Why am I getting blocked from so many websites?

...honestly, I don't even know where to post this because I’m such a tech illiterate (not that I'm looking for help, just kind of venting about my own incompetence 🤦).

So, for some reason that makes zero sense to me, my home PC has decided it hates free image hosting sites. I used to use them all the time to upload stuff for forums, no problem. But now? I go to a site and it just hits me with this "not secure" warning, and it won't even give me the option to "proceed anyway" or bypass the alert. It's just totally blocked. I have no clue if I accidentally toggled some setting or what... anyone got any ideas?

Which Windows version are we talking about? And what browser?
I used to deal with this exact same nonsense back when I was stuck using Internet Explorer, so now I just stick to Google Chrome.

Megan Morris70 said:...not my problem...

Give me a break, you're exaggerating... I only stepped in because ☕

Here is an immediate fix for your issue—pay close attention to the bolded part of the instructions:

...I don't even know where to post this, I'm so tech-illiterate (not that I'm asking for anything, just bragging 🤦). ...

Oh, I see how it is...

In that case, why didn't you just mention which browser you're using?! Providing information about your operating system (e.g., Windows + version number) is usually helpful (especially if you want detailed instructions and explanations for solving a specific problem).

...any ideas?

- sync your computer's time (align it) with the 'time.nist.gov' (actually, better to use 'time.windows.com') server:

(or)
- adjust your browser's certificate settings

(you could also try this)
- in cases where ('connection is not secure') occurs, try navigating directly to the site's homepage first, then proceed to the specific page (for instance, go to the Reddit homepage first, then either from there or via your bookmarks, click the link you want to visit)...

John Cook72 said:Which Windows version? Which browser are you using?
I used to run into this all the time back when Internet Explorer was a thing, so I’d just switch over to Google Chrome.

I actually tried that too, I just forgot to mention it. It's basically the opposite of what happened to you—for some reason, I can't get images to upload in Chrome. So, I switched over to Mozilla or whatever... and then the uploads work fine. I write the post, attach the photos...

But then, if I head back to the forum using Chrome, the spot where I put the pictures is just totally empty (?!).

Megan Morris70 said:I actually tried that too, just forgot to mention it... It’s basically the opposite for me. I can't get image uploads to work in Chrome at all. So I switched over to Mozilla—or whatever it's called...—and then I can upload the photos just fine. I write the post, attach the pics...

But if I head back to the forum using Chrome, everything where I put the images is just totally gone (?!).

Maybe try clearing your cookies and cached images (Clear browsing data). Just a heads up though... don't wipe your history if you actually want to keep it.

It happens sometimes... clearing things usually does the trick, but if not, you might have to reset to default settings though you'll lose your bookmarks and saved passwords since it goes right back to factory settings.

Might be an extension or something you installed by accident... like a script blocker or something... and that's why it won't show up.

I clear my cookies all the time.

I'm gonna have some fun with it the next chance I get.

So, which image host are you using? I'm dealing with this one site—can't even remember the name right now—that has this weird bug where the image won't load on the first try. It only shows up if you refresh, so it’s kind of a pain when you're trying to reload the page.

I've tried a bunch of them, but honestly, they all end up being the exact same thing. I just Google "free image upload" and they always pop up... can't even remember which ones specifically right now...

If you're still running Windows 7, Chrome is going to start flagging sites as unsafe. It’s a certificate issue—you basically have to refresh it to fix it.

Just use Opera; it's way better than Chrome anyway.

Megan Morris70 said:...honestly, I don't even know which subforum this belongs in because I am such a tech illiterate—not that I'm looking for answers, just bragging about my lack of skills! 🤦.

So, for some reason that makes absolutely zero sense to me, I can't access any of those free image hosting sites on my home computer anymore. I used to use them all the time to upload pictures for the forums! Now, whenever I try to go to a site, it tells me the connection isn't secure, but it won't even give me the option to "proceed anyway" or bypass the warning. It's totally blocked me out. I have no clue if I accidentally toggled some weird setting or what... anyone have any bright ideas?

postimage.org
lookimg.com
imgur.com
ibb.co
gifyu.com

Give one of these a shot!

Is your computer's date even acting right?

Nov 28, 2021

A few people have run into similar headaches when messing with browser settings regarding http: vs https: if you go ahead and lock the browser down to https:...

Megan Morris70 said:I just try to go to a website, and it tells me the connection isn't secure, but it won't even give me the option to "proceed anyway" or bypass the warning—it just blocks me completely...

This has actually become pretty typical lately if you're using something like Chrome on Windows XP, whereas Mozilla usually manages to skip right past those errors because they handle security certificates a bit differently... do you happen to know which one you're running?

1) So, are you on Windows?

Basically, since you're almost certainly on Windows XP, you can totally sidestep this headache by just installing and using Internet Explorer.

Chrome has pretty much given up on supporting Windows XP at this point. But hey, if you're absolutely dead set on using Chrome, you'll probably need to upgrade your system to Windows 10.