Member Avatar for holysmokes

I am trying to free up space on my hard drive. when I go into add/remove programs I see seemingly redundant entries. are they redundant or are they individually necessary. they are:
J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 2
J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0 Update 4
Java 2 Runtime Environment SE v1.4.2_04
Java 2 Runtime Environment SE v1.4.2_05
Java 2 Runtime Environment SE v1.4.2_06

Can any of these be uninstalled or are they cumulative and work together?

Thanks.

:cheesy:

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jwenting

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Short answer: those entries are separate installations (different major releases and update levels) and not cumulative. As pointed out, you can remove older runtimes if no application on your machine requires them — but do so carefully.

Why they appear: each Java installer leaves its own JRE so multiple updates and major releases (for example 1.4 vs 1.5) can coexist. Removing an old update frees disk space and reduces security risk, but some legacy apps or vendor bundles may depend on a specific release.

Safe cleanup workflow:

  • Make a system restore point or backup before changing runtimes.
  • Uninstall older JREs from Add/Remove Programs (Windows) or the package manager on Linux.
  • After uninstall, confirm the system default with java -version.
  • Check environment variables (JAVA_HOME, PATH) and any application configs that point to a specific JRE/JDK.
  • If an application breaks, reinstall the required runtime or adjust its config to use the remaining JRE.

Extra notes and cautions:

  • Some applications embed their own JRE inside their program directory; those are unaffected by Control Panel removals.
  • If unsure about compatibility, keep the newest update plus a single older runtime as a fallback, then remove older ones gradually once everything is tested.
  • For security, prefer installing the latest supported update from the Java vendor and disable browser applets/plugins if not needed.

Reference back to : keeping only the current, supported runtime is the usual best practice unless you have a concrete compatibility requirement.

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Member Avatar for jwenting

Nope, keep only the latest unless you have a very specific need to have an older one (like I do, we have some code which MUST be compiled with an older compiler for now until it is either reworked or the machines it runs on upgraded to a new runtime).

Member Avatar for holysmokes

so i can delete everything but update 4 or is SE v1.4.2_06 something totally different

Member Avatar for jwenting

keep just 5.0_04 (or install 5.0_07 and remove everything you have already).

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