Misleading error message about Java plugin
I am running Firefox 15.0.1 on Windows 7 64-bit I have Java plugin version SE7 U7, which I reinstalled and confirmed is current. However, when the Java plugin (Java(TM) Platform SE 7 U7 10.7.2.11) is disabled, then I get message when checking my plugins, "For your safety, Firefox has disabled your outdated version of Java. Please upgrade to the latest version". When I re-enable this plugin, the error message is not present. Thus it is misleading as the correct version is installed but disabled.
Réiteach roghnaithe
Oh, I get it now.
The plugincheck page recognizes that Java is missing, and "assumes" that Java is missing because Firefox disabled it. This is a wrong assumption by the plugincheck page, but that page doesn't have special privileges to know that you actually do have the current version installed, so it's just making its best (wrong) guess. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any solution for that.
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Sometimes the Java installer leaves old versions on the system; certainly with Java 6 this was an issue. You might check the Programs and Features control panel and remove any old stuff you find. Hopefully then Firefox won't see it any more.
Incidentally, going to Control Panel > Java (32-bit) > Update tab > Update Now says I have the latest build, which on the General tab > About says is "(build 1.7.0_07-b10)".
You can try to delete the pluginreg.dat file in the Firefox Profile Folder and maybe addons.sqlite as well to reset the plugin registry databases.
You can use this button to go to the Firefox profile folder:
- Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Directory: Show Folder
Thank you both.
I confirmed that my current version of Java is the latest: "(build 1.7.0_07-b11)".
However I did find 2 Java version 6 line items in the listing of Programs and Features. I uninstalled these both, restarted Firefox, still get same error message when Java is disabled.
I also deleted pluginreg.dat and addons.sqlite and restarted Firefox. Still getting same error message, "For your safety, Firefox has disabled your outdated version of Java. Please upgrade to the latest version." when checking plugins up-to-dateness.
Not a big problem, just an inconsistency from my point of view. (And in the context that I am having terrible problems with 15.0.1 frequently freezing up currently, may have to go back to 14.x).
Thank you.
You can check the pluginreg.dat file to find the locations of the blocked Java plugin(s).
Thank you, cor-el
I tried, but was not able to make much sense of the unformatted info in pluginreg.dat. Any suggestions (or should I forward it to the forum)?
In pluginreg.dat, which looks like a plain text file, search for C:\ to jump from one plugin to the next.
For the latest Java, I have this:
npjp2.dll|$ C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre7\bin\plugin2\npjp2.dll|$ 10.7.2.10|$ 1346962932482|0|5|$ Next Generation Java Plug-in 10.7.2 for Mozilla browsers|$ Java(TM) Platform SE 7 U7|$
There are a crazy number of QuickTime entries. I probably should delete this file and let Firefox regenerate it...
Thank you,
Mine reads
npjp2.dll|$ C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre7\bin\plugin2\npjp2.dll|$ 10.7.2.11|$ 1347843071393|0|0|$ Next Generation Java Plug-in 10.7.2 for Mozilla browsers|$
Thus I apparently have the next build 10.7.2.11 compared to your 10.7.2.10 but otherwise not obviously remarkable.
Was that your only instance of the Java Plug-in? I think our suspicion was that you might have a second, older entry.
If you refer to the pluginreg.dat file, here is what it includes regarding JAVA. I don't know how to interpret this information.:
Generated File. Do not edit.
[HEADER] Version|0.15|$ Arch|x86-msvc|$
[PLUGINS] npjp2.dll|$ C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jre7\bin\plugin2\npjp2.dll|$ 10.7.2.11|$ 1347843071393|0|0|$ Next Generation Java Plug-in 10.7.2 for Mozilla browsers|$ Java(TM) Platform SE 7 U7|$ 38 0|application/x-java-applet|Java Applet||$ 1|application/x-java-bean|JavaBeans||$ 2|application/x-java-vm|||$ 3|application/x-java-applet;version=1.1.1|||$ 4|application/x-java-bean;version=1.1.1|||$ 5|application/x-java-applet;version=1.1|||$ 6|application/x-java-bean;version=1.1|||$ 7|application/x-java-applet;version=1.2|||$ 8|application/x-java-bean;version=1.2|||$ 9|application/x-java-applet;version=1.1.3|||$ 10|application/x-java-bean;version=1.1.3|||$ 11|application/x-java-applet;version=1.1.2|||$ 12|application/x-java-bean;version=1.1.2|||$ 13|application/x-java-applet;version=1.3|||$ 14|application/x-java-bean;version=1.3|||$ 15|application/x-java-applet;version=1.2.2|||$ 16|application/x-java-bean;version=1.2.2|||$ 17|application/x-java-applet;version=1.2.1|||$ 18|application/x-java-bean;version=1.2.1|||$ 19|application/x-java-applet;version=1.3.1|||$ 20|application/x-java-bean;version=1.3.1|||$ 21|application/x-java-applet;version=1.4|||$ 22|application/x-java-bean;version=1.4|||$ 23|application/x-java-applet;version=1.4.1|||$ 24|application/x-java-bean;version=1.4.1|||$ 25|application/x-java-applet;version=1.4.2|||$ 26|application/x-java-bean;version=1.4.2|||$ 27|application/x-java-applet;version=1.5|||$ 28|application/x-java-bean;version=1.5|||$ 29|application/x-java-applet;version=1.6|||$ 30|application/x-java-bean;version=1.6|||$ 31|application/x-java-applet;version=1.7|||$ 32|application/x-java-bean;version=1.7|||$ 33|application/x-java-applet;jpi-version=1.7.0_07|||$ 34|application/x-java-bean;jpi-version=1.7.0_07|||$ 35|application/x-java-applet;deploy=10.7.2|||$ 36|application/x-java-applet;javafx=2.2.1|||$ 37|application/x-java-vm-npruntime|||$ npdeployJava1.dll|$ C:\Windows\SysWOW64\npdeployJava1.dll|$ 10.7.2.11|$ 1347843071315|0|0|$ NPRuntime Script Plug-in Library for Java(TM) Deploy|$ Java Deployment Toolkit 7.0.70.11|$ 1 0|application/java-deployment-toolkit|||
Thank you
Seems both are recent versions. I don't know why the plugin is being disabled. When I look at blocklist.xml in my active profile folder, there are blocks for older version of various Java files, but if I am reading the code correctly (a big if, since my RegEx is not that strong), "U7" should be unblocked.
Actual name string for npjp2.dll:
Java(TM) Platform SE 7 U7|$
RegEx expressions for npjp2.dll:
"Java\(TM\) Platform SE ((6( U(\d|([0-2]\d)|3[0-2]))?)|(7(\sU[0-4])?))(\s[^\d\._U]|$)"
"Java\(TM\) Platform SE 7 U[5-6](\s[^\d\._U]|$)"
Note: for what it's worth, my blocklist.xml file is dated 9/17/2012 at 14:37 Pacific time.
Thank you jscher2000. I don't quite understand your message, but perhaps I have caused some confusion. I am myself disabling the java plugin. (I don't regard it as safe to have it on all the time, and only selectively enable it when it is needed.) The behavior I mention is an inconsistency between the two states of the plugin, Disabled vs. Enabled.
In any event, I don't wish to take any more of your or anyone else's time on this minor apparent inconsistency.
Thanks again
Réiteach Roghnaithe
Oh, I get it now.
The plugincheck page recognizes that Java is missing, and "assumes" that Java is missing because Firefox disabled it. This is a wrong assumption by the plugincheck page, but that page doesn't have special privileges to know that you actually do have the current version installed, so it's just making its best (wrong) guess. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any solution for that.
Thank you, I'll take that as a correct assessment of the situation.
Firefox also continued to warn me about java after installing Java 1.7U10. Using the instructions at
I found that this message was actually based on a plug in a version of JavaFX 2.1.1 with another, out-of-date Java SE version. After I uninstalled JavaFX, the Firefox Add-ons manager now shows 1.7U10 and no warning.