I cant seem to download active x. any suggestions. thanks
I'm assuming that you mean you're getting an error message that says you can't download ActiveX controls when visitting certain (or all) web sites.
A few questions before I can help you with this,
1) Are you running any Norton antivirus or internet security software? I most often see this when Norton 2005 is installed.
2) How high is your security set when you go to Tools->Internet Options->Security from internet explorer?
If you go to "customize" your security settings, you should get several options about ActiveX controls.
3) What happens when you try to run Windows update?
...if you have a computer, you have questions.