google-chromejavawindows 7
This used to work fine until a week or so ago, and I am not sure what has changed since then. I have just uninstalled what seems to be all the JVM stuff on my machine and reinstalled with the latest recommended Java version from java.com (1.6, update 23). The plugin works fine in IE and Firefox, but in Chrome it fails and the pages that try to use the plugin act as if Java is not installed. I have tried this in both Chrome 8 and Chrome 9 with the same result.
How can I diagnose and fix this?
For Java specifically, Chrome now disables Java by default on all pages and prompts you to allow it to run each time a site needs it.
For more general plugin worries, Chrome allows you to block all plugins on all sites completely, and then allows you to selectively enable them on a page without reloading it. You can also configure exceptions for particular URLs.
To enable this, under the Plug-ins section of the settings url: chrome://settings/content select "Block All".
With this option enabled, when you want to run plugins on a page you have 3 options:
Chrome also has a "Click to play" setting which is hidden behind a flag in some versions of Chrome. As a commenter mentioned, this option is vulnerable to clickjacking attacks so I would advise against using it. You're better off with the "Block all" feature.
Download the full 32-bit JRE from here.
Also, try going to the command-line (Ctrl+R, then type in cmd). Once there, type in java and see what happens. If it says something like java not recognized as an internal or external command then it may be a problem with your environment variables.
If it does indeed run and print out its command-line options, then perhaps try looking to see if your browsers for some reason are using an old version of the Java Applet plugins.
In my experience, if the Java Webstart isn't working, its generally because Java isn't set up correctly.
Best Answer
If you are using 64-bit Windows, only IE supports 64-bit Java. Chrome and Firefox will only work if you install the 32-bit Java.
For more details - Google support