Let's start off with some categorical truths: everyone hates Java, and everyone hates Ask.com. Here's another one: everyone uses Java, and no one uses Ask.com. No one, that is, except for the unlucky souls who inadvertently install the Ask.com browser add-ons and set it to their default search engine during the Java installer. Poor bastards.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1irIYyPwJsKQSg8x3AvkNCWH_4Jov1JlHFY-b9bYefByI_C2BQorCTpPDYLEluixNj6rpnymdV8NRfiq6K63obhY5HnjqOn7cm64ROS-8gGrvvaPvq6C7HBENmJ6g_YwOF0NXR8rQHcg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-10-18+at+8.59.24+AM.png)
I only deal with Java these days because my kids play
Minecraft. A lot. Not as much as
this dude, but still. And since Java receives security patches on a frequent basis (we'll call it weekly, and we won't be far off), I spend time updating Java more often than I'd like. I grew tired of the gratuitous attempts by Oracle to install Ask.com software for you in an opt-out manner. And I'm not alone: many of us have banded together to
petition Larry Ellison to stop bundling Ask Toolbar with the Java installer. Sadly, only ~20,000 people of the Internet have signed up. So.... yeah.
Until then, here's what you can do to prevent seeing that damned Ask.com screen during the installer.
- Open your Java Control Panel.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Scroll down to the bottom, and find the Miscellaneous section.
- Click the "Suppress sponsor offers when installing or updating Java" box.
- Click OK.
Now you won't be bothered with that crap Oracle tries to force on you when you install or update future versions of Java.
You're welcome.