
compatible with programs using previous versions.

"recommends to remove" is good advice.

I doubt if you have any need for the older, less secure, versions of
Java. What Java programs do you use anyway? OpenOffice maybe? (It works
fine with the latest Java.)

I wonder why the JAVA update does not remove the older versions?

S'far as I know, it's always been that way, even though people have been
complaining for years. It is a developer error and gross oversight on
Sun's part. I've found the PCs of friends that had up to eight versions
or so, as I recall. Remove all but the newest.

You will find a separate directory under Program Files/java for each
version. Make sure the older ones are gone from there after you do your
Add/Remove removes.

 

[FredW]

In dealing with the Antivirus 2008, David H. Lipman had suggested I
run the vulnerability Scan at
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online to determine what
software has vulnerabilities and need to be updated/patched to
mitigate the exploitation of the vulnerabilities.

I ran the vulnerability scanning as he suggested and everything
checks out OK except JAVA applications. The scan indicates that I
have 4 versions of JAVA on my system:

- Version 6.0.70.6 (the latest according to the JAVA web site and it
scans OK).
- Version 6.0.60.6 (recommends to remove via Add/Remove)
- Version 6.0.50.13 (recommends to remove)
- Version 6.0.30.5 (recommend to remove)

Before removing those via Add/Remove, I wanted to check with you all
on a couple of things. Might there be programs on my system that
require the older versions to run -or- is the newest version
compatible with programs using previous versions.

I wonder why the JAVA update does not remove the older versions?

You have to ask the programmers at Sun.
(you could also ask them why the sun is shining)
;-)

BTW, I'm running WinXP SP3 with all the latest updates.

For removal of previous (and leaky) versions of Java, you can use:
- JavaRa, now at version 1.11
http://raproducts.org/
http://www.majorgeeks.com/JavaRa_d5967.html

 

[FredW]

S'far as I know, it's always been that way, even though people have been
complaining for years. It is a developer error and gross oversight on
Sun's part. I've found the PCs of friends that had up to eight versions
or so, as I recall. Remove all but the newest.

I always uninstall a previous version of a program before installing the
latest version.
Most software does not include the uninstall of a previous version.

Why would you want Sun to be different?

 

[Charliec]

"recommends to remove" is good advice.

I doubt if you have any need for the older, less secure, versions of
Java. What Java programs do you use anyway? OpenOffice maybe? (It works
fine with the latest Java.)


S'far as I know, it's always been that way, even though people have been
complaining for years. It is a developer error and gross oversight on
Sun's part. I've found the PCs of friends that had up to eight versions
or so, as I recall. Remove all but the newest.

You will find a separate directory under Program Files/java for each
version. Make sure the older ones are gone from there after you do your
Add/Remove removes.

Got it, Beauregard - will do!
******************************************************
Charliec

 

[Charliec]

Thanks for the link. Worked great on my Win2000Pro

Seems to have worked very well for me also.
Thanks
******************************************************
Charliec

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

I read somewhere that some applications are written for a specific
version of JAVA and will not run with newer versions. I don't know if
it's true or not, but if it is true it's very bad programming.

It could be, but not necessarily so. For example, I use PHP and MySQL
for web sites, and I (admittedly infrequently) will have to make
programming changes or updates when a new version of either of those is
issued. Sometimes a function is dropped and replaced with something
newer, or how a function's parameters are handled is changed.

It happens. ;-)

 

[Dustin Cook]

In dealing with the Antivirus 2008, David H. Lipman had suggested I
run the vulnerability Scan at
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online to determine what
software has vulnerabilities and need to be updated/patched to
mitigate the exploitation of the vulnerabilities.

I ran the vulnerability scanning as he suggested and everything
checks out OK except JAVA applications. The scan indicates that I
have 4 versions of JAVA on my system:

- Version 6.0.70.6 (the latest according to the JAVA web site and it
scans OK).
- Version 6.0.60.6 (recommends to remove via Add/Remove)
- Version 6.0.50.13 (recommends to remove)
- Version 6.0.30.5 (recommend to remove)

Before removing those via Add/Remove, I wanted to check with you all
on a couple of things. Might there be programs on my system that
require the older versions to run -or- is the newest version
compatible with programs using previous versions.

Not likely, no. It's best to uninstall all previous versions of Java. You
should only be running the latest and greatest. It's very important.
Exploits in java are a major infection point.

 

[Robin Bignall]

Not likely, no. It's best to uninstall all previous versions of Java. You
should only be running the latest and greatest. It's very important.
Exploits in java are a major infection point.

I've found that the best thing to do when Java automatically indicates
that there's a new version is not to let it install automatically,
because that leaves your current version in place. I use it as a
trigger to uninstall the current version, then go to Sun's site and
download the offline version, then install it.

 

[Dustin Cook]

I've found that the best thing to do when Java automatically indicates
that there's a new version is not to let it install automatically,
because that leaves your current version in place. I use it as a
trigger to uninstall the current version, then go to Sun's site and
download the offline version, then install it.

I agree. However, it can render some programs inoperative; those that
depend on a specific version. I personally am okay with this, I'll find
something else that's okay with safer versions of Java.

Ant is right on the money in his post regarding the potential issues with
removing older versions.

 

[Dustin Cook]

From: "Dustin Cook" <[email protected]>


| I agree. However, it can render some programs inoperative; those that
| depend on a specific version. I personally am okay with this, I'll
| find something else that's okay with safer versions of Java.

| Ant is right on the money in his post regarding the potential issues
| with removing older versions.

Maybe but...

Usually in a situation like that the software vendor will bundle Sun
JRE with the application.
A perfect example would be the Adobe Designer componet of Adobe
Acrobat Professional v9 where they bundle an older version in...

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Designer 8.2\jre\bin\

That version is 1.5.0_11 (version 5 update 11) which indeed has
vulnerabilities - http://secunia.com/advisories/31010/

Yes... which is bad on the software developer. If a newer version of
Java is present, it shouldn't offer to load the older one. And it should
work with the new one.