Hello Budge, welcome to the Windows 7 forum.
To adjust ActiveX settings in IE 8 and prevent the constant popup alerts, go to ..
Tools tab
Internet Options
Security tab
Custom level button
Under the "ActiveX controls and plug-ins" section - change these settings:
Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls - disable
Download signed ActiveX controls - enable
Only allow approved domains to use ActiveX without prompt - disable
Doing that should alleviate the constant ActiveX security alerts, which can be very annoying.
Also, keep these ActiveX settings as follows, as they will protect your system ..
Allow Scriptlets - enable
Binary and script behaviors - enable
Allow previously unused ActiveX controls to run without prompt - disable
Download unsigned ActiveX controls - prompt
Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe for scripting - disable
Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins - enable
Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting - enable
Click OK and Apply and OK. Restart the browser.
Here's a link with screenshots that walks you through the basic process ..
How to enable ActiveX Controls in Microsoft Internet Explorer
By applying these settings changes, it should alleviate most if not all of your ActiveX issues.