Here are the steps to disable Java auto-update:

1. Open the Control Panel in Windows (XP, Vista etc.)
2. Double-click on the Java icon to open the Java Control Panel
   
   
    
3. Go to the Update tab (i.e. click on the Update tab at the top of the dialog box)
4. Uncheck the checkbox to the left of "Check for Updates Automatically":
   
   
    
    
5. Alternatively, If you prefer to get notification of new versions only, you can keep the checkbox to the left of "Check for Updates Automatically" checked and change "Notify Me:" to "Before downloading":
   
   
   
    
6. Click OK to complete the change.