UPDATE:
Microsoft has removed the “Click to activate” behavior in IE.
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/04/08/…now-available.aspx

UPDATE:
On November 8th, 2007, Microsoft announced on their blog that they have licensed the technology from Eolas and will be removing the “Click to activate” behavior in IE.
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2007/11/08/…activex-update.aspx

In my original post, I discussed a method that involved searching for all of the ActiveX content and replacing it with it’s own outterHTML. As it turns out, I was on to something. But I lacked the need for this fix, and I always considered it to be somewhat experimental. I was never able to put much time into evolving it. Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one taking this approach.

I recently read an article at A List Apart called “Flash Embedding Cage Match“. It discusses some workarounds to the “Click to Activate” problem. One of them, ObjectSwap, takes the same approach I started on, but they’ve been able to extend it beyond what I had done. Also of interest is a new project from the creators of UFO and SWFObject called SWFFix. The “Flash Embedding Cage Match” article discusses some of the differences of each approach, including their strengths and weaknesses. I’m looking forward to seeing the results of the SWFFix project.

Long story short… don’t use my solution. It’s simple, barely tested, and (as I recently learned) has problems with Quicktime movies that autostart. Instead, use one of the methods listed above. Happy flashing!