My web application has certain security controls that need to be installed. They are all put into a .exe file that is stored on the web server.

I've made a page that detects (using ActiveX) whether or not the client has installed the security controls (mysecuritycontrols.exe)

Once detected, I want to redirect to a page that automatically downloads and runs my .exe file.

I think I need to use <object codebase="pathto/mysecuritycontrols.exe" classid="huh?"> in my aspx file, right?

Where do I get the classid if I need to use this method?  Am I using IE's 'internet component download?' 

Class ID should be clsid of your ActiveX control. If it is not pesent on the machine, IE will download it from the location pointed by CODEBASE and register it. See here

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/author/dhtml/reference/objects/object.asp

However, I don't think IE will run an executable.

Thanks Mikhail! That actually worked great and a window pops up and asks the user whether or not to install which is perfect.

However, my .exe file is almost 40MB and for some users this will take a long time to download before the install box pops up.  Is there way with javascript (or something in asp.net) to detect whether or not the download has started and when it has finished? 

I'd like to post a message to users that the download has started or not, and also detect if it has finished.

Please help!

Yeah, IE does report the status in the bar. I'm scared that users who don't know what they're doing will not know to look there to know that the file is downloading. I just want to test whether or not it is downloading to display a message for them to wait for it to finish.  A Progress indicator would be nice, but its not required.  Can javascript tap into the IE status bar?

Know of any bootstrap utilities that already perform this function? I'd hate to have to write one..

Thanks again for your help!

Try window.defaultStatus and window.status

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/mshtml/reference/ifaces/window2/status.asp

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/mshtml/reference/ifaces/window2/defaultstatus.asp

Also, window.showModelessDialog may help:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/mshtml/reference/ifaces/window3/showmodelessdialog.asp

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/mshtml/reference/ifaces/window4/createpopup.asp

IE may also fire onreadystatechange on the OBJECT element when it is downloaded and installed

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/mshtml/reference/ifaces/objectelement/onreadystatechange.asp

nevermind.

THanks for the great help! I'll let you know how it turns out!

In the stuff I have mentioned above you don't need to know MSTHML - it is all client script and client script events.

I would not recommend IBindStatusCallback as it is native C/C++ and is not accessible from script. To work with it you would have to install another ActiveX control forst to get access to native COM interfaces. Unless you are very familiar with COM, C++ and ATL I would recommend against it.

Could you elaborate on how to use the window.status, or the fire event for the objecT?

I can't figure out how to access the object tab with javascript....