What is ActiveX ?

[Holly]

Hey,
If anyone can tell me what ActiveX is when you want to play games? when i try to play a game on msn messenger or like "ZONE" it says something about "ACTIVEX" and that i need to download it and that I don't have it. If any one knows what this is..please contact me! thanks very much

 

[Phantasm66]

I think you mean Direct X, but maybe you mean ActiveX, so here is what that is. Or, rather, what an ActiveX control is.

ActiveX control
techweb
A software module based on Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM) architecture. It enables a program to add functionality by calling ready-made components that blend in and appear as normal parts of the program. They are typically used to add user interface functions, such as 3-D toolbars, a notepad, calculator or even a spreadsheet.

On the Internet or on an intranet, ActiveX controls can be linked to a Web page and downloaded by an ActiveX-compliant Web browser. Such controls turn Web pages into software that can work like any program launched from a server. Like any native executable program, ActiveX controls can perform any operation whatsoever on your computer. The default configuration in most Web browsers is to prompt the user if an ActiveX control is being requested so the user can decide to download it or not (not always an easy decision).

ActiveX controls were originally called "OLE controls" and used an .OCX file extension. They were Microsoft's second-generation component architecture (Visual Basic Controls (VBXs) were the first). OLE controls were renamed ActiveX and continued to use the .OCX name.

What is DirectX?

A set of multimedia programming interfaces from Microsoft for Windows. Windows developers program to the DirectX APIs, and the manufacturers of sound cards and display adapters write DirectX drivers to be included with their hardware. DirectX provides a high-level interface for accessing low-level functions "directly." It accesses the hardware abstraction layer in Windows (see HAL).

The first DirectX API was introduced in late 1995 to encourage game developers to move their software to Windows. Before DirectX, games for the PC were written in DOS in order to redraw the screen fast enough for realtime animation. To obtain the speed, gaming companies had to write drivers for a variety of display adapters, which was a development headache.

DirectX provides a single interface to write to, and DirectDraw and Direct3D provides calls to access the frame buffer and advanced features of the display adapter, which are not provided in the standard Windows GDI graphics interface. When DirectX was introduced, display adapter vendors were quick to develop DirectX drivers that would expose low-level functions of their hardware to the application. DirectX is also capable of emulating graphics functions in software that are not built into the hardware. This is known as the Hardware Emulation Layer (HEL).

To determine which version of DirectX is installed in your PC, select Run from the Start menu, type in dxdiag and click OK. Look under System Information for the DirectX Version number.

www.techweb.com

Downloads:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...20-bfbb-4799-9908-d418cdeac197&DisplayLang=en

 

[Holly]

Phantasm66 about ActiveX

I read your reply! thanks for replying to me.
It doesnt really fit to what I was getting. I was getting something on msn messenger when I tried to play games with other people and I see it everywhere now when i'm trying to do something. If by any chance can you check it out and research "ActiveX" for me?
Thanks!

 

[Nic]

You can think of ActiveX as a small program running in the background, as this is the type of ActiveX you are refering to.

 

[Phantasm66]

Does it say that you need to install an activex Add-on?

To update ActiveX add-ons

Open Internet Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Manage Add-ons.
In the Show box, click the arrow and select Add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer.
In the list of add-ons, click the add-on you want to update, and then click Update ActiveX.

It may be that you are missing Macromedia Flash player to view some of the content on the page. Go to the Macromedia Web site and download it.

 

[Holly]

Phantasm66 THANKS but one more question

ok i found it! that is EXACTLY what i am looking for..but it wont let me click on it..what do i have to do to be able to click on it?
Thanks
Holly

 

[Phantasm66]

Not sure what you mean by not click on it - not click on what?

Are you able to download the Macromedia Flash installer?

http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash

and you should probably download and install shockwave as well:

http://sdc.shockwave.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?