WHAT IS AN ACTIVEX CONTROL?:

An ActiveX control is a COM object similar to a Standard VB Class Module or ActiveX DLL with properties, methods, and events.  The difference between an ActiveX control and an ActiveX DLL is that an ActiveX control has a user interface and requires you to put it on something (like a Form, MDI Form, Property Page, User Document, or User Control) so the user interface can be displayed.

A CommandButton, ListBox, PictureBox, Label, Timer, etc., are all ActiveX controls as well, only they are built into Visual Basic as native controls.  ActiveX Controls are the building blocks of applications, just as native types (like String, Integer, and Long) are the building blocks of custom variable Types.