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I’ve just tried to access the Windows Secrets site and get the following response (using IE11):

There is a problem with this website’s security certificate.

The security certificate presented by this website was issued for a different website’s address.

Security certificate problems may indicate an attempt to fool you or intercept any data you send to the server.

AusJohn

Like “The Surfing Pensioner” I install the MSE updates manually on my Win 7 x86 machine, and I’ve noticed a couple of changes recently; namely:

1. Often get two updates at the one time, whereas previously it was invariably only one, and

2. Updates are very large (± 30 MB) compared to normal (1 – 3 MB).

AusJohn

1 user thanked author for this post.

Cascadian

MrBrian wrote:

I don’t have any further suggestions at this time, other than the untried things mentioned already.

Which I finally got round to.  Started on the 3 things suggested, but thankfully only needed to do the first one to fix the original problem; that is, to get Microsoft support pages to load/show correctly.

FINAL REPORT

In case it’s of any interest or use to anyone else, here’s what I did.

ACTION

– 1. Run Internet Explorer and select Delete browsing history

– with following selections (which were the defaults on my system)

× * Preserve favorites web site data *

——————–

× * Temporary internet files and website files *

——————–

× * Cookies and website data *

——————–

× * Tracking Protection, ActiveX Filtering and Do Not Track Data *

– 2. Reboot

– 3. Run Internet Explorer

a. Web Storage Support Test
b. test 2 problem Microsoft support pages

OUTCOMES

1. Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab – still shows “Some settings are managed by your system administrator.”

2. Web Storage Support Test

localStorage: limited to 4864 k characters
sessionStorage: limited to 4864 k characters
globalStorage: not supported

3. Microsoft support pages

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/894199/software-update-services-and-windows-server-update-services-changes-in

Loads/shows as it should

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4054518

Loads/shows as it should

4. Registry Keys Deleted during the process

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\microsoft.com]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\microsoft.com\support]

5. Registry Keys Changed during the process

4 cookies deleted from
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DOMStorage]

6. A few other minor registry changes, but nothing that I could imagine would relate to the problem I was having.

Thank you to all who contributed, apologies for careless mistakes I made, and if I offended anyone along the way.

3 users thanked author for this post.

satrow, MrBrian, Kirsty

AusJohn wrote:

OK, will do. But it’ll be a while before I get back to you with a response because I’ve got an important appointment. AusJohn

Sorry but I’ve been too hasty again.

Don’t know what I was looking at, but when I checked HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings I only see Cache and there are no values in it.

My wife’s computer shows the same.

Really must be more careful.

AusJohn

MrBrian wrote:

On my computer, there is only one key there:

Cache

There are no values within Cache.

You could check your wife’s computer also.

OK, will do.  But it’ll be a while before I get back to you with a response because I’ve got an important appointment.

AusJohn

MrBrian wrote:

Any items within HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings ?

Yes, a mountain of them; about 24 ‘main’ ones at a quick count.  No mention of “policies” though, that I can see.

AusJohn

AusJohn wrote:

Will do, and report back later with the outcome. AusJohn

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer

Neither of the two keys are present in my registry, so nothing to delete.

AusJohn

MrBrian wrote:

1. Close IE. 2. Delete these two registry keys if present: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer I have neither of those Internet Explorer keys on my Windows 7 computer. 3. Open IE and see if that message is still present.

Will do, and report back later with the outcome.

AusJohn

MrBrian wrote:

3. See PKCano’s answer. If you want to get rid of this, I could give you some items to delete in the registry.

Yes please, that would be great.

Can’t do any harm, I presume, and make me feel better not seeing the message each time I look at that Advanced options tab. 🙂

AusJohn

PKCano wrote:

3. Why, at the bottom of the Internet Options, Advanced tab does it show “Some settings are managed by your system Administrator”, highlighted in yellow?

The answer to this MAY be that some software on your computer (or you) changed Registry keys or made Group Policy changes (if you have Pro ver). I’ve seen that message in Windows Update when the pulldown menu options were changed in the Registry.

I haven’t, knowingly at least, changed Registry keys or made Group Policy changes (I do have Pro version). Don’t have any idea whether software made changes; quite possible though, I imagine.

At one stage, quite some time ago, I saw that message in Windows Update but it’s not showing there now.

AusJohn

MrBrian wrote:

You could try using registry editor to search for domstorage and see if anything of interest shows up.

Thanks, yet again.

I’ve done as you suggested and to me there’s “nothing of interest”, but that doesn’t mean anything because I don’t know what I should be looking for.

There are several questions, for which I don’t have answers, that keep coming into my mind, like:

1. Why is Microsoft the only domain affected (and not even all of it)?

2. Why can I retrieve the ‘problem’ pages if I include https://support.microsoft.com under Internet Options, Security, Trusted Sites, Sites?

3. Why, at the bottom of the Internet Options, Advanced tab does it show “Some settings are managed by your system Administrator”, highlighted in yellow?

4. Why, when starting Internet Explorer using “Run as Administrator, can I retrieve the ‘problem’ pages?

I don’t expect you to answer them, but they’re things that intrigue/bother me.

In post 157669 you said:

“If there is any confidential info, you can either obfuscate it or send me a private message.”

I don’t know how to do that, but if you would like to see the registry references to “domstorage” I can send them to you if you let me know how.

AusJohn

MrBrian wrote:

What version of IE are you using?

Internet Explorer 11

Version: 11.0.9600.18860

Update Versions: 11.0.49 (KB4052978)

 

MrBrian wrote:

accesschk -w -e -s c:UsersyouruseraccountAppDataLocalLowMicrosoftInternet Explorer

Attached is the output from running accesschk command.

Apologies also, because I forgot to mention something that I only noticed last night, but which may be relevant.

At the bottom of the Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab there is the following message:

“Some settings are managed by your system administrator.”

After I saw it I checked my wife’s computer and hers doesn’t show the message.

AusJohn

PKCano wrote:

Control Panel\User Accounts

Shows “John Administrator” so I presume that means it’s an admin account.

MrBrian wrote:

Is your John user account a standard account or admin account?

I think it’s an admin account, but to be honest I’m not sure.

Is it important/relevant, and if so how can I find out which it is?

AusJohn