Stumped by Java

I'm not a technological dummy, but I'm no whiz either. Earlier in a post (see comments), I had mentioned that I ended up uninstalling Mozilla Firefox because when I downloaded the Java Runtime Environment 2 from Sun Microsystems, I lost sound on a few Java driven online games that my wife likes to play. My plan was to try to find a solution, then reinstall Firefox.

I have Firefox and Internet Explorer at work and have encountered the same problem. This makes me think that it goes beyond just my computer. So for the sake of my sanity, could someone else with both Firefox and Explorer try Wild Wild Words on Gamesville. You should hear sound every time a letter tile drops. With both installed, I do not.

I went to Sun for help, and they directed me to a test page (the same one Mozilla does) and I do see the dancing Duke.

I also encountered this sound problem on a game on Popcap, but I can't recall which game it was. I'm just not sure if I created some conflict somewhere. I tried deselecting one of the browsers from the Java control panel, but that didn't make any difference. The conspiracy theorist in my head blames Microsoft, but then again, I like to blame Microsoft for more than even they deserve ... it's too fun.

Any constructive feedback would be helpful. This isn't the biggest issue in the world, it's just the one that's nagging me right now.