PLEASE HELP!! Unable to open secure webpages in Internet Explorer

Help!!

For some reason i am unable to open secure webages like logging into Hotmail or trying to use internet banking.

I have MSIE 6 SP1 installed (Version 6.0.2800.1106) on Win98SE, so i have a cipher strength of 128-bit. Under update versions in Help->About there is "SP1; q313829; Q328970; Q324929; ".

I have absolutely no idea why this started happening, it was fine until one day i tried openning a secure webpage and it came up with:
"The page cannot be displayed" and
"Cannot find server or DNS Error
Internet Explorer "

Please can anyone help? I've tried using the IE repair tool but that did nothing and it won't let me uninstall IE.

What do i do??

THANKS MUCHLY!!

Isaac

 

FIXED!! Yippee!

Don't worry! (as i know you all were) I've just worked out the problem.

It was 3rd party software interference! I have no idea why, but it was. You see, i was using a trialware Norton Personal Firewall but the trial ran out a few days ago. Even though i had access to secure websites when NPFW was still active, for some reason because the trial had run out and it was still installed on the computer, it blocked access to secure websites.

I have absolutely no idea why it was so, but i unistalled NPFW and now everything is fine.

Norton must just be plain old evil and want to stuff with Trialware users minds

Thanks
Isaac

 

Be sure to turn off any norton stuff when updating or installing any thing,, or any av software for that matter.

Good to here all is well

Lonny