What is Active X/COM ?

[surrealchereal]

Every time (almost) that I run the Norton Utilities, to find and fix Windoz problems I end up with Invalid Active X/com problems, from 2 to 50. What is it? and what in the heck am I doing that's so disrupting?
TIA,
surreal

[surrealchereal]

*bump

[NDC]

Here you go:

Q: I use Symantec's SystemWorks to keep my system running smoothly. When I use its Norton Utilities to scan for problems, I get a report back that I have "invalid Active X /com entries" in the Registry.

I have Norton Utilities to repair the problems. But when I rerun the utility, I get the same message. Are these problems so minuscule that they don't matter, or is the program not able to repair what's wrong?
- Joe Czabator
preload1@juno.com

A: You are getting the error message because Active X controls, which Webmasters use to make their sites interactive, add references to themselves in the Windows Registry.

Unlike most entries in that database, the Active X references don't actually link to a program or to a piece of hardware.

Thus, when Norton Utilities finds Active X entries, it thinks it has run into a problem, when really it has not.

When you order Norton Utilities to fix a nonexistent problem, it can't. So the next time you run the utility, it comes back at you with the same error message.

Because the Active X entries in the Registry are innocuous, you can just ignore WinDoctor's concern about them. But if they really bug you, configure Norton Utilities to ignore Active X.

In the latest version of SystemWorks, you can do so by starting Norton Utilities and launching WinDoctor. When WinDoctor's first dialog box appears, click on "Let me choose which tests to run" and then press "Enter."

You will then get the WinDoctor wizard, which lists all of the tests the utility performs. Disable the two tests referring to Active X by clicking on the boxes next to the entries to remove the check marks in the boxes.

The process may vary in earlier editions of Norton Utilities.


http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/05/06/business/FAQ06.htm

It appears that since the Active X in the registry is linked to a website, not a valid software or hardware that exists in your system, Norton Utility assumes there is an error in the registry. From reading the article, looks like you can just ignore it and disable the option for detection of Active X...


[This message has been edited by NDC (edited 06-08-2001).]

[surrealchereal]

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