Jusched.exe is the Java update scheduler. Sun Microsystems Java installs this process to periodically check for updates related to Java handling, the runtime environment, and Internet browsing, and install them whenever they are present. By default, it is installed as a service and is set to start automatically.

This process is non-essential and can be safely terminated as it sits there consuming memory space only to check once a month for Sun community updates. Note that ending the process will prevent automatic Java updates. To prevent the Java Update Scheduler from starting at startup, in Windows XP/Vista, open the Java Control Panel and uncheck “Automatically check for updates”.

When asked if you want to update monthly, click “Never update”. However, this will mean that if a Java security update is available, you will lose it. If you want to update Sun Java at a later stage, simply go back to the same Java plugin icon in the Control Panel, to the “Update” tab, and click the Update Now button.

What you can also do to set it to run once a month automatically without having to remember to turn the feature on is to go to Start >> Control Panel and search for Scheduled Tasks. Follow the wizard to choose a month and date, and then when you get to the “Start a program” screen, use this as the path:

“C:Program FilesJavajre1.6.0_01binjucheck.exe”

adjusting the path if you are running a different version of Java. The key thing to note is that it runs jucheck.exe in your Java directory, so if you don’t know the JAVA runtime environment you’re running, go to “C:Program FilesJava” and sign up there.