7/22/14 7:23 PM

I just got my Windows 8 laptop back from being serviced. The motherboard had to be replaced. Now, when I use Internet Explorer to try to access some websites, I get a notice that the security certificate has expired or is otherwise unacceptable.

This is for sites like Outlook and facebook! Also my internet banking site. Anyone else running into this?

7/22/14 7:38 PM

I think you can white list the sites you frequent. Though not positive with IE.

7/22/14 8:17 PM

Was the hard drive in your possession or the repair facility's while the machine was fixed? Hardware should have nothing to do with this...

7/22/14 8:26 PM

suspect foul play.

did you keep the drive? Did they reinstall WBlows?

sounds fishy to me.

7/23/14 6:17 AM

The work was done under warranty (SONY VAIO) by Best Buy's Geek Squad. And, no, I didn't hang onto the hard drive. I don't keep anything on the laptop other than the executable programs.

7/23/14 7:25 AM

If you visit a website that starts with "http s :" then it is using a security certificate. The certificate of the website (not you) expires after a certain time period, e.g. 1 year, and must be renewed much like what you do with your driver's license.

For such website, you can click the the little padlock next to the web address bar. It will provide you with the details of the security (digital) certificate.

There is a setting in Internet Explorer to turn on/off a message which will check for and alert you if a certificate has been expired. Short story: most likely the setting in Internet Explorer changed.

7/23/14 7:30 AM

but Parkin, can you email me off list. I want to ask you a non-cycling related question related to Okemo.


hurley_bill'at'hotmail 'dot' com

7/23/14 7:43 AM

I suspect that someone was playing with the browser after the MB was replaced, and that you MAY have acquired some new cookies, history, and--potentially--malware. Alternatively, a quick google indicates that this may be linked to an incorrect clock setting, so--quick check: what day and time does your computer think that it is?

7/23/14 7:54 AM

The most likely explanation is that Internet Explorer is alerting you that the website you are visiting has not been keeping their website up-to-date with their security/server/digitial certificate.

To confirm, just look under the hood and check the settings in Internet Explorer as detailed here:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/forum/ie7_6-windows_xp/security-alert-security-certificate-has-expired/aa2251a4-68d4-4a2c-abf8-c21baabeff56

7/27/14 10:05 PM

Andy wins the prize. All I had to do was to reset the date and time and everything now works. Somehow, the date was set to sometime in the year 2024! No wonder it thought security certificates had expired . . .

Everything hunky dory now.

7/27/14 11:51 PM

Reminds me of having to adjust clock settings to keep using a student subscription to a CAD program back in the 90's.

7/28/14 3:14 AM

I'm glad that worked. It was the only hardware-related thing I could think of--someone slipped up when they reset the clock on your machine after the installed the new MB. Many of us now have our machines' time settings locked to outside time-servers, so the clock is set automatically, but in this case, I gather that you don't--or that the clock was so far off that it prevented (through certificate problems) connecting to such a server!

7/28/14 7:44 AM

Good sleuthing work, Andy.

Incidentally, if PLee had sent any email, using his Outlook client email program, his recipients must be wondering how he did such from the future. Moving the clock forward is a cheap hack that spammers employ as a means to ensure their email appears at the top of your email inbox (assuming you have your emails sorted descending by date like most do).

7/28/14 7:57 AM

I just consulted the vast knowledge of teh interwebs.

Seriously, folks, the answers to 90% of your questions are already out there. Last year, I had problems with water draining into the roof liner of my VW Beetle. I tried everything. After months of fighting the problem, only to see it reappear with each new storm, I **FINALLY*** went on line to see what other people had done.

Answer and solution in less than five minutes of research. My spouse looked at me and asked me, geek that I am, and WHY I had I not consulted the internet before?

Seriously, sometimes it's just wrong, and sometimes there's an argument over what's right, but it is truly amazing how much you can learn from a casual google.