msn messenger not working.. SSL

[rosiemangle]

hi do you know anything about ssl? i need help for getting in to cirtain websites that im suddenly not alowed on, including msn messenger and think SSL might be the problem. i need to know how to get my ssl address or even find out if i have one. HELLLLP. meh

[antioed]

from https://www.clevo.com.tw/SBL/docs/SSL.htm

A secure server is a server that uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to encrypt data for transfer over TCP/IP networks, including the Internet. Secure servers provide security and privacy on the World Wide Web.

...so basically that means that when you look in the address bar and the address is https:// <some.server.com> you are using a secure channel to transmit data. You don't have an SSL address...a server you are trying to use might, and you may be right that your problem is somehow related to how your browser or an application that might be using your browser's files/settings, such as MSN, is processing SSL data. I have seen some problems like this, usually due to adware junk being installed or problems with files related to the browser, that will keep you from being able to hit secure sites such as the Passport site MSN uses to log you into your .NET Passport account.

If you are using IE 6 w/Service Pack 1 you might want to check to see if this is the problem first since it's specifically related to SSL: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=254EB128-5053-48A7-8526-BD38215C74B2&displaylang=en

You might have a totally different problem there with MSN Messenger, hard to tell from what you've said. Either way I recommend that you remove anything that you know you are not using from Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel first. Another thing to try would be to download the latest service pack for your version of Internet Explorer (Help-->About in IE) ...you can do a reinstall of the latest IE service pack even if you already have it. This link should work for IE 6: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/ie6sp1/download.asp

If that doesn't work you can try running msinfo32 (Start-->Run-->msinfo32) and click the plus next to Internet Settings and then Internet Explorer and look at the File Versions section there. Sometimes you can find a file that's missing a version and then do a search for the file name on Google to find a download to replace it and possibly fix the problem. If you decide to try this you should only download the files from Microsoft...here's an example of a search string that worked for the file wininet.dll: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=download+wininet.dll+microsoft

Good luck!

[rosiemangle]

hi thnaks for that, ill try that this weekend. my problem isnt only with msn though, it is with lots of sights, like o2 and more.. thanks anyway. do you know how to actially get an SSL if you dont have one? is it easy? ive tried downloading a free trial but i cant get on to those sites either.

[antioed]

Rosie...I'm not sure what you mean by "get an SSL". SSL is a type of protocol used to transmit secure data between your computer and a server, usually this would require the server to have a secure certificate. As for as you being able to use SSL or "get" it...you already have it! It's built in your browser! All you need to be concerned with is your browser and whether it is working properly with regards to passing SSL data - I have outlined some steps that I feel would be helpful for troubleshooting this in my previous post, hopefully it will help...getting a secure certificate to be able to use SSL for secure communication from a server you manage is an arduous process - you have to get people who already have a secure certificate to vouch for you and some other stuff...this process really has nothing to do with the problems you are having. Hope this helps.