Computer Tips: Troubleshooting Cannot Access Secured Websites

Isn't it irritating when suddenly or if you really cannot access a website that is secured. Cannot open your Email, Bank sites and some social networking websites..

Here are some Computer Tips in Troubleshooting "Cannot Access Secure Websites" :

1. Check and ensure your browser is secure. 
If the problem is with just one Web site, try to access another secure Web site. If there is not another secure Web site that you access on a regular basis, try this link: http://www.verisign.com/advisor/check.html.

2., Delete your Cookies, Temporary Internet Files and History. 
If the problem appears to be with one Web site

    * Windows XP:

   1. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
   2. On the General tab, click Delete Cookies, and then click OK.
   3. Click Delete Files, and then click OK.
   4. Click Clear History.
   5. To save changes, click OK twice.

    * Windows Vista

   1. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
   2. On the General tab, click Delete, and then click Delete Cookies.
   3. Click Yes.
   4. Click Delete History, and then click Yes.
   5. To save changes, click Close, and then click OK.

3. Add the Web site to the list of trusted sites.
  1. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. Click the Security tab, and then click Trusted Sites.
  3. Click Sites, and then type in the URL.
  4. Click Add, click Close, and then click OK.
  5. Make sure the address is not listed under Restricted Sites
4. Re-register the following DLLs used by Internet Explorer. 

For Windows XP Only 
- From Start > Click on Run > Type the following DLL files in the Run dialog box:
For Windows Vista 
- Click Start. In the Start Search dialog box, type:

    * Regsvr32 urlmon.dll
    * Regsvr32 softpub.dll
    * Regsvr32 wintrust.dll

Press ENTER. Click OK at the confirmation message.

5. Check the certificates. Check the date and time. Secure Web sites typically have certificates that expire. If the date and time are incorrect, it can cause difficulties accessing secure Web sites.

6. Check for viruses or Spy ware. The most common cause of this kind of problem is Spyware or virus infections.

7. Check for security software such as firewalls or pop-up blockers.
  1. Make sure that security software was not recently installed or parameters changed. This includes Internet security packages.
  2. If so, try temporarily disabling the new software. If that resolves the issue, consult the help files or documentation for a way to configure the software correctly.
  3. Try temporarily disabling any other security software such as firewalls (including the Windows Firewall), anti-virus, Ghost Surf, Pre-empt or pop-up blockers.
  4. To disable the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Pop-up Blocker: a.) In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options. b.) In Internet Options, click the Privacy tab, and then click to clear the Pop-up Blocker option.
  5. If temporarily disabling any of these fixes the issue, try configuring them to work properly with secure Web sites.


8. Make sure that Internet Explorer settings are correctly set.

    * For Windows XP
  1. Open Internet Explorer, and then from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Security tab.
  3. On the Security tab, click each of the icons at the top of the window, and then click Default Level.
  4. Click the Content tab. Click ClearSSLState (if available), and then click OK.
  5. If Parental Controls are enabled, click Disable.
  6. Click Auto Complete. Click Clear Forms, and then click OK. Click Clear Passwords.
  7. Click OK twice to save the changes.
  8. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab. Under the Security section, select Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0.
  9. Click the Connections tab. Click LAN Settings, and then click to clear everything in the Proxy Settings section.
  10. Disable third party browser extensions.

    * If using Windows XP with Service Pack 2:
  1. Open Internet Explorer. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Manage Add-Ons.
  2. Click to select an add-on, and then click Disable.
  3. Click OK.

    * If not using Service Pack 2:
  1. Open Internet Explorer. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. On the Advanced tab, click to clear Enable Third Party Browser Extensions (requires reboot).
  3. Click OK, and then shut down Windows and restart the computer.

    * For Windows Vista
  1. Open Internet Explorer, and then from the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
  2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Security tab.
  3. On the Security tab, click each of the icons at the top of the window. Click Default Level for each.
  4. Click the Content tab. Click ClearSSLState (if available), and then click OK.
  5. If Parental Controls are enabled, click Parental Controls, click the account, and then click Turn Off Parental Controls.
  6. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab. Under the Security section, select Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0.
  7. Click the Connections tab. Click LAN Settings, and then uncheck the Use a Proxy server for your LAN checkbox. Click OK twice.

9. Disable third party browser extensions.
  1. Open Internet Explorer. In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, point to Manage Add-ons, and then click Enable or Disable Add-Ons.
  2. Click OK.

10. Run System Restore if the problem has just recently occurred.

11. Make sure that the cipher strength is at least 128-bit.
  • Open Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer, from the Help menu, click About Internet Explorer. Check the Cipher Strength.
  • If it is less than 128 bit but greater than 0, download the Internet Explorer High Encryption Pack from the Microsoft Web site.
  • If the cipher strength is 0 bit, follow the instructions at this Web link on the Microsoft Web site.

12 Check if more than one user account is affected.
1. If there is another account on the computer, try accessing secure Web sites using that account. If there is not another account, create one and then try accessing secure Web sites.
2. If the other account works, then try resetting the following registry keys:
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders should be set to: C:\Documents and Settings\user1\Application Data.
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders should be set to: %userprofile%\Application data.
3. Log out and then log back in.
4. If this does not fix the difficulty, copy all of the user's documents (including e-mail) to the new account and then delete the old account.

13. Re-register all of the Internet Explorer and security related DLLs that have not been already registered.

    * For Windows Vista

   1. Click Start.
   2. In the Start Search dialog box, type the following commands and press ENTER. A confirmation message appears after each one. Click OK when prompted.
    * Regsvr32 dssenh.dll
    * Regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
    * Regsvr32 mssip32.dll

    * For Windows XP

   1. From the Start menu, click Run.
   2. In the Run dialog box, type the following commands. A confirmation message appears after each one. Click OK when prompted.

    * Regsvr32 initpki.dll
    * Regsvr32 dssenh.dll
    * Regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
    * Regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
    * Regsvr32 sccbase.dll
    * Regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
    * Regsvr32 mssip32.dll
    * Regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll

Note: If running Windows XP service pack 2, from the Start menu, click Run. In the Run dialog box, type: iexplore /rereg. Press ENTER.

14. If running Windows XP, check that the cryptographic service is running.
  1. From the Start menu, click Run.
  2. In the Run dialog box, type: services.msc. Press ENTER.
  3. Locate the cryptographic service, right-click and then from the menu click Properties.
  4. If the service is not running, change the startup type to Automatic, and then click the Start button.
  5. Click Apply.
  6. If prompted, click Restart Windows.

15. Check to see if FIPS compliant encryption is enabled (Windows XP Professional only). Some secure Web sites may not be accessible if this is enabled. To disable it, try the following steps.
  1. Open Control Panel.
  2. In Control Panel, open Performance and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools.
  3. In the Administrative Tools window, double-click Local Security Policy.
  4. Expand Local Policies, and then click Security Options.
  5. In the right pane, under Policy, double-click System cryptography: Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption, hashing, and signing, and then click Disabled.
  6. Try Windows Updates from the Microsoft Web site.
16. Check for hardware difficulties. If a router is being used, try bypassing the router. If a cable/DSL modem is used, try power-cycling the modem.

I do hope that this Computer Tips in Troubleshooting Cannot Access Secured Websites help you or at least point you on the right direction. For any other Computer Questions you may leave a message on "Need Help On Computers?". Thanks for reading.
Labels: , , ,