Here is a small tutorial based upon secure sites and their complications

Internet Explorer Cannot Connect to Secure Web Sites ---> There are a number of possible causes, which in turn have 7 suggested fixes. You can test your ability to connect to SSL sites using these SSL tests:

Microsoft or Ebay

If you get the "page cannot be displayed" then I'm afraid you can't access SSL sites.
An example of this picture can be found here!

Here are the steps that you should try to fix your "secure sites problem".

Verify that Internet Explorer Is Using 128-Bit Encryption:

• In Internet Explorer, on the Help menu, click About Internet Explorer
• The level of encryption on your computer appears next to the words Cipher Strength.
• Verify that the Cipher Strength value appears as 128-bit
• If the Cipher Strength is anything less then 128-bit, download the "Explorer Internet High Encryption Pack" to your computer's hard disk, and then install it.

Delete Temporary Internet Files

• There's also a possibility of some corrupted files in your Temporary Internet Files (TIF) storage. You should clear these
• In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and select the General tab
• Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Files, and click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion

Configure Security settings for the Trusted sites zone in Internet Explorer:

• In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and select the Security tab
• Select Trusted sites, and then click Default Level
• Add the secure Web site you are trying to access to the Trusted sites zone. To do so, click Sites, type the address (URL) of the site in the Add this Web site to the zone box
• Click Add, click OK, and then click Apply

Clear the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) slate and AutoComplete history:

• In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and select the Content tab
• Under Certificates, click Clear SSL State
• Click OK when you receive the message that the SSL cache was successfully cleared
• Under Personal information, click AutoComplete
• Under Clear AutoComplete history, click Clear Forms. Click OK when you are prompted to confirm the operation.

Verify that Internet Explorer is configured to use SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0

• In Internet Explorer, click on the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and select the Advanced tab
• In the Settings box, under the Security header, click to select the Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0 check boxes (if they are not already selected), and then click OK

Verify that the Date and Time Settings on Your Computer Are Correct:

• Because SSL certificates have an expiration date, if the date on your computer isn't correct, it may prevent you from connecting to secure sites.
• To verify that your computer is configured with the correct date and time settings
• Click Start > click Control Panel
• Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options, and then click Date and Time
• Select the Date & Time tab
• Check to make sure that the date and time settings are configured to use the current date and time, and then click OK

Check the file integrity of the IE and Outlook:

• Click Start>Run> "sfc /scannow" (without quotes) It might ask for the Windows CD to upload the corrupted files
• Click Start>Run> regsvr32 softpub.dll (without quotes) and wait for the OK message; then try again.

Here are some Microsoft Knowledge Base articles dealing with this problem that you may like to look at if you aren't able to solve the problem. Just Google the error number and you should find some additional info on it!

• 261328 - Cipher Strength Appears as 0-Bit in Internet Explorer
• 301803- Error Message When You Try to Connect to Secure Site: Client Certificate Has Expired or Is Not Yet Valid
• 303807- "The Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error Message When You Try to View Web Page on a Secure Web Site
• 305217- Page Cannot Be Displayed Error During SSL 3.0 Server Session Timeout
• 811383- Internet Explorer Connectivity and Certificate Display Issues
• 813951- You Cannot Access Your MSN E-mail Account or Authenticate with a Web Site in Various Programs
• 821814- You Receive a "Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error Message When You Post to a Site That Requires Authentication

Hope this helps,
All the best
David

d-trojanator~
i was surprised to see my problem in one of the first forums i chose. i have had this problem for several months now, and i tried all the suggestions on your post, however none of them worked. having my computer at home is almost pointless without this ability. do you have any more suggestions? my dsl provider once told me that there was a bug that caused this. i have ran all my virus software, my firewall is off (other than windows) i have spybot and have ran it, everything is coming up with nothing...i don't know what else to do. i even did a system restore all the way back to october. please help!!
any help you can give will be greatly appreciated!!
thanks
amanda

Hi delews

Do you have a router at all?



So, you mean Windows firewall is on?

David

d-trojanator~
sorry it took so long to respond...i forgot my log in and everything...then couldn't get in at home, i'm at work now...ssh! anyway, i don't have a router, and i had zone alarm, but i always shut it down, and since have removed it completely. the only firewall is the one already in win xp

Can you temporarily turn off the firewall and see if you can connect to secure sites. After you have checked, please turn it back on.

You read how to do so here.

Let me know what happens.

David

thanks for the tutorial ... helpedm e a lot

i've been having this problem for months, where i can't access gmail or yahoo or any log-in secure sites - for some reason, bittorrent, googletalk, and skype applications don't work either! im not sure how to fix it and i've tried the seven suggestions....in addition, i cannot download updates from microsoft.com (or actually download anything at all from microsoft.com) and some applications such as adobe can't download updates either....it's really frustrating...so far, i've been looking into using hijackthis but i have no idea how to use it and i don't want to crash my computer permanently...i've been using norton antivirus [well, it's an expired version (Norton Antivirus 2004) and for some reason its auto-protect function just shut off out of nowhere] and ad-aware to scan my computer and it seems to no avail....i've tried using anonymizers to access gmail and other secure sites as well and still can't get in...i turned off the windows xp firewall as well...no effect...it doesn't seem like anything is working...how can i get gmail, yahoo, bittorrent, googletalk, skype, and other secure websites working again?

I cannot answer your question about your secure sites being blocked, but I have a suggestion about Norton 2004. You should remove it since it is of little value with the definion being of f date.

Uninstall Norton 2004

There are several very good freeware antivirus software available. The list is bleow. By the way do you have a firewall install and running?

Antivirus (Run only one.)
AVG Free Edition Antivirus (I personally use)
Avast Home Edition Antivirus Freeware
AntiVir Personal Edition Classic Freeware
BitDefender 8 Free Edition

I found this MicroSoft link that may address your problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...b;EN-US;Q318815

hey! thanks a lot! just from uninstalling norton antivirus 2004, i can access all secure sites and all my applications are working!

im installing AVG now to replace norton!

once again, thanks a lot!

Glad to be of help. Good luck, and hope to see you soon.

Good spot Acklan - do you think it's worth adding to the main post?
David

Your call but I think so.

Try Sygate Firewall (or one of the other freeware firewalls)...

Firewalls(Run only one.)
Zone Alarm Free for Personal Use
SyGate Personal Free Edition (I personally use)
OutPost Firewall Free
Jetico Personal Free
Kerio Free Personal Firewall

Very good software firewall.

Hey, thanks!
I've had this exact same problem, and uninstalling Norton solved it!
I thought I had tried everything, and was getting ready to wipe my hard disk and start over.

Thanks a million, guys! From the posts I've seen around the net, I'll bet a bunch of folks are running into this problem.
-Aaron

More info:
I had let my Norton subscription lapse by a few months, and then moved. My computer remained in a box for a month after I moved, and when I hooked it back up I couldn't access any secure sites. Checked everything to no avail. Norton was installed on my machine but the 'internet security' part was turned off, and the anti-virus was doing periodic scans but was not active. Uninstalling Norton fixed the problem- I'm now using AVG. I had a little trouble unintalling Norton b/c I was not logged in as an 'administrator', and Norton wanted a password to do so. A quick check of Norton's website found that if you've never set a password, you just leave the password blank when logging in. Once logged in as the admin, you can uninstall.

Thanks for the tip AaroninRochester. And by the way Welcome to BC.

I am brand new.
I don't have all the right info, but the boyfriend has a vaio xp... about 4 years old, and it began with a note saying he is not cookie enabled, then went to full blown can't connect. The browser just shut down.
He has that Norton big brother thing and we shut it down, but I was afraid to uninstall it until I checked to be sure he had the receipt... of course he got the full service and unlimited downloads so he can reinstall it but I haven't.
What was weird was how we ARE on. He can IM he can update the virus patterns but the browser does not go anywhere.
During my disable, the first thing I did was update the IE to7. When we rebooted, it was stuck again.
I am turning in my 98 this week and will enter my own world of xp soon and my old brain, which understood how this all worked...(UNDERSTOOD, not a programmer, and I do get it if explained enough). So. If I uninstall his norton things should be all back to normal? If I redownload it, will it gang up on him again?
I am hauling my laptop over to his house with this forum and going to try to see if I can get it going the easy way. Then we go back through and re-read all this.
Thanks for the help.
I am going over to the xp forum to get ready to enter the new millenium

Thank you all very much

I tried ALL of the above, and it turned out to be that the MTU settings on my router were too high. I had to change them from 1500 to 1480 and after almost a week of troubleshooting, I was FINALLY able to access secure sites.

thanks to all of you who posted possible solutions!

I have this problem also, only difference is I can access https sites from my profile but not from any other profiles, does not mater whether they are users or administrators.
XP home sp2

Hey Guys,

Had the exact same problem, have been trying all the fixes listed here and on many other sites with no success. Finally noticed the post regarding Norton on this topic today and uninstalling has completely fixed the problem. Thanks so much, this was driving me crazy!!!!

Shay

Acklan, I use Sygate firewall too, when in winXP, and am impressed. I have been using for about a year now and can't believe all of the activity caught by Sygate from programs trying to enter and leave my computer. Excellant software.

Yep. As far as I am concerned it is still bullet proof.Love it.

Wow. Can't believe I've finally found the solution to this problem! I thought there was no hope, as Norton wouldn't let me uninstall due to subscription needing renewal. I downloaded the removal tool from norton's site and after a restart I was able to log in to hotmail!
Going to try MSN Messenger now...fingers crossed.
However, slightly concerned as to whether I should replace Norton? Any advice much appreciated.
M

You need to have some type of Antivirus program installed.
You can find several free ones listed in our Freeware Replacements For Common Commercial Apps
topic, under the heading of Antivirus Applications.

Hello, it's my first post here and surprised to see a topic I was looking for help.

I am aware this topic is a bit outdated but I have a similar problem. I can not connect to sites like yahoo mail, hotmail etc. and most terribly, my bank.

I have tried all suggestions here. I have deleted temporary internet files and cookies. Also reregistered some .dll files related to crytographic services according to a ms kb (dont remember the nbr). Still same.

The problem is not with IE alone. I have tried with FireFox and Opera. Opera doesn't display anything whereas FireFox gives the following message: "Firefox and ....... (eg login.yahoo.com) cannot communicate securely because they have no common encryption algorithms"

I'm using XP Pro with SP2.

Any ideas??

Thanks in advance,
Celloz

Hello Celloz,

What events lead to this problem starting?
Was there a browser update - settings changed - software installed?

In Firefox Select Tools/ Options/ Advanced/ Encryption/ Verification, select Do not use OCSP for certificate validation.

Hello TMacK,

The last thing I did that might have lead to this was, I did a registry fix with Baku. I have already told them the situation and they tried to help, but their suggestions were also useless. They were the ones who told me to delete temporary internet files and cookies and reregister .dll files related to crytographic services.

As for firefox, the setting is already as you say.

It's impossible to undo changes made to the registry, unless a backup was made.
Lets carry on and get you surfin again.

Verify that the Cryptographic Services service in IE is started, or to start it if it is not.

Go to Start then click Run.
In the Open box, type cmd, then click Okay.
In the Command Prompt, type net start cryptsvc, then press Enter.
Type exit to quit Command Prompt.

Also, try resetting the Security Zones in IE to the default settings.

In the Control Panel, go to Internet Options/ Security Tab/ Default Level. The Default Level should be set at Medium.
Click Apply, then Okay.

Hope this helps.

typed net start cryptsvc in command prompt (c:/), said it's already started. Security Zone already at Medium. Besides, the problem is not with IE alone, don't think it's browser related but windows related.

Guess I have no option than reinstalling windows. What do you think?

TMacK, thanks for all your support.. Solved the problem.

Recommended in another forum, I downloaded winsockxpfix and it worked the magic.

Hope it can be useful for others as well.

Thanks again, Celal

Good job Celloz

We do recommend Winsockxpfix here at BC, as a last resort fix.

hey i get this display page when i am trying to access a site, however i can access microsoft and ebay fine?? its doing my head in because on both of my computers my laptop and desktop i cant access it.

can anyone help me??

Evesmum.
Please post your question in the Web Browsing/Email and Other Internet Applications forum.
There, it will get the attention it deserves.

Thanx i was going to wasnt sure tho i didnt want to start a new topic on something there was already on iykwim but ill go do that now thanks.

You're welcome, Evesmum.
This topic is to give you some things to try out, prior to posting, and maybe save you some time.
If none of the suggestion help to resolve your problem, then go ahead, and post your problem in the forums.

WTFH norton!? why do you suck? lol. i uninstalled all norton stuff, and now i can sign in to yahoo messenger, bank of america, and ebay again! yay! thanks BC!!!!!!

Glad you got it sorted!

Thank you so much for all the help with my scrip problem. I can now get my email. Still having problems with a few things. But I think it is because of my Norton. I uninstaled it and then reinstaled it. But it is not activating like it should. I am going to completly uninstall it and go with another one. I hope it works better then the Norton. Norton let a virus threw. Really blew me away. First time I had ever gotten a virus. I about chocked to see it on my computer. I am usually so carefull not to get them. As my computer is my life line in a way with the rest of my family who lives out of state. And with the price of gass now, we can not get to gether like we would like to. And of course we all work differnt shifts, and we play phone tag a lot.
Once again. Thank you.
JeannieL

Thanks for letting us know the tutorial helped JeannieL!

Ok, now that I can now get to my email and access secured areas. I still have a script problem when I log on.
It reads as follow.
Internet Explorer Script Error
An error has occurred in the script on this page.
Line:80
Char:1
Error: Permission denied
Code:0
URL: http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/home.peoplep...6:ord=03431361??
Do you want to continue running scripots on this page?

Can you advise on this one?
Thanks
JeannieL.

Hi Everybody
I cannot connect to some secure sites- mainly logins to my bank accounts and to paypal, and also to my national lottery account. I can log into microsoft and Ebay. This PC is running Vista home premium, my ISP is AOL, and my router is a Belkin 54g. I can't connect to the sites usin Internet Explorer either, in fact the connection is worse!. I have tried uninstalling Norton, AOl, disabling firewalls. Using other PCs running XP I can connect to the sites , via the same router, without trouble. IE encryption is set at 256 bit, and I have followed the instructions at the start of this thread. I have also tried adding the sites to the trusted part of IE. This PC is about a month old.

Can anyone help?
Thanks

donald