Using Internet Explorer 9′s ActiveX Filtering Feature

ActiveX controls are programs that add extra functions to Internet Explorer, such as the ability to watch videos and play games in your web browser. While they can be useful, they can also pose a security risk. Internet Explorer 9′s new ActiveX Filtering feature can prevent websites from installing and using ActiveX controls on your computer. ActiveX Filtering blocks all ActiveX controls in Internet Explorer 9. However, you can customize the feature so that it doesn’t run on websites where you want to use ActiveX controls.

Turning On ActiveX Filtering

ActiveX Filtering is turned off by default in Internet Explorer 9. To turn the feature on, start Internet Explorer 9 and click the Tools button in the upper right hand corner of the browser. Select Safety, then ActiveX Filtering. A check mark should now appear beside ActiveX Filtering when you view the Tools drop-down menu.

Turning Off ActiveX Filtering for Certain Websites

To disable ActiveX Filtering for a specific website, you must create an exception. To do this, first navigate to the website in Internet Explorer 9. Examples of websites that require ActiveX controls to function include video websites like YouTube and Google Videos and gaming sites like MSN Games or Yahoo! Games. The website may give you a warning that you need to install Adobe Flash.
You should attempt to disable ActiveX Filtering in Internet Explorer 9 before attempting to reinstall Flash. To do this, click the blue circle button on the right side of the address bar, then click the Turn off ActiveX Filtering button. Repeat this step for each website on which you would like to use ActiveX controls.

Adding Websites to Trusted Sites

Adding your favorite websites to the Trusted Sites zone will eliminate many problems with IE9′s ActiveX Filtering. To do this, browse to the website in question, then select the Tools button and Internet Options. Click the Security tab. Under Select a zone to view or change security settings, select the Trusted sites icon, then click Sites.
The desired website address should appear under Add this website to the zone. If it doesn’t, type the URL in manually or copy and paste it into the field provided. Deselect the check box beside Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone, then click Add. Click Close and OK to close Internet Options.