where and what is plug in manager and plug in interface?

Major difficulties. I keep getting the message "pchnotify.exe is failing to intialize properly." I have tried to access instant support on Compaq but I get the messages "error while intializing plug in manager" and "plug in interface has failed to intialize." I can go to other web sites, but I cannot get online questions answered from Compaq. Help! Also on a search, my property tab told me Active X was damaged. Have I bought a lemon, and if so, I'm glad I bought a warranty too. Any assistance is appreciated. I have a brand new Presaruo SR1010NX.