The error message itself rarely shows the source program. You need to find out what application or browser tab triggered it.

The error message explicitly offers two sources. Understanding the difference is critical for safety.

This cannot be overstated. If a random website displays a pop-up window saying "Please Install IE ActiveX IE-Plugins.exe From CD Or Download," do not click any button on that pop-up.

Scammers use fake "missing plugin" alerts to trick you into downloading malware. A legitimate error will appear as a yellow bar at the top of the browser (information bar), not a modal pop-up window.

Red flags for malware:

Microsoft Edge has an "IE Mode" designed for legacy sites. You can enable this in Edge settings under "Default Browser." This allows Edge to render pages using the IE engine, which may allow the plugin to function without opening the obsolete IE11 application directly.