Java software in general and the Java JRE in particular allow you to run applications called “applets” that are written in the Java programming language. You probably have Java JRE installed on your computer because these applets allow you to play online games, chat with people around the world, calculate your mortgage interest, view images in 3D, get real time nba scores, as well as many others.
As with all software, the JRE is updated on a regular basis. Updates are necessary to add new functionalities, to remove programming bugs or to repair possible vulnerabilities. Usually older versions of programs are removed during the install of new versions but Sun (the owner of Java) has somehow decided not to do this. The result is that a number of different versions of the JRE may exist on your computer. These older versions potentially pose a threat to your sense of security due to the possible vulnerabilities or security holes that may exist in them.

Java advises users to always have the latest version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). The latest version is always the recommended version because it contains updates and improvements to previous versions of the JRE. The latest available version is always compatible with the older versions.
But they also tell you that you can keep older versions of the JRE installed, in case you have an applet or an application that still depends upon a previous version. But this warning is quite useless as all applets and applications should be kept updated to ensure a maximum level of safety and security.
JavaRa is a small and simple tool that does a simple job: it removes old and redundant versions of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

What JavaRa does is to check if your computer has the latest version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE). If the version you have installed has been superseded by a newer version the program will download and install this newer version for you, by running Java’s update program. JavaRa then allows you to remove all possible older versions of this program. This will ensure that the security of your computer is enhanced and extra space on your hard disk is created.
In some instances Java Runtime Environment (JRE) will create logs or temporary files which are not needed in normal circumstances. These files take up space and can be safely removed. JavaRa does this tedious job for you with one click of a button.
[ Download JavaRa ]
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Good stuff! Tnx
Thanks a Lot…
this tool is marvellous, thanks alot for the info. It is especially useful to remove old java versions, because of the vulnerabilities to malware.
When I opened up this zip file, it said that JavaRa.exe is an unsafe exe file..
This is nice indeed, wish it would be a cmd line/scriptable, but still it
thanks for the tool :)
re: annonymous & mangalman
even if the updates overwrite older versions and don’t waste hdd space, they should also clean the add/remove list. it’s annoying. so this tool just might do the trick :)
i think this anon guy has a point. Think about raymond.
Raymond, you’re the man. Thanks for all that you do, I really mean it.
Nice find !
It’s like Autopacher for Java. Amazing, Thanz Raymond
At the download site for the latest version of JRE, there are two files: a small p-iftw.exe and a large p.exe. Do I need both? What do they each do?
Handy piece of software. I only had one old version left, but several temp files. I downloaded the latest vers. on Monday (1.06).
And the program author is Paul Mc Lain. He can be found on Lunarsoft Forums.
This is totally incorrect Raymond. Only the MSI files are kept, however every update replaces earlier binaries so disk space isn’t wasted. Also, there aren’t any security holes left if an update is applied, in fact they’re plugged.
Nice find & thank you for sharing.
Thanks Raymond.
Raymond Do You Know Who Wrote This Program?