The article mentions to install the 32-bit offline installer but what if you are 64? I know 32-bit will work but are there disadvantages to using it over 64-bit? Or can you just download the 64-bit and uncheck the shovelware?
> 64-bit Windows operating systems (which may be Windows 7, Vista or XP) come with a 32-bit Internet Explorer (IE) browser as the standard (default) for viewing web pages. These operating systems also include a 64-bit Internet Explorer browser, however using it is optional and it must be explicitly selected to view web pages. Note that because some web content may not work properly in a 64-bit browser, we recommend using the default 32-bit browser and downloading 32-bit Java.
More details: http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/java_win64bit.xml
If you're doing development, well then shame on you for not already knowing what you need. You also probably won't want the JRE, you'll want the JDK, which doesn't come with the shovelware anyway.
If you're a developer and you just need to run some Java utilities, then you'll probably be fine with the 32-bit JRE.
Basically, if you really need the 64-bit version, you probably already know it.