Safe to uninstall java version 5?

Question

I have the new version of java version 6 update 2 and the old java version jre version 5 update 2 in my add/remove program. Is it safe to delete the old version? I like to keep the new version.

Answer 1

Yes, actually it is recommended to do so. It may corrupt 6.2 with the removal so follow these steps.

Problems can occur if you are running more than one version of Java as they can cause conflicts with each other. Furthermore, Java has a nasty habit of not removing older versions when updating to the newest so you have to uninstall old versions manually.

Assuming that you are in the Administrator account, go to Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs and uninstall everything that says J2SE, Java and Java Runtime. Reboot (some computers require a reboot to complete the uninstall process). Then go to the site below and download the most recent version of Java.

Afterwards, in IE, go to Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab and scroll down to the Java section and tickmark the "Use 1.6.2 (version changes with each update) for applet". Click Apply, Click OK and reboot (a reboot is required for some computers for the settings to stick).

http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp

If you are using Firefox, again check to make sure that no older versions are listed in Add/Remove Programs and then install it from the webpage below.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:7

Then go to Tools > Options > Content > Enable Java