Active X

Microsoft developed a technology known as Active X that allows for programmed content or capabilities to be delivered over the internet. These object oriented programming tools are based on the Component Object Model, or COM. Components that run in an Active X environment are self-sufficient programs called Active X controls. These controls are similar to Java applets in that they are often interactive and they add extra functionality to websites.

Active X controls can be downloaded automatically and executed by web browsers which pose serious security concerns.

Many malicious programmers have taken advantage of the lack of security involved with Active X and have spread viruses, spyware, Trojans, and other unwanted programs in this manner. When visiting a website with malicious Active X controls, the user’s web browser automatically downloads and executes it. Because of this, many browsers are set to disable Active X programming.

If your web browser is set to block Active X, you’ll likely encounter your fair share of Active X errors because each time you visit a website featuring various Active X controls, your PC will warn you about it. A typical Active X error looks like this:

“This page provides potentially unsafe information to an ActiveX Control. Your current security settings prohibit running controls in this manner. As a result, this page may not display correctly.”

You can manually override your web browser settings to allow Active X controls to run by going into Internet Explorer, choosing Tools, and Internet Options. Click the Security tab and choose Custom level. You’ll want to make sure that the following selections are enabled:

• Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins
• Scripting
• Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting

Other Active X errors can involve corrupt or missing files. For example, a known issue involving Microsoft Office 97 and the registry eraser utility causes Active X errors when trying to access a drive through either My Computer or Windows Explorer. This particular error involves a missing DLL file. While this error is specific to these programs and not terribly common anymore, it is typical of this type of Active X error related to corruption or lost files.

Troubleshooting these errors involves finding and replacing the damaged file. In this particular case, the Office 97 installation disc contains a fresh copy of the missing DLL. To solve the problem, users simply need to copy and paste the DLL into the appropriate directory on the hard drive.

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