ActiveX is Preventing a Website from Opening

ActiveX is a Microsoft technology that allows interactive content from the web to show up on your computer screen. ActiveX allows content such as music, videos and graphics to come alive using the features enabled in the ActiveX programs. Without ActiveX Windows users may not be able to utilize some of the technology available on certain websites.

Troubleshooting through the issue of ActiveX preventing you from opening certain websites is not as complex as you may think. Any roadblock can be frustrating when dealing with your computer time because it gets in the way of you doing what you need to do. For those of us that use our computers for enjoyment the last thing we want to encounter is an issue with one of the programs that we need to use to complete our task.

Simply put, you have to download ActiveX and then ensure that it is enabled on your machine before it will work. Users who do not have this feature will be prompted to download it. Even after download users may still have to either enable or allow ActiveX to run on your computer by following a series of steps.
If ActiveX is not on your system or not enabled you may get an error message that states “ActiveX is preventing the opening of this site,” “You are unable to open this site” or “This site might require the following ActiveX control.” If you do receive one of these errors you will know that you need to do something if you want to view the website. If ActiveX is not installed and you need it for a site you are trying to view the internet explorer information bar at the top of your screen will prompt you to install ActiveX and walk you through the following steps:

• Double click on the information bar across the top of your screen which will be prompting you to install ActiveX.
• Select Install ActiveX Control.
• Follow the steps as they are provided to you.
• When prompted to do so, click Install.

If you take the steps above and are met with failure you will have to ensure that ActiveX is enabled on your system. To enable ActiveX, take the following steps:

• Open your browser.
• Go to Tools.
• Click on Internet Options.
• Click on Security.
• Click on Custom Level.
• Under the ActiveX controls and plug-ins check the box that says Enable for Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls.
• You will then get a warning that asks “Are you sure you want to change the settings for this zone?” Click Yes.

While this process may seem tedious just to open up a program, Windows is trying to protect your system by sending these error messages and then allowing you the information to fix them if you should choose to proceed with opening the website that requires ActiveX. You should only have to install and enable ActiveX on one occasion and you should not be met with any error messages in the future.