This is the first time that I have updated Java while using avast! 4.8 Home. When I tried to install Java JRE 6 Update 13 I kept getting the Java Error 1721 window. Java’s solution is to disable my anti-virus, which I did, and finally JRE was installed. Is there a way to keep avast! enabled while installing JRE or is this a common problem?
I haven’t seen this problem yet. I have avast installed at 6 locations that I manage, and java updates usually run fine.
Could have just been a quirk.
Make sure that the rest of your programs are up to date with this tool though, it’s easy to use: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/
What firewall are you using? It’s likely your firewall is blocking the install of Java JRE 6 Update 13. avast! doesn’t block downloads unless it is malicious.
My firewall recommendation is ZoneAlarm. 8)
My favorite download site is filehippo. I download Java Runtime Environment updates from filehippo & install with avast! running. 
I still don’t trust the ability of JAVA to update, for years it was an abysmal failure, but recently it is meant to work.
I also don’t like it trying to open a connection when I boot my system so I have disabled the auto update check in startup. So for me it is the sure fire old method of download the update manually.
The other thing that gets up my nose is how can a full installation be considered an update, why is it not possible for the update process to just update changed elements. On dial-up almost 16MB in my mind is a right pain in the rear.
Online Armor free. The f/w settings seemed fine but Java would not install until I disabled avast!
For future Java updates I will try File Hippo. Thanks for the tips.
Hi bizadi 
I got there in the end!
But I also had problems updating Java on my Laptop 
At the time… I Blamed - Winpatrol :-[
But if you had problems too… Maybe Java’s latest update is buggy :
Haven’t had the Java update on my Desktop yet.
Avast Home - But No Winpatrol on that computer.
So! … It will be interesting to see if I have the same problem with the Java update on that computer.
Although… I really don’t think Avast had anything to do with my struggle to update Java on my laptop
Hi :
I have found it best when “Updating” Sun’s Java to completely remove the
“old” “Version/Update” FIRST, then go to the Java Site to download the
latest “Version/Update” . Had problems doing it the other way.
Each “Update” is actually a complete “Version”.
Each "Update" is actually a complete "Version".
Yes, and you need to take into account that some programs use the older versions (usually they can use the updated versions, but not all the time).
This is the way I’ve always installed new Java updates as well (uninstall old version first via Add/Remove and then install the newly downloaded clean copy). This approach has never caused me problems on my WinXP machine.
Well, unless you’re a developer, or use an old program that uses java and it doesn’t work with newer java versions, removing the old will probably be fine in most cases.
But you’re totally right, it probably won’t hurt anything by removing the old ones.
I recently returned to ZoneAlarm Free after a couple of weeks with Online Armor Free. I had to uninstall Weather Watcher Live & reinstall it to get it to run in Online Armor Free. On my other computer I had to do the same with a different program to get it to run in Online Armor Free on that 'puter.
I’m very happy to be back with ZoneAlarm Free on both computers.
I think your problem was with Online Armor Free, though I could be wrong.
I am finding no problems in installing the rather improved Java update mechanism in the last few updates. I would agree with the suggestion that, prior to the last few updates, Java updates were pretty bad - just installing the latest update alongside the old - leaving users to make changes to refer to the newest update and have to take steps to remove the older versions.
It seems they have, to some extent, reformed their ways - the most recent updates do not function in the way of the old. Nevertheless, I wish they would accept my settings that I do not want their “java quick start” to run at every start up (they insist on making it do so with each update) and allow me to decide whether I want their “check for update (jusched.exe)” to be running permanently.
Steps in the right direction though.
The Java Quick start thing is no great prize either.
It is bad enough to have to disable Jugsched,or what ever its called,
but this thing starts a service,and installs a firefox extension that you cant remove.
i had to remove the file from system32,and hit regedit to remove the entry from Mozilla.
Java wins no friends with this sort of thing.
Well since Firefox doesn’t have BHO’s that is the only way to integrate the JAVA module into firefox. Just take a look at a hijackthis log file to see the BHOs created in IE to achieve the same thing. An unfortunate consequence of having JAVA installed at all.
O2 - BHO: Java™ Plug-In 2 SSV Helper - {DBC80044-A445-435b-BC74-9C25C1C588A9} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jp2ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: JQSIEStartDetectorImpl - {E7E6F031-17CE-4C07-BC86-EABFE594F69C} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\lib\deploy\jqs\ie\jqs_plugin.dll
But these are virtually invisible to the user in IE unless they run hijackthis unlike in firefox it is transparent
Thanks for all of the great replies. One item that may have been overlooked is that Internet Explorer 8 never prompted me to install the ActiveX control for the Java d/l (I forgot to mention this on my first post).