title: How to configure Chrome's Java plugin so it uses an existing JDK in the machine
body: <p>When installing JDK in my machines (Windows&nbsp;7), I do the following.</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>install latest 1.7 JDK with the Oracle installer (just the JDK, no <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_Virtual_Machine#Execution_environment" rel="noreferrer">JRE</a>)</li>
  <li>copy the install folder, to the place I really want, remove samples, etc.</li>
  <li>uninstall Java </li>
  <li>set %JAVA_HOME%, add %JAVA_HOME%\bin to %Path%</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>Then I synchronise that folder in all my machines so I keep it updated (with unlimited cryptography stuff, <a href="http://onjava.com/pub/a/onjava/2001/05/03/java_security.html?page=4" rel="noreferrer">jssecacerts</a>, <code>java.policy</code>, endorsed libraries, etc).</p>
  
  <p><strong>BUT</strong> this has one big caveat, when Chrome needs to use load a page that uses Java, it thinks Java is not installed and wants to install it. I don't want to install it as it would mess with my 'hand-installed' JDK.</p>
  
  <p>So is there a way to configure Chrome so it uses the JDK in my disk?
  I have both JDK 32-bit and JDK 64-bit, so that is not a problem (I guess I would need to use the 32-bit one with Chrome).</p>
  
  <p>I found a question in the Chrome project, <em><a href="http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Chrome/thread?tid=1187cd3f6c980910&amp;hl=en" rel="noreferrer">How do I have the Chrome Java plugin reference an existing JDK without reinstalling Java?</a></em>, but no replies so far...</p>
  
  <p>UPDATE: for Ubuntu, see Kalyan's answer</p>
  
  <p>UPDATE: I still continue to use this approach successfully, last time with 1.7.0_21 on win7</p>
  
  <p>UPDATE for 1.7.45: the path in the windows registry now is [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins]</p>