Hi Joanne, Here are a few suggestions that may help.
Try uninstalling
all versions of
Java from
add/remove programs and then use
Crap Cleaner to clean the registry.
Try updating to the latest version of
Java here
Java SE Downloads (Sixth one Down) Useing the JRE Offline Installer.
If the latest
update gives you any problems, try this older version, which has worked well for lots of people:
Archive: Download Java 2 Platform Standard Edition (J2SE) 5.0 Update 11
Hope this Helps.