What is the Java TM Plug in SSV Helper

Question

What is the Jave TM Plug in SSV Helper?

Do I need it?

If I don't need it, how do I get rid of it?

I'm running Windows Vista.

Answer 1

Java is a programming language. You need something called the Java Runtime Environment to run programs written in Java. The Plugin is part of that. A small number of websites also use this. The Java Runtime Environment will appear in Programs and Features in the Control Panel and can be uninstalled from there. Unfortunately, there is a bug in the uninstallation that leaves the entry for the plugin in the Internet Explorer Manage Addons window after Java is uninstalled. This is harmless because the file has been deleted. To remove the entry in Manage Addons would require editing the Registry.

This bug has been known since at least 2008, but nothing seems to have been done about it.

http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6747116

Answer 2

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index-jsp-141438.html

It can be disabled if you do not need to run Java applets from the Internet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_plugin

Answer 3

The overwhelming number of near-useless, tautological replies to this question here and elsewhere is pretty disappointing.

Here is what I discovered, buried inthis bug report on Sun's Java community:

"This object is responsible for a propagation of Java Plug-in settings from admin account to all regular (non admin) user accounts. In other words if SSVHelper is registered with IE then the only thing admin needs to do in order to switch from a new Java Plug-in to an old Java Plug-in is to run from a command line: ssvagent.exe -high -jpisetup -old or uncheck a checkbox "Enable the next generation Java Plug-n" in Java Control Panel. In both cases changes will be propagated to non admin user accounts."

Therefore, if you are not in a managed, Enterprise environment—as in, this is your own personal computer—then the SSVHelper Java Browser Helper Object does nothing useful for you, and can be safely disabled.

Thanks for the information.  It answers all my questions.

Ted