Closing Java Applet shows error window, locks browser.

Recently, whenever I am using IE7 and I close a java applet that appears in
it's own window, I get an error like this and my browser is locked to the
degree that I have to kill it via task manager:

-------------------
Application Error
-------------------
General Exception

Name: (class name)
java.lang.NullPointerException: null pData
-------------------

It happens with several different java applets, applets that have worked for
many many years and still work fine in other browsers. I had Sun JVM
1.6.0_07, and retrograded it to 1.6.0_01, but it is still happening.

I've searched the web for this and found that it is supposed to only be an
issue with IE8 beta. But it is still a problem for me in IE7. I have
checked windows update and there are no new IE7s.

This is definately an IE problem, and if I cannot find a way to resolve it,
IE will rapidly become my least used browser.

--
joe larson