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ActiveX control is not loaded with modified CODEBASE value in the registry

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Warning

The retired, out-of-support Internet Explorer 11 desktop application has been permanently disabled through a Microsoft Edge update on certain versions of Windows 10. For more information, see Internet Explorer 11 desktop app retirement FAQ.

This article provides information about resolving how to modify the registry value to load ActiveX controls.

Original product version:   Internet Explorer 11, Internet Explorer 10
Original KB number:   262380

Important

This article 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. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, see Windows registry information for advanced users.

Symptoms

When you view a Web page that attempts to load an ActiveX control, a red X may be displayed instead, the ActiveX control may not be loaded, or the Web page may display a message similar to:

ActiveX control failed to load!-- check browser security settings.

Cause

This problem can occur if all of the following conditions exist:

  • The Web page is attempting to load an ActiveX control from the Microsoft Internet Explorer Components Gallery.

  • The CODEBASE attribute is not specified in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) code on the Web page, or the CODEBASE attribute specifies a version that will not be found, such as #version=-1, -1, -1, -1.

  • The CODEBASE value in the client computer's registry has been modified. This value can be modified manually or by corporate administrators with the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK). At stage 5 (the Policies and Restrictions section) in the IEAK, there is a Code Download option under Corporate Settings that is set to the following value by default:

    [CODEBASE];(http://activex.microsoft.com/objects/ocget.dll)

    The version number of -1, -1, -1, -1 is typically used to force an ActiveX control to download every time a page is accessed. The internal network in an enterprise may be configured not to allow access to the Internet; if that happens, activex.microsoft.com is not accessible. This option allows corporate administrators to specify a custom path for Internet Explorer to use when no CODEBASE attribute is specified by the Web page that tries to load ActiveX controls that are not already installed.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, modify the CODEBASE value in the registry to restore the default setting as follows:

  1. Start Registry editor (Regedit.exe).
  2. Locate and click the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings.
  3. Modify the CodeBaseSearchPath String value. Change the value data to: CODEBASE.

References

For more information, see HTML attribute reference.