Java Plug in Crashes

My java plug in is constantly crashing when i am playing games, in particular Runescape. It gives no error message. Sometimes the screen freezes, sometimes turns all black or all white. I have tried updating to the most current version, Java 6 update 17. I have tried using firefox, chrome, i.e.(32 and 64 bit), and even the standalone application. It makes no difference. The crashes become more frequent as I continue playing. (5 minutes when i start, then gets as bad as 30 sec.)
If I am playing in the standalone application, my browser frequently crashes along with the game.
75% of the time a refresh will fix this problem for a few minutes, but sometimes i need to restart the browser.

One other thing, in the bottom right corner of my taskbar, it will show multiple java icons running. If i hover over them with my mouse, all but one dissappears.

My specs are: Windows 7 professional 64 bit 6.01.7600. AMD dual core 3.0 processor, 2GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT video card.

I am not sure, but I believe some java utilities will not work with a x64 version of IE. There is a no add-on version of IE, have you tried that (and I do not know if your java is an add-on or not)?

Yes, my java is an add-on, so it will not even load in the no add on internet explorer.

Does anybody have any other ideas? This problem is really starting to annoy me.