You cannot log in to or connect to secured Web sites in Internet Explorer

This article describes how to solve problems where you cannot connect to or log in to secured Web sites in Internet Explorer.

Method 1: Enable Compatibility View to view a secure Web site in Internet Explorer 8

The Web site may not be fully compatible with Internet Explorer 8 and may not be displayed correctly. You can enable Compatibility View for the Web site to see whether that resolves the problem. To enable Compatibility View, click the Compatibility button in the top-right corner of the window.



For more information about how to enable compatibility mode in Internet Explorer 8, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Did this solve the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, try the other methods of resolution in this section.

Method 2: Verify that the date and time settings on your computer are correct

To verify that your computer is configured with the correct date and time settings, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options, and then click Date and Time.
3. Click the Date & Time tab.
4. Make sure that the date and time settings are configured to use the current date and time, and then click OK.

Did this solve the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, try the other methods of resolution in this section.

Method 3: Clear the SSL state

Clear the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) state. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
2. Click the Content tab, and then click Clear SSL state.

Did this solve the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, try the other methods of resolution in this section.

Method 4: Re-register .dll files

Dynamic-link library files have a file extension of .dll. These are collections of routines that are stored until a program uses them. If these files are corrupt or out of date, they can cause problems with your computer. To fix this problem, re-register the .dll files.

To have us fix this problem for you, go to the “Fix it for me” section. If you’d rather fix this problem yourself, go to the “Let me fix it myself” section.

Fix it for me

To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link. Then click Run in the  File Downloaddialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.  


Note This wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

Note If you are not on the computer that has the problem, you can save the automatic fix to a flash drive or a CD so that you can run it on the computer that has the problem.

Now go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

Let me fix it myself

To fix this problem yourself, re-register the Internet Explorer .dll files. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type the following lines, and then press ENTER after each line:
   regsvr32 softpub.dll
   regsvr32 wintrust.dll
   regsvr32 initpki.dll
   regsvr32 dssenh.dll
   regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
   regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
   regsvr32 sccbase.dll
   regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
   regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll
4. Click OK when you receive the message that DllRegisterServer in FileName succeeded.
5. Type exit.

Did this fix the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, you can contact support.

Method 5: Reset the Internet Explorer settings

If the problem is caused by damaged or incompatible Internet Explorer settings or add-ons, you can usually resolve the problem by resetting Internet Explorer settings.

To have us fix this problem for you, go to the “Reset Internet Explorer for me” section. If you’d rather fix this problem yourself, go to the “Let me reset Internet Explorer myself” section.

Reset Internet Explorer for me

To fix this problem automatically, click the Reset Internet Explorer link. Then click Run in the  File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.  



Note This wizard may be in English only; however, the automatic fix also works for other language versions of Windows.

Note If you are not on the computer that has the problem, you can save the automatic fix to a flash drive or to a CD, and then you can run it on the computer that has the problem.

Now go to the "Did this fix the problem?" section.

Let me reset Internet Explorer myself

To use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings feature from Control Panel, follow these steps:

1. Exit all programs, including Internet Explorer (if it is running).
2. If you use Windows XP, click Start, and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box, and then press ENTER:
   inetcpl.cpl
   If you use Windows Vista, click Start
   Collapse this imageExpand this image

   
   Then type the following command in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER:
   inetcpl.cpl
   The Internet Options dialog box appears.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Under Reset Internet Explorer settings, click Reset. Then click Reset again.
5. When Internet Explorer finishes resetting the settings, click Close in the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box.
6. Start Internet Explorer again. If you still cannot start Internet Explorer, go to Method 7.

Did this fix the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, you can contact support.

Method 6: Use System Restore to return your computer to a previous state

The System Restore feature in Windows XP takes a "snapshot" of critical system files and some program files and stores this information as restore points. You can use these restore points to return Windows XP to a previous state.

For additional information about how to use restore points to return Windows XP to a previous state, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For more information about how to use restore points to return Windows Vista to a previous state, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Did this solve the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, try the other methods of resolution in this section.

Method 7: Use the System File Checker (Sfc.exe) tool to scan all Windows File Protection (WFP)-protected files

Use System File Checker with the /scannow parameter to immediately scan and verify the versions of all the system files that Windows File Protection helps protect. If System File Checker discovers that such a file was overwritten, it retrieves the correct version of the file from the cache folder (Systemroot\System32\Dllcache) or from the Windows installation source files, and then replaces the incorrect file. System File Checker also checks and repopulates the cache folder. You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to run System File Checker.

To run System File Checker with the /scannow parameter, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type sfc /scannow, and then press ENTER.

For more information about System File Checker in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For more information about System File Checker in Windows Vista, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Did this solve the problem?

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, try the other methods of resolution in this section.