In addition to Alexei's post, I'd like to note that the level of recognition you get depends on the control's and the application's implementation. Note that TestComplete provides special support for many popular controls. If the control you are using is not specially supported by TestComplete but is derived from one of the supported controls, you can use the Object Mapping feature to make TestComplete treat the control as a supported one.
If this suggestion does not help either, please compile the tested application as Open with debug information and try working with the control by using its native methods and properties.
If you fail to find the methods/properties which can help you work with the control after examining the control's methods and properties, try enabling the "*" element in the MSAA section of your project's properties (see the Project Properties - MSAA Options help topic to learn more). This can make TestComplete recognize more objects in your application. Another similar technology is UI Automation. To turn on UI Automation support, enable the "*" element in the "Open Applications | UI Automation" section of your project's properties.
Finally, you can also try enabling the "*" element in the "Open Applications | Text Recognition" section (see the Using Text Recognition Technology - Overview help topic for more information).
