The use of ActiveX controls are essential for Microsoft Internet Explorer to operate effectively. Without them, certain parts of a web page may not function in the way that the designer intended.

ActiveX is an umbrella term for a loose set of Microsoft technologies. They cover a wide variety of purposes, but the most common includes the ability of OLE to integrate with Microsoft’s popular browser. ActiveX controls are responsible for translating data in to a visual representation on the screen. For example, you might use an ActiveX control to access an embedded spreadsheet. Another popular use comes in the form of an integrated FTP window.

For all of its technology advances, ActiveX is actually quite unstable if left to work on all websites. Malicious users have found a way to target browsers with weak security, and they’ll go as far as to distribute spyware through the misleading certificates of the control.

Many ActiveX errors are triggered by browsers that have had their security settings tampered with. If the security levels aren’t adjusted to accept ActiveX controls, the additional content won’t function and you’ll be left with an error. This is a very common problem and thankfully it’s easy to fix.

Presuming that you’re running Microsoft Internet Explorer, follow these simple steps;

• Select Tools > Internet Options from the top toolbar.
• Navigate your way to the Security tab and notice the different levels. Set the security bar to Medium.
• Click on the Custom Level tab. Ensure that the following boxes are checked; “Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins”, “Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting”, and “Scripting”.
• Save and apply your changes.
• Relaunch Microsoft Internet Explorer

This should ensure that ActiveX controls display properly in your browser.

It’s possible that you may still receive an “ActiveX disabled” error. If this is the case, it’s likely that the problem stems from an anti-virus program. Many of these come with settings which disable scripting from the browser, and they will override the existing Internet Options. If you are still having difficulty getting ActiveX to display, ensure that scripting is enabled on your anti-Virus program. There’s an easy way to test whether this is the source of the problem.

Try disabling your anti-Virus protection and refresh the page. If the ActiveX control displays, you know for sure that it’s the anti-Virus suite that is causing the clash. Of course, these programs can be configured very differently. We’d recommend that you check the support site for your software and locate the correct configuration settings. Alternatively, find a “Restore Default Settings” option in the suite and click this. Be careful though, this will return ALL settings to the default values.

Don’t rule out the possibility that an ActiveX control is simply not coded correctly. They aren’t the simplest plug-ins to work with and if a developer uploads code with a slight fault, the entire control will return an error. It may seem as if your browser is to blame, but it’s actually the fault of the coder. Check for a test ActiveX control from Microsoft if you’re unsure.

It’s unlikely, but ActiveX errors can also be triggered by a deep routed problem with the system video card and its drivers. You will typically see a lot more problems than mere ActiveX errors alone if this is the case, but it shouldn’t be ruled out completely. It’s a good idea to keep your video drivers up to date as a matter of good habit. You can upgrade them from the system settings.

If this still doesn’t fix the Active X control, it’s worth visiting the DirectX website and downloading the latest components for your machine. Once again, it’s highly unlikely that a graphics card fault will be the real source of the problem. If it is, you’ll typically notice the performance setbacks in everything that your system does.

ActiveX isn’t the most stable of technologies and its controls can be easily affected by the settings of a browser of the configuration of an anti-Virus package. Be sure to check that scripting is enabled, and if this doesn’t do the trick, consider upgrading your video drivers and obtain the latest DirectX software.

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