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PC Knowledge Base - Windows Operating System How to Stop an ActiveX Control from Running in Internet Explorer
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IMPORTANT: The following contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs.

SUMMARY

The following describes how to stop an ActiveX control from running in Internet Explorer. You can do so by modifying the data value of the Compatibility Flags DWORD value for the Class identifier (CLSID) of the ActiveX control.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. It cannot be guaranteed that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

WARNING: Microsoft does not recommend "unkilling" (undoing the kill action on) an ActiveX control. If you do so, you may create security vulnerabilities. The kill bit is normally set for a reason that may be critical, and because of this, extreme care must be used when you unkill an ActiveX control. Also, because the following procedure is highly technical, you should not proceed unless you a very comfortable with the procedure, and you should read the whole procedure before you begin.

The CLSID for an ActiveX control is a globally unique identifier (GUID) for that control. You can prevent an ActiveX control from running in Internet Explorer by setting the "kill bit" so that the control is never called by Internet Explorer. The "kill bit" is a specific value for the Compatibility Flags DWORD value for the ActiveX control in the registry. Note that this is different than revoking the "safe for scripting" option in an ActiveX control. When the "safe for scripting" option is revoked, Internet Explorer still calls for the control and then prompts you with a warning message that the ActiveX control may be unsafe. Depending on the choice you make, the control may be run. However, after the "kill bit" is set for an ActiveX control, that control is not called by Internet Explorer at all. To set the "kill bit" so that an ActiveX control is never called by Internet Explorer:

  1. Determine the CLSID for the ActiveX control that you want to disable. If you are not sure of the CLSID for the control, contact the manufacturer. If the control is installed, you may be able to determine its CLSID if you know its friendly name.
    To do this, examine the Default string value for the ProgID key for each of the CLSID keys in
    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID.
    You may need to remove as many ActiveX controls as possible, except for the one that you want to disable, in order to make it easier to identify the appropriate CLSID. For additional information about how to remove ActiveX controls, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 154850 How to Remove an ActiveX Control in Windows
  2. Use Registry Editor to view the data value of the Compatibility Flags DWORD value of the ActiveX object CLSID in the following registry key
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\CLSID of the ActiveX control
    where CLSID of the ActiveX Control is the class identifier of the appropriate ActiveX control.
    NOTE: To determine which CLSID corresponds with the ActiveX control that you want to disable, you must first remove all of the ActiveX controls that are currently installed, install the control that you want to disable and then add the "Kill Bit" to its CLSID.
  3. Change the value of the Compatibility Flags DWORD value to 00000400.

The information in this article applies to:



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