How to update your version of Java

Note to Mac OS X users:  The scheduling applet does not work on OS X's latest version of Java.  If you are using a Mac and find that the applet works for you, please contact us so we can find out how it started working and hopefully help others emulate it.  The steps on this page are not appropriate for MAC OS X users.  If you are using OS X, you will want to update Java using your system's update manager.

If at any point you find yourself lost in this procedure, or if you ascertain that you do not have Java or cannot update it yourself, go directly to the Java download page.  Use the "Download Now" button on that page, and you will be presented with the downloads relevant to your system.  If the options presented are not relevant to your system, use the Manual Download link that is below the "Download Now" button.

Updating Java

Follow these steps to update Java if you already have the software on your computer or want to find out if you already have Java.

  1. Click the start button

     

  2. Locate the Control Panel link

     

  3. If your control panel is not already in Classic View, click "Switch to Classic View"

     

  4. This should switch the window to a view with columns.  Find "Java" in the list of items.  If you cannot find "Java" in the list of items, follow the steps at the top of the page to install the Java Runtime Edition (JRE) 5.0.


     

  5. Double-click that link and you should see a control panel appear.  If you are running Java 5.0, it should look like the following image.


     

  6. Click the "About..." button to get the information for your current java installation.  If you are not running Java 5.0, you may have to search the tabs for this button.  What appears when you click it, wherever it is, should have roughly the same information.  Find out what build you are using.  The first three numbers should be 1.5.0 or greater (where greater might be 1.6.0, for example).  The number after the "_" underscore is your update.  For 1.5.0 users, this should be 06 or greater (as of this writing, you should be able to find _07 - update 7 - on Sun's website).  If your build is not later than the build information depicted here, then you must update.  Close this dialog box.


     

  7. If your version is less than 1.5.0_06, then you need to update.  Step 5 highlights the update tab for 1.5.0, and if you do not have this tab you will have to look through the tabs to find a button that is labeled "Update..." or "Update Now".  Click this button to begin the automated update process.  Java should take care of you from here on and make the process fairly easy.