Windows 8.1 - HTTPS Certificate Errors. Please Help


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I'm having a rather peculiar problem with a Windows 8.1 computer I set up for somebody.

 

The computer is a rather old Acer Veriton 7700G with a 3GHZ Pentium 4, 4GB of ram and an 80GB hard disk, with nVidia 8400GS graphics.

 

Before I installed the OS the BIOS date on the computer had reset itself to the factory default, and I forgot to update it, so once I'd finished setting the computer up I noticed the usual certificate errors you get when your computer clock is wrong.

 

So I synchronised the clock with the Windows time server as is recommended in such a scenario, and then restarted the computer but annoyingly the problem persists, in all web browsers. It tells me that the certificate is invalid on any HTTPS website I visit.

 

I've checked the bios battery, which still has plenty of life, and I checked the date and time in the bios, which was also correct.

 

I've also tried running both sfc /scannow and the DISM restorehealth option, neither of which have helped.

 

So am I resigned to having to reinstall the OS from scratch, or is there a way I can fix this problem?

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Other than usual Time and Date fixes. I could guess, it could be related to SSL Cache in IE at least. Try this:

 

z8ZQe12.png

 

- On Safe side and just to be sure, replace CMOS battery.

- Sync your time like mentioned in this guide: http://www.askvg.com/fix-ssl-error-or-invalid-security-certificate-problem-while-opening-facebook-or-other-websites/

 

rbZnPzJ.png

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I've checked the CMOS battery, it's fine. And would clearing SSL state in IE fix the problem in the other browsers as well? I'll have a try tomorrow and let you know. Thanks.

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Check the date on the system clock , make sure it's not far ahead in the future. The SSL slate in IE will fix the browsers which use Microsoft Secure channel (Schannel) as the crypto library i.e IE, Maxthon.  Browsers like firefox and chrome use their own crypto libraries which are NSS+OpenSSL+BoringSSL. 

 

Chrome since yesterday no longer accepts any certificates that are valid with lifetime more than 3 years.

 

Make sure there is no software(malware) like Superfish or Komodia that is trying to intercept the connection.

 

If you have installed the system with BIOS clock too far in the future the system will always keep going crazy till you reinstall it, few days or weeks in the future doesn't matter but if it was years the system secutity checks will all break ,this is common.

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The BIOS date is correct, I already checked it, as is the system date.

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I got to the bottom of it. Turns out that it was Avast causing the security certificate errors, an uninstall followed by a reinstall solved the issue.

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