Java Runtime - removing older versions?

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Topic # 14729 17-Jul-2007 16:57

Reading Mauricio's recent blog (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/freitasm/3335) prompted me to look at my Java installation. It has automatically updated to the latest version but I did notice all the older versions of various Java incarnations hogging a fair bit of space (see below – reproduced verbatim from “Add/remove programs” window as I’m not clever enough to paste an image into this message!).

J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 10        (size 120.00MB)
J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 11        (size 120.00MB)
J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 6          (size 119.00MB)
J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 9          (size 119.00MB)
Java 2 Runtime Environment, SE v1.4.2_03      (size 136.00MB)
Java(TM) 6 Update 2                                   (Size 111.00MB)
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 6 Update 1 (Size 134.00MB)

The question is, can I remove any of these? I have checked the Java website and found the following (http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/5000070400.xml) which basically says “leave them” but then says if you are running out of disk space then you can remove them.

I’m not desperate for disk space but was wondering:
1) what are the different names (J2SE… vs Java 2 …. Vs Java(TM)….) – are they the same (with revised names) or different parts of the total package?
2) is it appropriate to remove any of the older versions without affecting performance? Any advice appreciated.

Running Windows XP Pro SP2

Cheers, Tony

chiefie

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Reply # 78510 17-Jul-2007 17:11

Java VM installer has never been good at cleaning itself up by removing its previous incarnation... which is real annoying!!! I don't think Sun has the habit of cleaning up their mess they left behind...

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freitasm

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Reply # 78529 17-Jul-2007 19:04

I removed all previous versions from my systems and never had problems.

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Ultimate Geek
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Reply # 78537 17-Jul-2007 20:26

Thanks Mauricio. But does that mean i can remove everything other than the one called "Java(TM) 6 Update 2" or do I have to leave any of the others as well? i.e. goes back to one of my original questions - are all 7 of the entries the same thing by another name?

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Reply # 78538 17-Jul-2007 20:26

Yes, you can remove everything else and leave the latest one there.

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Tarq57

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Reply # 78548 17-Jul-2007 23:13

I believe it's actually a good idea to remove all old versions, usually before installing the new one but it doesn't matter much, because the vulnerabilities present in the old ones might still expose a user to exploits.
Or so Secunia software inspector warns.
Same with the adobe flash player.

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Reply # 78564 18-Jul-2007 09:18

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'll set about removing all the older versions now!