[ayglass]

ActiveX controls are Microsoft's answer to Java. Microsoft operating systems will recognize both because other operating systems don't use ActiveX and they need to play nice with the rest of the world. That said, there are two ways you could see that error. One is if a banner ad is adding activeX to the page (which they sometimes do to track usernames and cookies to know who looks at the ads and who clicks on them) ActiveX also allows those animated ads. The other reason you might be seeing that error is that your browser or system could be infected with a virus or trojan that's going to an activeX page in the background. These evil things do background browsing because they generate revenue for sites that pay per "click" on ads. It would be prudent to run an anti-spyware program like Adaware or SpybotSD on your system just to make sure. They are both freeware and can be downloaded. It's good to look into those odd things as they can be a sign of malware. Malware is generally badly written ;-)

Personally, I'm a linux-head. But then again I work in computer security...