What Are ActiveX Controls?

What are ActiveX controls
"ActiveX controls" are familiar to anyone who regularly surfs the Internet. Yet, few people actually know what they are.

They just know that they are supposed to enable ActiveX controls to get all the features of a website they are trying to read, view, and/or listen to.

A Little ActiveX History...

ActiveX controls were originally called "OLE controls", and were the second generation of Microsoft's component architecture. VBXs, or Visual Basic Controls, had been the first generation.

OLE controls made use of an .OCX file extension. They were given the new name "ActiveX", but still used the .OCX name.

Here's what you need to know...

It's important to understand that ActiveX isn't a programming language. It comprises a set of rules for how different applications should share information.

Computer software programmers are able to develop ActiveX controls in a variety of computer languages: C, C++, Java, and Visual Basic.

ActiveX controls comprise a software module which is based upon the architecture of Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM).

This module enables a program to add functionality through accessing ready-made components which blend in and appear as normal parts of the program.

Usually, they're used to add user interface functions; commonly these are notepads, calculators, 3D toolbars, or spreadsheets.

ActiveX and the Internet

Now, when they're being used on the Internet, ActiveX controls can be attached into a Web page and downloaded via a compliant Web browser.What are ActiveX controls

ActiveX controls transform Web pages into software, acting as if they were a program launched from a server.

Just as with an executable program running from your computer's hard drive, ActiveX controls can perform any operation on your data.

So, ActiveX controls are similar to Java applets, but they go far beyond them, since when downloaded they have complete access to your Windows OS.

It is because ActiveX controls have this much power that the default setting on most Web browsers is to prompt the user if an ActiveX control is being requested, giving the user the choice to download it or not.

However, ActiveX controls, unlike Java applets, cannot run on all platforms, only Windows environments.

Microsoft helps protect users against remote control and spyware stealth downloads by way of registration system that it developed enabling browsers to identify and authenticate the ActiveX controls before they seek permission to download them.

Now, since ActiveX controls can assume so much control, when they experience an error in their running scripts they can wreak havoc on your computer.What are ActiveX controls

Your screen can go blank, programs can stop running, or ActiveX might interfere with or be interfered with by programs like Adobe Reader or your Flash Movie Player.

One of the most commonly experienced ActiveX errors is the message, "Component 'Comdlg32.ocx' or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid"

If you experience an ActiveX error, you need to access programs purpose-designed to fix errors in your operating system.

What this means for you is that you'll need to run a diagnostic program, and to do that you'll have to access a registry repair program. Its simply one of the many tasks that every registry repair program is designed to complete.

If you have been experiencing these errors, the least you can do is try out one of the free registry scans and see if these errors occur. If they show up, then you can take the necessary steps to repair them.

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