Java update

E
Posted By
ElliR
Mar 11, 2009
Views
313
Replies
5
Status
Closed
In this thread here <http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?128@@.59b82baf> the OP appears to lay the blame for a corrupted Preferences file firmly at the Java updates door.

Now I know less than nothing about Java let alone what it does but this morning I received a pop-up advising me that an application was trying to use Java and that an update was available (or words to that effect). As I had no applications running at the time I can only assume that it was tied to something within the startup programmes (Windows). Could someone kindly tell me what exactly is Java, what it’s used for and is there a way to find out what application is requesting the update?

Having finally got CS4 and Lightroom to run in the way that they were designed following numerous graphic card updates (three in the last month I think) etc etc I am reluctant to download/update something that (a) I might not require and (b) run the risk of upsetting what appears to be a temperamental Photoshop from what I read in other posts. Thanks.
Related Tags
java update

MacBook Pro 16” Mockups 🔥

– in 4 materials (clay versions included)

– 12 scenes

– 48 MacBook Pro 16″ mockups

– 6000 x 4500 px

JJ
John Joslin
Mar 11, 2009
It was the updater running while he was doing something with Photoshop that (possibly) caused the problem.

If you follow the general rule of closing applications before running any update it won’t cause problems.

The updates certainly didn’t affect Photoshop for me.

And these days Java is like any other part of a program; it needs updates to maximise functionality and minimise vulnerabilities.
E
ElliR
Mar 11, 2009
Thanks John – helpful as usual 🙂 – I’ll run the update. That said, if you look over you shoulder in the next day or so and see someone wielding a very large hammer with which to hit you, then you’ll know that my Preference file has been corrupted. 🙂
JJ
John Joslin
Mar 11, 2009
OK, I’m ready to duck. 🙂

Make a copy of the entire prefs folder and keep it separate for just such eventualities.
BH
BILL_HUNT
Mar 11, 2009
ElliR,

I am the OP of the article that you refer to. My comments were just an observation of what was happening on my system, at the time that my prefs file became corrupted. Since I had never experienced a corrupted prefs file in decades, it struck me as odd, and could well have been totally coincidental – I encountered my first corruption of the prefs file at the same time that Java wished to update. I had NOT actually launched the Java updater yet, as PS was launching. After I noticed the "hang" in the launch, I allowed Java to update. When the hang occurred, I was only being given notification that an update was avaiable. It was just the message, not the process of updating. Sorry if I was not clear on that. I did finally let Java update, cleared my pref file, and all was right for the entire day.

It could well be possible that the fault was with MS’s messaging system, or maybe something totally behind the scenes. I do not know. I only observed. In other fora, several have rung in with their thoughts that the updater message had nothing to do with my prefs file’s corruption. They could be right. Maybe it was Java’s bad luck to be popping up, at the exact wrong time and its totally innocent?

Now to updates. Yes, I have them turned OFF (except for Java, obviously). I do update frequently, though totally manually. Sometimes, I’ll wait for a bit, and read the various fora, to see if anyone is having an issue with any program’s updates. I’ll let them be the "point guy" for me. Going back a bit, the QuickTime 7.4.x update really played badly with Adobe Premiere. I just kept my QT at 7.3.8, IIRC, and waited until 7.5.5 came out. No one seemed to have trouble with that one and Adobe programs on XP.

I think that John’s suggestion, above, is a good one. I did not do that, but then after 20+ years of PS, never had experienced one issue. In my case, it was just the main prefs file, and it was a piece-o-cake to set things back up again. Workspaces was not affected, luckily. Now, I know that IT can happen, even to me. I’ve adopted John’s suggestion – just in case…

Good luck,

Hunt
E
ElliR
Mar 11, 2009
Thanks for the clarification Bill. May your God be with you for another untroubled 20 plus years. 🙂

Master Retouching Hair

Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.

Related Discussion Topics

Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections