Java SE (Java Platform, Standard Edition)

I am currently using Windows Vista and Firefox 3.0.11.

For some reason Java applets or any pages running Java applications will not load. Instead, FF freezes up, "whites out", and I get the error "Firefox has stopped working" with the option to "Close the Program". I've tried re-installing both FF and Java to no avail. I even copied the "np" files from Java's "bin" folder into FF's "plugins" folder. I have also ran FF as administrator, but that did not solve the problem. When I checked FF's plugins, all Java related plugins are of the same version, so it is not an issue of outdated add-ons. One thing I have noticed is that when I had Windows XP, Java loaded properly in FF (and it even came with "Java Quick Starter 1.0"). Now, with Vista (and no JQS), Java does not work in FF. I've tried several solutions and have done all the googling in the world.

With all of these FF/Java related issues, I'd think Microsoft purposely sabotaged their rival browser, because Java works perfectly in Internet Explorer 8. It's just that I prefer FF better than IE8, and no Java has been very irritating.

Please help. Any more solutions are appreciated.