25th December 2001

An ActiveX control installation dialog may look relatively benign. Pressing the wrong button could give Internet Explorer an unwanted present. Companies have resorted to sly descriptions to make you believe that you need to install something. Bah. Only if I know what I'm getting - and if I know I'll be visiting the page again at any point in the future - will I install a third-party plugin. What if you want to remove or update it? Can't do it through the Control Panel's Add / Remove Programs applet. Instead, open the Internet Options dialog. On the General tab, press the Settings button. Now, press the View Objects button. It will pop open an Explorer window containing all of the installed ActiveX controls. Careful about what you delete in here; it may be required for the browser to function properly. Right-click an icon to pull up more options, including its Properties (which lists the program's dependencies). While you're at it, in the Internet Properties dialog, be sure to flip to the Security tab and press the Custom Level button to make sure the "Download signed ActiveX controls" option is set to Prompt. "Download unsigned ActiveX controls" should be Disabled. Thanks to AJ Murphy for the tip!