I'm now connected via broadband, however, everytime I go onto a web page which is supposed to be secure (i.e. the little padlock symbol appears) I get the message webpage unavailable.

Also, a lot of the regular sites that I used to go on now have a message pop up saying that Active X controls not installed etc... This never used to happen.

I'm guessing that my security settings have changed but I don't know what I need to set them to to stop this happening. Hope this makes sense and hope you can help.

reply #1
Changing Security Settings in Internet Explorer
1. On the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Internet Options.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click on the "Internet" zone if it isn't already highlighted. Choose 'Custom level' and where it says 'Reset current settings', choose 'Reset to Medium'. Click Reset then OK.

Check ActiveX Controls and Downloads are enabled
Click Custom level on the Security tab again. Look for the ActiveX Controls and Plug-Ins section. Set the options as follows (these are my own settings which work OK for me):

Download signed Active X controls - Prompt
Download unsigned Active X controls - Disable
Initialize and script Active X... - Disable
Run Active X controls and plugins - Enable
Script Active X controls marked safe.. - Enable
- then click OK.

NOTE: try my settings first, but if you still can't access secure sites try changing all five settings to 'Enable' and see if that works

If all this doesn't make any difference
- Don't panic :)
- Make sure you have the latest Windows Updates
- Try disabling ZoneAlarm if you're running it, and see if you can access the sites without it
- I have found other suggestions for solving this problem and I've made a note of them, but see if any of this works first before I post anything else

reply #2
Hi
Tried all the settings you suggested but still doesn't let me onto a secure server page. I don't have ZoneAlarm - at least not that I'm aware of.

Any other suggestions?

reply #3
OK, the next group of settings to try are on the Advanced tab in Tools > Internet Options. Look for the section called Security and check/uncheck the options as follows :

Check for publisher's certificate revocation - CHECK
Check for server certificate revocation - UNCHECK
Check for signatures on downloaded programs - UNCHECK
Do not save encrypted pages to disk - UNCHECK
Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser closed - UNCHECK
Enable Integrated Windows Authentication - CHECK
Enable Profile assistant - CHECK
Use SSL 2.0 - CHECK
Use SSL 3.0 - CHECK
Use TLS 1.0 - UNCHECK
Warn about invalid site certificates - CHECK
Warn if changing between secure and not secure mode - UNCHECK
Warn if forms submittal is being redirected - CHECK

When set, click OK, close your browser and restart it again. Those settings should enable you to access secure sites, but if you still can't then try the following:

1) Go to Tools > Internet Options > General tab. Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Files, and click OK when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.

2) Go to Tools > Internet Options > 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.

3) Also double-click your clock and make sure that the date and time settings are configured to use the current date and time, and then click OK.

Close your browser, restart and try accessing those sites again. Good luck

reply #4
Hi
Thought I'd let you know that I tried all of the above suggestions but still could not get onto a secure server page.

Any other ideas?

reply #5
I did find some references on the web to certain viruses that can prevent you from accessing secure sites and windows update. So try checking for spyware and viruses first, if you haven't done this recently.

You could also check to see if Internet Explorer is blocking access to particular sites. Click the security tab in Internet Options then click on the Restricted Sites icon, then click on the Sites button, and see if the secure site you're trying to access is listed, if it is click on it and remove it from the list.

You may be able to force Internet Explorer to let you access a particular site. In Internet options, go to the Content tab. Click on the enable button under 'content advisor'. Click on Approved Sites tab. Here you will be able to create a list of websites that are always viewable, or never viewable.

If none of this has worked, then it's probably best to contact your ISP, explain the problem and see if they have any suggestions.

Good luck :)