errors with Internet Explorer

I have upgraded to IE7 and upgraded to JRE 5.0 update 10. When I try to go to a site that uses java I get the following errors: java tm plug in error java could not be loaded or several virtual machines running caused error. I have removed and reinstalled several times but cannot run any page that needs java. Have not been able to download plugins without getting the same error message. I am not very computer savvy and need simple explaination on how to resolve problem and prepare for the switch from MSJRE. Please help the uninformed. thank you

[557 byte] By [dts_xula1978a] at [2007-11-26 14:30:26]