Unable to change the Java update settings in Windows 7 control panel

Question

Java updates are necessary but they are so frequent that i am now tired of it. Besides, I need to do simple work on my PC and the requirements for Java are seldom.

Today, I went into the control panel of my system(i.e Windows 7 32-bit) and then clicked the Java tab. The java config window appeared and in that selected update tab and then unchecked the check for updates automatically checkbox. Clicked on apply and then ok. To resure, I opened the Java config window again but the settings were not saved. Still the checkbox was in selected state. Why is this happening ? I am logged-in as administrator only.

Please tell me how to turn off the automatic updates for Java in Win 7?

Answer 1

The root cause of this problem is the Policy registry key. The user with administrative privilege can only change this registry key value.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator: in Start menu type cmd, right-click on cmd.exe and select Run as administrator.
2. In Command Prompt window type C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre7\bin\javacpl.exe (this is for Windows 7 64-bit with Java SE 7).
3. On Update tab uncheck option Check for updates Automatically.

Source: Why are the Java update settings not saved in the Java control panel?

Answer 2

Disabling the updates is a very bad idea as it will leave your computer vulnerable to attacks. Better to uninstall Java completely than to leave an old, out-of-date version installed. You may lose certain features on specific websites but that would be preferable to the risks of leaving an old version running, IMHO

If it's not installed, it cant be exploited.