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"User certificate has expired" errors - my clock was wrong but it's fixed now, errors still happen

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I recently reinstalled windows 8.1 and started from scratch with firefox. My computer clock somehow got a day ahead in the process, so all my browsers were giving me errors. I fixed the date, and all the other browsers are fine, but Firefox still gives me "this connection is untrusted - user certificate has expired" whenever it tries to load a https website (even google.)

I tried clearing everything in Firefox, up to and including completely uninstalling and reinstalling it, and it's still giving me these errors, fresh out of the installer, with the correct time/date on the clock. Help?

Edit to add: Okay... so I set my clock forward a day again, and the errors went away (for firefox, they came back in the other browsers.) And then I set it back again, and the errors were gone, but only on sites I visited while the clock was wrong. I guess doing that is forcing some kind of site-by-site reset or something? I would still love to know what caused this, though, so I don't have to change my computer date every time I visit a new https: site in firefox.

Edit 2: And... I have to go in and do that again for every site every time I close & re-open firefox.

I recently reinstalled windows 8.1 and started from scratch with firefox. My computer clock somehow got a day ahead in the process, so all my browsers were giving me errors. I fixed the date, and all the other browsers are fine, but Firefox still gives me "this connection is untrusted - user certificate has expired" whenever it tries to load a https website (even google.) I tried clearing everything in Firefox, up to and including completely uninstalling and reinstalling it, and it's still giving me these errors, fresh out of the installer, with the correct time/date on the clock. Help? Edit to add: Okay... so I set my clock forward a day again, and the errors went away (for firefox, they came back in the other browsers.) And then I set it back again, and the errors were gone, but only on sites I visited while the clock was wrong. I guess doing that is forcing some kind of site-by-site reset or something? I would still love to know what caused this, though, so I don't have to change my computer date every time I visit a new https: site in firefox. Edit 2: And... I have to go in and do that again for every site every time I close & re-open firefox.

Okulungisiwe ngu secatn

Isisombululo esikhethiwe

If you haven't already, could you try renaming Firefox's certificate store file, cert8.db, so Firefox starts a new one? Here's how:

Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, click the "Show Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various settings files.

Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "power" button
  • (menu bar) File > Exit

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then rename cert8.db to something like cert8.old (note: if your Windows does not show the .db extension, you can turn on display of file extensions following the steps in this article: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wi.../show-hide-file-name-extensions)

Start Firefox back up again. Can you visit secure sites more normally?

Funda le mpendulo ngokuhambisana nalesi sihloko 👍 1

All Replies (3)

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Isisombululo Esikhethiwe

If you haven't already, could you try renaming Firefox's certificate store file, cert8.db, so Firefox starts a new one? Here's how:

Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

  • "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
  • (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
  • type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, click the "Show Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various settings files.

Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:

  • "3-bar" menu button > "power" button
  • (menu bar) File > Exit

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then rename cert8.db to something like cert8.old (note: if your Windows does not show the .db extension, you can turn on display of file extensions following the steps in this article: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wi.../show-hide-file-name-extensions)

Start Firefox back up again. Can you visit secure sites more normally?

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Yes! I followed your instructions and that seems to have fixed it. Thank you so much.

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PLEASE IGNORE - posted in wrong thread, sorry

Okulungisiwe ngu jscher2000 - Support Volunteer