Adove and Java Applications

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I have noticed lately my computer seems to run alot slower than usual. When I looked through my programs to see if I can delete anything, I noticed the following programs:
Adobe Air
Adobe Flash Player 17X
Adobe Flash Player 18 NPAPI
Adobe Reader XI
J2SE Runtime Environment (large file)
Java 6 Update

Since this is a computer only used for internet purposes, can someone explain what programs listed above are necessary?
Thanks in advance
George
 
The truth is everyone will have a different opinion on what programs are needed. However, in my opinion, anything Java or Adobe usually has a lot of security concerns so if you don't need them it's better to get rid of them.

Java and J2SE - You can almost certainly get rid of this, unless a very specific app or online game needs it that you use. If so you can always put it back but I haven't had Java for years and haven't missed it.

Adobe Air - Almost certainly got added to your machine when you installed one of the other products. Get rid of it.

Adobe flash - this is tough, a lot of websites still use it so I would get rid of 17 and leave 18. You could always do the Java test and get rid of it and then add it back if needed. As time goes along less and less websites will need it but right now it's still 50-50.

Adobe Reader - this is for viewing PDF's. Again, depending on if you need that or not will determine if you should delete it.

It is worth repeating that these all have security concerns so whatever you choose to keep make sure it's up to date.

One last thing, if your computer doesn't have an SSD you may want to consider defragging it, this is one of the most common reasons it will get slow over time.
 
If you are on Windows 7 you'll at least want to keep Adobe Reader (a PDF reader) and Adobe Flash.

If you are on Windows 8 you will not need any of those programs you listed. PDFs are handled by the Reader Metro app which I know is often full screen, but it is fast and simple. Perfect for simply viewing or printing PDFs.

Adobe Flash player is included in Win8 and Java.... feel free to uninstall. You'll know you'll need it if whatever it is you are using asks for it.
 
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Adobe has a new reader. It's much bigger and is somewhat tied to the internet. Adobe Reader DC it's called. I don't use it and still use the old one.

Some things need java.
 
Sadly, for the next little while until it dies a death merciful for us all, you'll need to keep Flash around.

Java and the Runtime Environment you can probably dump. Few web sites and applications need it; and if one does, it'll squawk at you about it.

You probably never consented to installing Air and can likely lose it.

Reader is the standard PDF reader but there are much, much "lighter" alternatives. Heck, both the Firefox and Chrome web browsers can now display .pdf files! It's been a long time since I've used Windows but I recall Foxit Reader being a good alternative. The most common PDF reader on most Linux systems is called Evince and it is available for Windows, now, too: https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Evince/Downloads
 
Exactly how is uninstalling software make a computer run faster?

It is like saying less money in the bank makes my wallet lighter.

This stuff isn't memory resident IIRC.

With windoze, the least times the registry is modified the better.
 
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If you use a browser like Chrome none of them are required.

Many sites flip to HTML5 video players now if flash not present. If site is using flash or java it is quite old.

The browser world has moved on with recent Firefox and Chrome even on legacy OS.
 
Adobe Flash Player 18,0,0,194 NPAPI is not old or outdated. Really doesn't take a back seat to anyone with Firefox browsers using laptops or desktops.
 
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Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Exactly how is uninstalling software make a computer run faster?

It is like saying less money in the bank makes my wallet lighter.

This stuff isn't memory resident IIRC.

With windoze, the least times the registry is modified the better.

every single one of those programs has it's own update checker on startup. Every. Single. One.

All of those really do have a huge impact on boot time since each update checker needs to run its tasks. At the same time as all the others. During a time when the PC is also running other startup tasks. They really bog things down.
 
you could get rid of all of those if you run google chrome as it has all of those built-in.
 
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