A few months ago, Microsoft announced that it would be removing the ActiveX requirement from its Update Catalog. Today, the company revealed that it has finally completed its task.
ActiveX only works in Microsoft"s deprecated web browser, Internet Explorer, meaning that it was your only option for using the Update Catalog. Now, it should work on any major browser, including the company"s new in-house browser, Edge, which cut ActiveX support quite a while ago.
The Microsoft Update Catalog is designed to allow IT professionals to manually install Windows updates, although anyone is free to use it. A typical consumer wouldn"t need to use the service, as most people get their updates through Windows Update. Still, it didn"t make much sense when Microsoft required ActiveX for it, forcing anyone that used it to use a browser that the company deprecated.
If you want to give the new Microsoft Update Catalog a try, you can find it right here.