FP: Error Message: Cannot Establish Secure Connection Using SSL (315151)

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to open a FrontPage Web on a Web server using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), the FrontPage client stops responding (hangs) or you receive an error message similar to the following:

FrontPage is unable to establish a secure connection with the server, because the server's SSL certificate is either invalid, or issued by an untrusted certificate authority.

CAUSE

This problem can occur if the wecctlflags registry value on the FrontPage client computer is configured to bypass the connectivity features of Microsoft Internet Explorer. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

250376 FP2000: FrontPage Repeatedly Prompts for User Name and Password When You Open a Web

RESOLUTION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Start Registry Editor. To do this, click Start and then click Run. In the Open box, type regedit and click OK.
Select the wecctlflags value located in the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\Web Extender Client
On the Edit menu, click Modify. In the Value box, type 0 and then click OK.
Quit Registry Editor.

MORE INFORMATION

When you set the wecctlflags value to 2, it configures the FrontPage client to bypass the connectivity features of Internet Explorer and use it's native functionality, which is limited to 40-bit SSL.

REFERENCES

For additional information about when to configure the wecctlflags value to bypass Internet Explorer functionality, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

287402 Troubleshooting Web Folders