hello joana, the java plugin is getting blocked until oracle releases a new version because it is currently affected by actively exploited security vulnerabilities. if you want to still use it on certain websites please refer to How to allow Java on trusted sites

thank you so much for this info...i have one more question: will firefox inform its customers when java is fixed??? if not, how will we know???

according to oracle they will release an update to their java plugin soon - i don't think that firefox has an inbuilt mechanism to actively notify users of such an update. however you can always manually check if your plugins are up-to-date by going to firefox > addons > plugins & clicking on "check plugins..." at the top of the page.

java also comes installed with an auto-updater on your system which will check for updates once a month per default (but beware, it is also trying to sell you a toolbar by ask.com if you're not careful & unselect this option) - you can also change this interval or trigger a manual search for an update through the java menu in the windows control panel. for more infromation please refer to oracle's documentation: http://www.java.com/en/download/help/java_update.xml

java 7 update 11 which should address the security vulnerability is now available to download at http://java.com

edit: but be cautious, during the installation of the security update, java does try to plant adware by ask.com on your pc, disable the option to install the toolbar. i find such practices by oracle beyond acceptable...

hi again....i did what you suggested and downloaded the jave 7 update 11 and it did say that the download was complete...but it didnt install it so i dont have it on my computer...how do i get it to install??? thanks again for your help...

You may be missing some registry keys.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Java

normally the installation file is named jxpiinstall.exe - just have a look in your download folder if it's present there & initiate the setup by double-clicking on that file.