ActiveX security settings issues on Windows Xp

I had installed Windows Xp on my machine. I'm trying to speed up my very slow running computer. I had tried updating my Windows by going On the Windows update site. As i was trying to update my Windows, it gave me an error message stating that "Your security settings do not allow Web sites to use ActiveX controls installed on your computer. This page may not display correctly. Click here for options." When I click all I get is "Information Bar Help" and the page stops. Can any one tell me that why i'm having ActiveX security settings issues on Windows Xp? Any idea about it? Please help me out to resolve the above issue. Thanks.

The ActiveX object can be placed within a webpage, and works differently from Java as the code is distributed as executable files, and therefore only work on one platform. There are major security risks regarding ActiveX objects. Many ActiveX Controls are initialized with persistent data, which is either local or remote, and most ActiveX Controls are scriptable (they support a set of methods, events, and properties). Both initialization (with persistent data) and scripting require certain safeguards to ensure that security is not violated.

Are you using a software firewall other than the default Windows one, such as a separate stand-alone one, or one in anti-malware software? With Java you would have appropriate policies settings in place to prevent java applets from doing intentional harm to your system. If so, it may be that is what is blocking the ActiveX controls from being installed - you may need to allow Windows Update to go through the firewall, or you could disable the firewall.

An unsafe ActiveX control is when there is a problem with the certificate (ie. not valid), or it has not been signed at all, otherwise the control is marked as safe. The default value for this setting is Disable and for most users, this setting is adequate. Microsoft calls this setting, "ActiveX Opt-In." The system registry contains a Component Categories key that lists subkeys for each of the categories of functionality that are implemented or required by components and applications installed on the system. The default setting for this is Disabled. Unless you're having problems with specific web pages, this setting should be fine for most users.