The Java Updater is horrible.
- It throws up a UAC prompt without warning / explanation / asking first
- It doesn’t work half the time
- It installs the Ask toolbar if your aren’t careful to opt out
Even though Java needs to be kept up to date, we simply cannot have users being harassed by a utility that doesn’t work, then installs crapware when it does.
Turning off the Updater is as simple as setting a registry value – the catch is that most instructions online do not account for 64-bit windows.
The registry item on a 32-bit machine is a DWORD in the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy called EnableJavaUpdate. Set it to 0.
On a 64-bit machine, it could be in the previous location, and/or it could be in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\JavaSoft\Java Update\Policy
The way I chose to do it was with Machine Group Policy Preferences – Registry items. I use Item-level targeting to make sure the values exist before updating them.
This is a screenshot of the Registry items – showing where to place the Item-level targeting, and what settings to use
(The main reason for the targeting is to prevent it from creating the Wow6432Node on 32-bit machines)