Internet Explorer cannot access secured websites (windows xp)

[sohcrates]

EDIT: Does this belong better in networking? if so, sorry.

HI

I am helping a friend. Her laptop gets a connection to the internet just fine, and you can browse normally. BUT, whenever you try to connect to a secured site such as online prescription ordering, online banking, checking out at amazon.com, etc (when the lock shows up at the bottom of the browser), the web browser displays "unable to load page"...almost as if the connection to the net has dropped. In fact, i cannot even run windows update as it is unable to connect to the server.

I've tried tons of stuff, including

Dowloading newest IE to a separate computer and putting it on cd and running the install on her laptop to update IE.

Reset as many IE settings as i could , including all security settings, etc.

Created a new profile in XP, and logged in as the other profile. This Actually WORKED for a minute...with the fresh profile i was able to connect to secured sites..until i rebooted. then that profile behaved just like the other one. this leads me to believe it just has to be a security setting SOMEWHERE

The windows xp firewall is NOT enabled on this connection (it's wireless).

I know it's her IE because when i bring my laptop over i get a wireless connection as well and can use all secured sites just fine, so it must be a setting on her laptop.

Only other thing i can think of is using system restore, but i hate to do that if i don't have to

Thanks for any help

 

[Schadenfroh]

now that we got the mandantory switch to firefox post out of the way, anyone got any suggestions?

 

[sohcrates]

bump

 

[warcrow]

Did you completey uninstall IE, delete all folders related (to remove old config files, this includes temp folders as well) and reinstall?

 

[sohcrates]

Originally posted by: warcrow
Did you completey uninstall IE, delete all folders related (to remove old config files, this includes temp folders as well) and reinstall?

when i look in add/remove programs, there is no option to uninstall IE

how can i do that do you think?


edit: found this link guess i can try that

 

[WannaFly]

Try running adaware and spybot..and that other program...TCPFix..or LCPFix (theres a thread about spyware removal in there) - sometimes ad/spyware can alter the tcp stack and perhaps you have something that is blocking port 443.

 

[sohcrates]

Originally posted by: WannaFly
Try running adaware and spybot..and that other program...TCPFix..or LCPFix (theres a thread about spyware removal in there) - sometimes ad/spyware can alter the tcp stack and perhaps you have something that is blocking port 443.

thanks. ran adaware, found a few things but that didn't fix it.

when i boot up XP in safe mode w/ network support, i can get into restricted sites fine..so that tells me there's something at boot-up affecting it. must be a virus os some time. scanning with norton as well, didn't find anything

i ran msconfig and removed a bunch of random stuff at startup but this is still an issue. hmm...perhaps system restore is necessary

any other ideas appreciated