ActiveX controls are small programs that work on your computer to create various applications through the internet. Programmers use ActiveX in any number of programs including Silverlight, Flash, WMV files and AVI files. Normally these files work correctly in Windows Media Player, and so long as you have your Media player updated, you should always be able to see the latest forms of these files correctly. If you wanted to use the sorts of files in Internet Explorer, however, you may find additional ActiveX controls to be necessary.

You’ll see prompts to update or download ActiveX controls on a wide range of websites as you navigate through the web, and most of these ActiveX controls are correct and necessary to run a particular webpage or program correctly. Always be careful, however, about checking a site to be sure it’s legitimate before agreeing to update the ActiveX controls for a particular page or program as they can be used maliciously.

Finding ActiveX on Internet Explorer

ActiveX is automatically installed with Internet Explorer, so when you are running Internet Explorer, you’re also running ActiveX controls. Each time you need a new ActiveX control for a particular file type, like Flash or WMV files, you’ll be prompted to install the controls from the actual page you’re on.

The message to update or install the ActiveX controls usually appears near the top of your screen when you visit the page. Simply select Install ActiveX Control to begin the download directly from that website.

Internet Explorer 8 and 9 both have some outstanding features, especially in terms of the various add-ons you can use to fully customize your browsing experience. These features take the form of browser plug-ins, called ActiveX objects.  ActiveX downloads are simple to install on your version of Internet Explorer, and once you’ve added your favorites, you’ll have a truly personalized browser. Need some suggestions to get started with your own add-ons? Check out this top 10 list of some of the best Active-X plug-ins, consistently ranked high by IE users worldwide. 

1. Share on Facebook
If you’re into Facebook and you like to share certain things with friends, this quick accelerator for IE8 makes it easier than ever to share what you like. Once you’ve installed the add-on, you simply need to highlight text on the webpage or news article and click the button. And just like that you’ve shared your tidbit for all of your friends to see.

Are you using the Firefox web browser and have problems because it doesn’t use ActiveX objects? There is a plug-in available for use on the Firefox web browser. Let’s talk about what ActiveX is and why it is important to have the plug-in for the Firefox web browser.

What is ActiveX?

ActiveX is Microsoft Window’s framework for how sharing information between multiple applications works. Think of ActiveX objects as mini “add-ons” that work with multiple programs within your PC or your Internet browser to give your computing experience a little extra “oomph.”

ActiveX controls create a lot of versatility for end users on PCs. Programmers and developers utilize ActiveX to implement sound, Java applets, and animations into web pages to make them more interactive. Objects can be also used as tools for software development or productivity functions. For example Microsoft Word’s spell checker can also be used in Outlook Express or any other number of programs with the right interface, this is the result of ActiveX. Word “shares” its spell checker with Outlook so those emails to your boss don’t get sent with mangled grammar.