Solving Active X Problems

What Is ActiveX?

The ActiveX technology enables creation of software modules or components that can be reused and provide extended functionality to various applications. These software components are called Active X controls and they are free of the programming language they are created in.

What Does ActiveX Do?

There are various Active X controls available that add to the functionality of Microsoft applications. There are controls available for Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Word, etc. These components are quite similar to Java applets; however, Active X controls are far more powerful than Java applets. Although this means that they are more useful and can be used widely, this also means that they are potentially far more dangerous than a Java applet can ever be.

Powerful = Vulnerable?

The ability of Active X to do a lot with little coding, makes it a very vulnerable target for malicious programs. When you browse the Internet using Internet Explorer, the web browser may download Active X controls without your permission. These Active X installers might contain malicious code or come bundled with malicious software like Trojans, worms, etc. When installed on your PC, they wreak havoc and prevent your computer from normal functioning.

Best Practice to Prevent ActiveX Problems

An easy method to prevent yourself from this is to disable automatic downloading and installing of Active X controls while you’re browsing the Internet. Also enabling the option where you’re asked whether you want to install a particular Active X control from a website increases your security online. To do this:

Open Internet Explorer.
Go to the Tools menu and click Internet Options.
Open the Security tab and click on the Custom Level button.
In the ActiveX controls and plug-ins section, select all Prompt options, expect for Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins and Script Active X controls marked safe for scripting. For these two options, select Enable.

This ensures that you are prompted every time an Active X control is about to be downloaded and installed.

It is a good practice to trust your instincts when online and not allow Active X downloads from websites that you don’t absolutely trust.

A Clean Registry Minimizes ActiveX Errors

Active X errors are a somewhat common occurrences among people who regularly use Internet Explorer. Active X errors might prevent you from opening Internet Explorer or even Windows Explorer in some cases. These errors are a result of faulty entries in the registry which correspond to these Active X values. Fixing Active X errors therefore, also involves fixing a damaged registry.

A damaged registry refers to an unnecessarily cluttered registry that considerably affects the performance of your computer. Various kinds of malware may also change existing registry entries or add malicious entries to generate ActiveX and other errors on your computer. In such a case it is necessary that you use a good registry cleaner to clean all the junk that your registry might have. A reliable tool such as SpeedyPC that can not only help you clean your registry, but also clean other unwanted debris on your computer. This useful tool helps in sweeping your PC clean in just a single mouse click.

SpeedyPC!