OK, here's a good one. I have a website I go to for WebMail. I sometimes need to use webmail over Outlook. This server does not have a certificate, due to the cost to the hosting party who is providing support for free. The webserver supports a number of non-profit entities of which we are one at our Assistance Center (AC). He has me specifiy the port number after the address to gain access to a "backdoor" for webmail. Previous to IE8, IE7 was able to take the address, go to the site, get a certificate error, I'd click go ahead anyway (because it is trusted - I know the guy) and pull up my username and login panel and continue on to eMail.
With IE8, I can no longer do this. When I type in the URL, I go to an immediate "Internet Explorer cannot display the page". I don't get the cert error page. Here's a list of the systems I have tried this on.
Main House computer - Win XP SP 3 - IE8 - all patches up to date.
Supplemental House desktop - Win XP SP 3 - IE8 - all patches up to date.
Third House desktop - Win XP SP 3 - IE 8 - all patches up to date.
AC workstation - (not on my home network) Win XP SP 3 - IE 8 - all patches up to date.
Home laptop - Win XP SP 3 - IE 8 - all patches up to date.
Home lab - Win 7 SP1 - IE 9 - all patches up to date - See below *
OK, let's try another browser:
Main House computer - Firefox - yields the cert error and allows me to bypass to the login page.
Third House desktop - Chrome - yields the cert error and allows me to bypass to the login page.
AC workstation - Chrome - yields the cert error and allows me to pass to the login page.
Home Adroid tablet - Android Browser - yields the cert error and allows me to pass to the login page.
* Home lab - Win 7 - IE 9 - I do get the cert error but clicking to bypass does nothing but leave me on the cert error.
So what do we see as the common thread here? IE8, (or IE 9 for Win 7) I suppose. I can discount a home networking/firewall problem because I tested at the AC on a completely different network. On each (you can see I've been at this a while): I have ensured that the time and date are valid and are updating via the same web time base. I have attempted to go to Tools > Internet Options (IO) > Advanced and tick on/off "Check for publisher's certificate revocation" and "Check for server certificate revocation" independently and together with an IE restart on each iteration. I have turned on/off SSL2. I have placed the URL in the Trusted Sites zone. I have cleared the SSL state cache. I have run IO > Delete to clear the caches.
I am retiscent to show the url in the open since this is a backdoor of sorts. It goes like this:https://xxxxxxxxxxxxx.com:20000 This is the only non-certificate website I use thus it is the only time I have this issue.
Can anyone help me make sense of this? It's not one computer or one instance of IE8. It's really got me stumped (and the web server owner as well).
HoibO