Dear LPG,

I am not saying that I understand everything that I have learned about this problem but I think that I have a little good news for anyone else who has come across it. 

Now that I have learned how to browse the internet I have to say that the wonderers of the information there never cease to amaze me.  I am sure that I am not the only person who starts by searching for one answer and then finds another subject that draws my interest but I am wondering if any other online surfers have ever come across this problem?

The other day I was online, looking up this and that, when I came across a link which lead me to a webpage that I could not get past.  The page looked very official with its illustration of an exclamation mark or a crossed-out padlock, and one of two recurring messages…

‘YOUR CONNECTION IS NOT SECURE’     or     ‘YOUR CONNECTION IS NOT PRIVATE’

I tried again but the same thing happened and I really thought that my laptop was permanently broken, but there is some good news.

If you are faced with a similar page it is more likely that the website, you are trying to reach is where the problem lies.  When it happened to me I found lots of information about different ways to remedy the situation and, the more IT savvy among us, will most likely be able to follow the so-called ‘simple’ instructions and sort the problem for themselves.  I am not that technically minded but just learning that it is not my computers fault was comforting and I soon managed to get one of the youngsters in my family to sort the problem out.  

Not long after, I was talking to a friend who told me that his computer was completely broken and his reluctant plan was to get a new one.  When he explained what had gone wrong I recognised his problem simply because it had happened to me. 

When a third friend told me it had happened to him, I thought it might be a good idea to give it a mention on LPG’s pages just in case there are any readers who have friends who have reported similar predicaments.

I have found quite a bit of information online about how to fix this error and, even though I am no expert, I hope that if it has happened to you (or ever does in the future), knowing that it is usually fixable and not at major cost will be a comfort…

RL, Norwood

LPG suggests that you find help if trying any of these solutions and only try yourselftry to deal with it yourself  if you are confident in what you are doing…

RL shares the simplest explanations he can find…

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.. and a few alternatives…

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