Don’t Let ActiveX Errors Ruin Your Computer

ActiveX controls are the small programs that are also known as Add-ons. They act as building blocks and are used to serve the purpose of the creation of distributed applications. These applications can be used to work on the internet using the web browsers. They are downloaded and executed automatically by the web browser. These were introduced by Microsoft in 1996 for the development of Component Object Model (COM) as well as Object embedding and linking (OLE) technologies. It is used with Windows operating system. ActiveX controls can be embedded onto web pages with the help of Internet Explorer.

Many web sites require installation of the ActiveX controls in order to perform certain tasks. In this case the browser seeks permission to download the ActiveX control. Examples of ActiveX controls are customized applications used for the purpose of gathering data, to view certain types of files and to display animation. At present, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, and Microsoft Visual Studio are using ActiveX controls in order to encapsulate their functionality and build the feature set that can be then embedded inside other applications.

ActiveX controls are similar to Java applets since they are designed by the programmers so that they can be downloaded and executed by the web browsers. But there are many differences between the two:

1)Java applets can be used and run on any platform, whereas ActiveX components can operate only with Microsoft's web browser (Internet Explorer) and with Operating System of Microsoft windows.

2)Programmers have granted ActiveX controls to have a good control over the windows operating system than Java which makes them both dangerous as well as powerful. To have control over this risk, a registration system has been developed by the Microsoft so that there can be identification and authentication of ActiveX control by the browsers before downloading it.

3)Various malwares like computer viruses as well as spywares can be installed accidentally by websites with the help of ActiveX controls but this is rare in case of java applets

ActiveX controls are not the programming language but they are a set of rules that govern how various applications should have sharing of information. These controls can be written in various languages or environments like: ATL, Borland Delphi, C++, MFC, and Visual Basic and C #

List boxes, Command Buttons, internet Explorer and dialog boxes are the examples of various ActiveX controls. ActiveX controls are just like other software programs and can be misused as they can collect browsing habits and stop computer from proper functioning. Besides this, personal information can be collected without prior knowledge and there can be unrequited pop up ads. Good ActiveX controls may also contain code that is unintended and hence allows their use by bad Web sites for malicious purposes.

ActiveX controls should be installed only when there is sufficient information regarding the Web site that is offering the control and about the publisher that has created the control. ActiveX control that is not essential for the computer activity should be avoided.

An easy way to fix ActiveX errors is to download your free software at ActiveX Errors. You can conduct a free scan on your computer and the software will tell you if you have any ActiveX errors so they can be fixed. By running the scan it will also help speed up your computer as it will clean your registry files which bog down your computer.