Help With Windows XP

[Chris]

Hi - Please can someone help me with Windows XP. I have service pack 2 on it, but various programs that I need to download, tell me that I need something called Active X, but each time I try download it a pop blocker comes up & will not let me install it. When I click on the pop up, it tells me to click on the pop up to download Active X, but when I do - it does not do anything. Where am I going wrong?

I need to get it sorted as I wanted to download the Top Gun promo video, but it says my videoplayer needs a newer version & to download it I need Active X.

Help as this is doing my head in

Thanks,

[Angry_Radish]

There are a few tweaks you can do to your security settings, but the quickest way just to gt things updated would be to run windows update..
In IE, under tools, click on "windows update", and update your computer

[RKnarr01]

usually when it says that active x thing there will be a little toolbar that will pop up at the top of the screen you should be able to select the toolbar and then click download active x controls or something like that.

[Chris]

usually when it says that active x thing there will be a little toolbar that will pop up at the top of the screen you should be able to select the toolbar and then click download active x controls or something like that.

I have tried that but it won't let me for some reason

[spikescot2005]

Don't take this wrong but is it a real copy of xp

[Chris]

The computor is a 2nd hand one that I bought from work, so how would be able to tell if it was genuine or not?

[lucky20]

have you tried holding "ctrl" key down when you click this should allow the pop up

[drcrippen324]

Hmm have you tryed putting a game on there that uses active x as they usualy have a free copy on the disk that will install on fair near anything and then update from there

[SChaos]

OK guys lets not confuse Active X with Direct X and or Div X

This should allow you to install and update Active X as needed:

1. Open IE then select from pull down options tools
2. Now look for the tab that says security
3. You will then need to select Custom Level
4. Now you will find various options for Active X
5. Here are the settings I reccomend you try
6. "Enabled" for Active X controls and plug ins
7. "Prompt" for Download Signed Active X
8. "Disabled" for Unsigned Active X

This should do the trick for Active X! Now if you are running a hardware or software based firewall you may have additional problems to deal with.

Now as stated above by one of our other members... if you need the latest Direct X ... This is entirely different and you can go here to download the latest version of Direct X. YES if you have a new game they typically will include the latest greatest version of Direct X ... (not Active X)

As for running in the sys tray... Not Active X that would be DivX or Java....

Hope this helps you solve your problem...

[Chris]

Thanks for your help guys - Schaos I will try this when I get from home from tonight.

[Angry_Radish]

I wasn't confusing the 2, he wanted to update media player when it all comes down to it, but now that I think of it, he'll get a popup doing that too when it wants to install the control (which is probably what he's seeing anyway)

Chrish, you ARE running Internet Explorer, right?
You can't run activex stuff in firefox, etc..

OK guys lets not confuse Active X with Direct X and or Div X

This should allow you to install and update Active X as needed:

1. Open IE then select from pull down options tools
2. Now look for the tab that says security
3. You will then need to select Custom Level
4. Now you will find various options for Active X
5. Here are the settings I reccomend you try
6. "Enabled" for Active X controls and plug ins
7. "Prompt" for Download Signed Active X
8. "Disabled" for Unsigned Active X

This should do the trick for Active X! Now if you are running a hardware or software based firewall you may have additional problems to deal with.

Now as stated above by one of our other members... if you need the latest Direct X ... This is entirely different and you can go here to download the latest version of Direct X. YES if you have a new game they typically will include the latest greatest version of Direct X ... (not Active X)

As for running in the sys tray... Not Active X that would be DivX or Java....

Hope this helps you solve your problem...

[Chris]

Yes running IE - I am going to have a mess around with it when I get home from work tonight. I will let you know how I get on.

[By-Tor]

OK guys lets not confuse Active X with Direct X and or Div X

This should allow you to install and update Active X as needed:

1. Open IE then select from pull down options tools
2. Now look for the tab that says security
3. You will then need to select Custom Level
4. Now you will find various options for Active X
5. Here are the settings I reccomend you try
6. "Enabled" for Active X controls and plug ins
7. "Prompt" for Download Signed Active X
8. "Disabled" for Unsigned Active X

This should do the trick for Active X! Now if you are running a hardware or software based firewall you may have additional problems to deal with.

Now as stated above by one of our other members... if you need the latest Direct X ... This is entirely different and you can go here to download the latest version of Direct X. YES if you have a new game they typically will include the latest greatest version of Direct X ... (not Active X)

As for running in the sys tray... Not Active X that would be DivX or Java....

Hope this helps you solve your problem...

SChaos was on the right track, however, he missed a few of the ActiveX switches.

Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe - Disable

Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins - Enable

Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting - Enable

[SChaos]

Don't listen to By-Tor...

We just do IT Support all day every day year round together

SChaos! hehehehehe

[Firewire]

So wife came home today with a $50 700 mhz Compaq laptop. Not a bad little unit, but it's been wiped clean. Where can I get an OEM copy of XP cheap?

I am a Mac user and this is to play around with.

[Brother_of_CLAU]

the Short answer is......BUY A MAC!!

When pop up blocker prevents the application from downloading right mouse click the top of the linked window (not the top of the IE window) select Allow pop ups... Thats it...

Good luck

[Firewire]

I have 2 macs and love them!

We had a rash where both admins and a several mods switched to Mac and Arbycoffee has been a mac user for years.

The windows laptop is needed for my GPS unit. I can't update it without windows. It's the first thing I have run into that required windows.

[luckydog]

Check Ebay for OEM programs.

[Firewire]

Guess I kinda Hijacked this thread! Sorry, back to regular programming.

[Brother_of_CLAU]

Yeah, I know what you mean, I hate it that the GPS companies do not support MAC's I just added a MacBook Pro to me collection of computers, Windows can install on this system with a few tweaks. I believe within a few years the MAC will features windows compatability but I dout that windows will ever be able to install the VERY Stable No Hassel Just works OS X. or above....