From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

Edge is presenting the following message before it even attempts to
establish a connection:

comcast.net doesnrCOt support a secure connection with HTTPS

I'm using Comcast as an example. I load Edge which opens a new tab to about:blank. I enter into the address bar:

comcast.net

Notice I did not specify http:// or https:// for the protocol. The web
browser figures that out when it attempts to make a connection.
However, it seems Edge is bitching before it even makes a connection.
It doesn't like when I do not specify the protocol, and it displays a
bogus message. If I add https://, or use a bookmark to the site which
also has https://, Edge doesn't bitch about an insecure connection,
because it started with a URI that specifies the protocol.

After entering comcast.net into the address bar and getting the bogus non-secure warning, I click on "Continue to site". After continuing,
Edge then establishes a connection, and then it realizes the site does
have a valid certificate, and connects using HTTPS.

Many sites have HTTP connections that will redirect to HTTPS, but that
is after the initial HTTP connection. For this "doesn't support a
secure connection" warning, however, Edge has not connected to the site.
It presumes from the URL sans protocol that the site is insecure.

Any way to either stall Edge to wait until it connects to see what type
of connection the site will initiate (whether it starts with HTTP or
HTTPS), or to configure Edge to stop this bogus whining about insecure
sites that haven't had a chance to present a certificate? Don't use
what the user entered. The URI protocol will be required every time to
make a connection, but the web browser without hint from the URL should
try HTTP to see if HTTPS is accepted.

In Edge, there is the "Automatically switch to more secure connections
with Automatic HTTPS". Doesn't matter whether disabled or enabled.
Edge still bitches about an insecure that is secure.

I should not have to add the URI protocol (http:// or https://) when
manually inputting the URL in the address bar. The web browser should
figure that out by first trying HTTPS. If that fails, and the web
browser has to fallback to HTTP, *then* the web browser should warn the
connect is insecure.

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox, and
after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit Enter, do
those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure" warning even
when the site really is secure?
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On 1/10/2026 12:57 PM, VanguardLH wrote:

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox, and
after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit Enter, do
those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure" warning even
when the site really is secure?

Not on firefox. It went to this site <https://www.xfinity.com/overview>
--
Science Doesn't Support Darwin. Scientists Do.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox, and
after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit Enter, do
those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure" warning even
when the site really is secure?

Not on firefox. It went to this site <https://www.xfinity.com/overview>

For me, Edge intercedes with the "not secure" alert, and when I click on Continue the redirection -- which does go to HTTPS -- lands at https://www.xfinity.com/national/.

So, Edge is more of web nanny than Firefox. I was using Firefox up
until about a year ago, and my expection was the web browser wouldn't
bitch about an insecure site until it actually connected to the site
which could be directly HTTPS or redirect to HTTPS.

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Thanks for the data point.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

VanguardLH wrote:

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Thanks for the data point.

I tested this just now on Microsoft Edge Version 143.0.3650.139 (Official build) (64-bit) on Windows 10 Pro.

I have a runbox pinned to my taskbar. So I typed into the runbox:
msedge https://www.xfinity.com/overview
Which redirected on its own to
https://www.xfinity.com/national/
Asking:
Where do you live? Enter your address for the best offers

Interestingly, I got slightly different results with:
msedge www.xfinity.com
Which redirected me to
https://www.xfinity.com/overview
Which seems to be the same page:
Where do you live? Enter your address for the best offers
--
Just one person paying it forward by helping others who later help me.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

Maria Sophia wrote:

I have a runbox pinned to my taskbar. So I typed into the runbox:
msedge https://www.xfinity.com/overview

I should have remembered to note that when I typed this:
msedge http://xfinity.com
It went to this:
https://www.xfinity.com/overview

We need a web site, I think, that doesn't have https, which, if we like, we
can set up on our routers, I guess.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 15:27:41 -0500, Maria Sophia wrote:

Maria Sophia wrote:

I have a runbox pinned to my taskbar. So I typed into the runbox:
msedge https://www.xfinity.com/overview

I should have remembered to note that when I typed this:
msedge http://xfinity.com
It went to this:
https://www.xfinity.com/overview

I tried accessing comcast.net from Firefox, Chromium, and Edge. All did exactly the same thing, redirecting to:
https://www.xfinity.com/national/

Maybe the reason some people got 'overview' is that Comcast isn't
available where I am (the cable company here is Optimum).

We need a web site, I think, that doesn't have https, which, if we like,
we can set up on our routers, I guess.

I accidentally answered that question. The site in my sig doesn't have
https.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"...but I also can't prove that mushrooms could not be intergalactic
spaceships spying on us." -- Daniel Dennett
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 12:57:02 -0600, in <qk3ny3r5anb1.dlg@v.nguard.lh>, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Edge is presenting the following message before it even attempts to
establish a connection:

comcast.net doesnAt support a secure connection with HTTPS

Microsoft's CEO recently said that 80% of their programming is done by
AI. Maybe nuff said.
--
Jim H
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On Sat, 1/10/2026 2:49 PM, VanguardLH wrote:

sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox, and
after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit Enter, do
those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure" warning even
when the site really is secure?

Not on firefox. It went to this site <https://www.xfinity.com/overview>

For me, Edge intercedes with the "not secure" alert, and when I click on Continue the redirection -- which does go to HTTPS -- lands at https://www.xfinity.com/national/.

So, Edge is more of web nanny than Firefox. I was using Firefox up
until about a year ago, and my expection was the web browser wouldn't
bitch about an insecure site until it actually connected to the site
which could be directly HTTPS or redirect to HTTPS.

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Thanks for the data point.

Is there accidentally some sort of Proxy involved ?

Paul

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On Sat, 1/10/2026 8:08 PM, Jim H wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 12:57:02 -0600, in <qk3ny3r5anb1.dlg@v.nguard.lh>, VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Edge is presenting the following message before it even attempts to
establish a connection:

comcast.net doesnrCOt support a secure connection with HTTPS

Microsoft's CEO recently said that 80% of their programming is done by
AI. Maybe nuff said.

I thought the number was 30%.

And employees (devs) can be fired for not "embracing AI".
That means you have to sit at your desk and consume tokens
as part of your work day.

This effort, the vibe coding, is to capture the mythical productivity improvement
as you correct the AI mistakes.

I wonder if Raymond Chen has embraced AI as his personal savior ? :-)
I bet in a Trivial Pursuit challenge, he could beat the AI at
its own game. The AI is likely afraid of Raymond.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox,
and after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit
Enter, do those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure"
warning even when the site really is secure?

Not on firefox. It went to this site <https://www.xfinity.com/overview>

For me, Edge intercedes with the "not secure" alert, and when I click
on Continue the redirection -- which does go to HTTPS -- lands at
https://www.xfinity.com/national/.

So, Edge is more of web nanny than Firefox.

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Is there accidentally some sort of Proxy involved ?

Not that I'm aware of. This is for my home network. If there were a
proxy, I'd be the one to add it.

I have Proton VPN (free), but I only use it when geofencing, not to
hide. I also disabled the Secure Network (a VPN) inside of Edge.

As old as it is, and in the IE era, I looked at Internet Properties (inetcpl.cpl), Connections tab, LAN settings, and no VPN defined there.

No 3rd-party anti-virus. Just Windows Defender.

In Edge, safe mode is combined with inprivate mode. I opened an
inprivate window in Edge, entered "comcast.net" (no protocol or
qualifier), but Edge was still a web nanny alerting me to an insecure
site before it went there just because it assumes the lack of https://
means using http://, but the site will redirect anyway.

Entering "comcast.net" does not add the protocol, but obviously the web
browser can't use that invalid URL. It needs to prefix http:// or
https:// onto the partial URL string before it tries to connect.

I have tried enabling the "Automatically switch to more secure
connections with Automatic HTTPS" to see if Edge was prepending http://,
and would now prepend https://, but that didn't change Edge whining
about an insecure site based on what I entered versus what it should
use.

It is obvious Edge is spewing a bogus alert. When it shows the "doesn't support a secure connection" page, "Not secure" icon shows at the left
end of the address bar. Click on it, and you get the "About <domain>"
drop down very much like when looking at site info in Firefox. In the
drop down, it says "Your connection to this site is not secure". When
you click on that to expand a flyout to show details, that says "This
site does not have a certificate". Yes, it does. Click Continue, do an
actual connect, and you can see the site has a cert.

The site has a cert. Enter "comcast.net", and Edge alerts the site is
not secure. Enter "http://comcast.net" (not https), and Edge doesn't
bitch, connects to the site, and either Edge or the site switches to
HTTPS even though you entered http://.

Seems Edge is bitching based on the URL that I entered without
prepending the protocol, not that it actually tested if the site had a
cert or not.

Since Edge is a Chromium variant, I'm wondering what Chrome does when
just "comcast.net" is entered in the address bar, and hit Enter.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

VanguardLH wrote on 1/10/2026 11:57 AM:

Edge is presenting the following message before it even attempts to
establish a connection:

comcast.net doesnrCOt support a secure connection with HTTPS

I'm using Comcast as an example. I load Edge which opens a new tab to about:blank. I enter into the address bar:

comcast.net

Notice I did not specify http:// or https:// for the protocol. The web browser figures that out when it attempts to make a connection.
However, it seems Edge is bitching before it even makes a connection.
It doesn't like when I do not specify the protocol, and it displays a
bogus message. If I add https://, or use a bookmark to the site which
also has https://, Edge doesn't bitch about an insecure connection,
because it started with a URI that specifies the protocol.

After entering comcast.net into the address bar and getting the bogus non-secure warning, I click on "Continue to site". After continuing,
Edge then establishes a connection, and then it realizes the site does
have a valid certificate, and connects using HTTPS.

Many sites have HTTP connections that will redirect to HTTPS, but that
is after the initial HTTP connection. For this "doesn't support a
secure connection" warning, however, Edge has not connected to the site.
It presumes from the URL sans protocol that the site is insecure.

Any way to either stall Edge to wait until it connects to see what type
of connection the site will initiate (whether it starts with HTTP or
HTTPS), or to configure Edge to stop this bogus whining about insecure
sites that haven't had a chance to present a certificate? Don't use
what the user entered. The URI protocol will be required every time to
make a connection, but the web browser without hint from the URL should
try HTTP to see if HTTPS is accepted.

In Edge, there is the "Automatically switch to more secure connections
with Automatic HTTPS". Doesn't matter whether disabled or enabled.
Edge still bitches about an insecure that is secure.

I should not have to add the URI protocol (http:// or https://) when
manually inputting the URL in the address bar. The web browser should
figure that out by first trying HTTPS. If that fails, and the web
browser has to fallback to HTTP, *then* the web browser should warn the connect is insecure.

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox, and
after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit Enter, do
those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure" warning even
when the site really is secure?

Works fine in Edge with my current Edge settings.
Automatically redirects(without prompting about a secure connection) to:
<https://www.xfinity.com/national/>

Check your setting in Edge.
Settings/Privacy-search-services/
Look at the toggle-able settings for and under 'Automatically switch to
more secure connections...'
--
...w-i|#-o-#-n|#
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On 2026-01-11 04:31, Paul wrote:

On Sat, 1/10/2026 8:08 PM, Jim H wrote:

On Sat, 10 Jan 2026 12:57:02 -0600, in <qk3ny3r5anb1.dlg@v.nguard.lh>,
VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Edge is presenting the following message before it even attempts to
establish a connection:

comcast.net doesnrCOt support a secure connection with HTTPS

Microsoft's CEO recently said that 80% of their programming is done by
AI. Maybe nuff said.

I thought the number was 30%.

And employees (devs) can be fired for not "embracing AI".
That means you have to sit at your desk and consume tokens
as part of your work day.

This effort, the vibe coding, is to capture the mythical productivity improvement
as you correct the AI mistakes.

I wonder if Raymond Chen has embraced AI as his personal savior ? :-)
I bet in a Trivial Pursuit challenge, he could beat the AI at
its own game. The AI is likely afraid of Raymond.

Whereas Elon Misk's (interesting typo, I'll leave it in :-)) own AI
admits that he lies*.

* Sorry, too busy to try to find the video by Prof Gerdes.
--

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website: www.macfh.co.uk

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On Sun, 1/11/2026 2:04 AM, VanguardLH wrote:

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox,
and after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit
Enter, do those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure"
warning even when the site really is secure?

Not on firefox. It went to this site <https://www.xfinity.com/overview> >>>

For me, Edge intercedes with the "not secure" alert, and when I click
on Continue the redirection -- which does go to HTTPS -- lands at
https://www.xfinity.com/national/.

So, Edge is more of web nanny than Firefox.

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Is there accidentally some sort of Proxy involved ?

Not that I'm aware of. This is for my home network. If there were a
proxy, I'd be the one to add it.

I have Proton VPN (free), but I only use it when geofencing, not to
hide. I also disabled the Secure Network (a VPN) inside of Edge.

As old as it is, and in the IE era, I looked at Internet Properties (inetcpl.cpl), Connections tab, LAN settings, and no VPN defined there.

No 3rd-party anti-virus. Just Windows Defender.

In Edge, safe mode is combined with inprivate mode. I opened an
inprivate window in Edge, entered "comcast.net" (no protocol or
qualifier), but Edge was still a web nanny alerting me to an insecure
site before it went there just because it assumes the lack of https://
means using http://, but the site will redirect anyway.

Entering "comcast.net" does not add the protocol, but obviously the web browser can't use that invalid URL. It needs to prefix http:// or
https:// onto the partial URL string before it tries to connect.

I have tried enabling the "Automatically switch to more secure
connections with Automatic HTTPS" to see if Edge was prepending http://,
and would now prepend https://, but that didn't change Edge whining
about an insecure site based on what I entered versus what it should
use.

It is obvious Edge is spewing a bogus alert. When it shows the "doesn't support a secure connection" page, "Not secure" icon shows at the left
end of the address bar. Click on it, and you get the "About <domain>"
drop down very much like when looking at site info in Firefox. In the
drop down, it says "Your connection to this site is not secure". When
you click on that to expand a flyout to show details, that says "This
site does not have a certificate". Yes, it does. Click Continue, do an actual connect, and you can see the site has a cert.

The site has a cert. Enter "comcast.net", and Edge alerts the site is
not secure. Enter "http://comcast.net" (not https), and Edge doesn't
bitch, connects to the site, and either Edge or the site switches to
HTTPS even though you entered http://.

Seems Edge is bitching based on the URL that I entered without
prepending the protocol, not that it actually tested if the site had a
cert or not.

Since Edge is a Chromium variant, I'm wondering what Chrome does when
just "comcast.net" is entered in the address bar, and hit Enter.

What I did the other day, is backed up C: , added some garbage software,
fooled around. Then later, rolled back to the original C: using Macrium.

That should give you the ability to test chromium at least.

https://www.chromium.org/getting-involved/download-chromium/

https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/chromium-browser-snapshots/index.html?prefix=Win_x64/

https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/chromium-browser-snapshots/index.html?prefix=Win_x64/1567530/

chrome-win.zip 2026-01-11 15:43:16 313.62 MB

https://www.googleapis.com/download/storage/v1/b/chromium-browser-snapshots/o/Win_x64%2F1567530%2Fchrome-win.zip?generation=1768146196871863&alt=media

Properties on the runtime executable indicate it is Chromium.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
[...]

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Thanks for the data point.

As others also reported, it's apparently something with *your* setup.

Also for me - in The Netherlands - just entering 'comcast.net' works
fine, both in Edge and in Chrome, and redirects to <https://www.xfinity.com/overview>

BTW Mark Lloyd's http-only site notstupid.us also works fine in both
Edge and Chrome, when just entering 'notstupid.us' (and of course says
it's 'Not secure').
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Thanks for the data point.

As others also reported, it's apparently something with *your* setup.

What others (before you posted)? How Firefox behaves for sticks doesn't mandate how Chromium web browsers behave. Maria reported what happened
in his Edge, not Chrome, and he didn't state he tried an incomplete URL
(i.e., no https:// prefix). He entered full URLs. I don't get the
insecure nag if I enter https://comcast.net. It's when I enter just "comcast.net" when the insecure nag appears.

You're the first, and, so far, the only one that has noted behavior in
your Chrome (and in your Edge). Thanks for that data point.

Also for me - in The Netherlands - just entering 'comcast.net' works
fine, both in Edge and in Chrome, and redirects to <https://www.xfinity.com/overview>

That's what I expected, too.

- Enter "comcast.net".
- Edge should first try to connect using HTTPS by default (configured to
prefer HTTPS).
- Edge sees the site has a cert.
- The web session proceeds without incident.

That's why when I saw different behavior than expected that I got
curious. I watched TCPview. Edge did not connect to the site before announcing its insecure nag. It was bitching about my incomplete URL
syntax which I expected Edge to complete.

I don't have Chrome. What version of Edge are you using? Mine is 143.0.3650.139. I noted testing in an inPrivate window which is Edge's
safe mode (*), and still got the insecure site nag.

(*) Not quite. Extensions can still be configured to run in inPrivate
mode. I disabled all extensions to run in inPrivate mode, but still
got the insecure nag on a secure site.

I'm on Windows 10 Home 22H2, but shouldn't make a difference in internal behaviors of Edge. In addition, I am not using dynamic assignment of
DNS server in my Windows host by using the upstream DHCP server (in the
cable modem's router that merely passes what it got from its upstream
DHCP at the ISP). Instead I configured Windows to use Cloudflare and
Google as my DNS servers, in that order.

I do see Edge is "managed". That's because I used OO Shutup to disable
some functions in Edge. Those create policies via registry edits. All policies are registry entries. For example, in Shutup, I selected the
"Disable suggestions from local providers". I didn't what were "local providers". However, I no longer saw hints for matches in my Bookmarks.
I like those, so I had to undo that setting. Some of the other disables
I configured in Shutup regarding Edge that might be candidates for
affecting behavior in Edge are:

Disable search and website suggestions
Disable shopping assistant
Disable Edge bar
Disable use of web service to resolve navigation errors (**)
Disable suggestion of similar sites when website cannot be found
Disable typosquatting checker for site addresses

(**) The help for that setting reads:
"If there is an error navigating the Microsoft Edge (e.g., due to
an incorrectly entered web address), a connection is established
to a web servive to correct this error (i.e., suggestion of the
correct web address). By setting this policy, you can prevent
sending so that no information is transmitted by the browser."
That sounded like a candidate for interferring with Edge
automatically converting "comcast.net" to "https://comcast.net",
but it also mentions getting a suggestion (which I don't).

I can putz with those settings to see if one of them causes Edge to nag
about an insecure site before it even connects to the site.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

"...w-i|#-o-#-n|# " <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote on 1/10/2026 11:57 AM:

Edge is presenting the following message before it even attempts to
establish a connection:

comcast.net doesnrCOt support a secure connection with HTTPS

I'm using Comcast as an example. I load Edge which opens a new tab to
about:blank. I enter into the address bar:

comcast.net

Notice I did not specify http:// or https:// for the protocol. The web
browser figures that out when it attempts to make a connection.
However, it seems Edge is bitching before it even makes a connection.
It doesn't like when I do not specify the protocol, and it displays a
bogus message. If I add https://, or use a bookmark to the site which
also has https://, Edge doesn't bitch about an insecure connection,
because it started with a URI that specifies the protocol.

After entering comcast.net into the address bar and getting the bogus
non-secure warning, I click on "Continue to site". After continuing,
Edge then establishes a connection, and then it realizes the site does
have a valid certificate, and connects using HTTPS.

Many sites have HTTP connections that will redirect to HTTPS, but that
is after the initial HTTP connection. For this "doesn't support a
secure connection" warning, however, Edge has not connected to the site.
It presumes from the URL sans protocol that the site is insecure.

Any way to either stall Edge to wait until it connects to see what type
of connection the site will initiate (whether it starts with HTTP or
HTTPS), or to configure Edge to stop this bogus whining about insecure
sites that haven't had a chance to present a certificate? Don't use
what the user entered. The URI protocol will be required every time to
make a connection, but the web browser without hint from the URL should
try HTTP to see if HTTPS is accepted.

In Edge, there is the "Automatically switch to more secure connections
with Automatic HTTPS". Doesn't matter whether disabled or enabled.
Edge still bitches about an insecure that is secure.

I should not have to add the URI protocol (http:// or https://) when
manually inputting the URL in the address bar. The web browser should
figure that out by first trying HTTPS. If that fails, and the web
browser has to fallback to HTTP, *then* the web browser should warn the
connect is insecure.

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox, and
after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit Enter, do
those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure" warning even
when the site really is secure?

Works fine in Edge with my current Edge settings.
Automatically redirects(without prompting about a secure connection) to:
<https://www.xfinity.com/national/>

Check your setting in Edge.
Settings/Privacy-search-services/
Look at the toggle-able settings for and under 'Automatically switch to more secure connections...'

I tested entering just "comcast.net" (no protocol) with that setting
both enabled and disabled. Got the insecure nag regardless of that
setting.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

VanguardLH wrote:

Check your setting in Edge.
Settings/Privacy-search-services/
Look at the toggle-able settings for and under 'Automatically switch to >> more secure connections...'

I tested entering just "comcast.net" (no protocol) with that setting
both enabled and disabled. Got the insecure nag regardless of that
setting.

When I just now typed "msedge comcast.net" in my Windows 10 runbox, this
came up in Microsoft Edge: https://www.xfinity.com/national/

Interestingly, when I typed "msedge http://comcast.net" this came up:
https://www.xfinity.com/overview

Since I have all my web browsers set up explicitly, I won't test this:
edge://settings/help > press "Reset settings"
But I suggest you do that.

You might get a different result once/if you reset msedge settings perhaps?
edge://settings/resetProfileSettings
As described here
https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/reset-microsoft-edge-browser-defaults/
--
Just one person paying it forward by helping others who later help me.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On Sun, 1/11/2026 2:04 AM, VanguardLH wrote:

Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox,
and after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit
Enter, do those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure"
warning even when the site really is secure?

Not on firefox. It went to this site <https://www.xfinity.com/overview> >>>

For me, Edge intercedes with the "not secure" alert, and when I click
on Continue the redirection -- which does go to HTTPS -- lands at
https://www.xfinity.com/national/.

So, Edge is more of web nanny than Firefox.

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Is there accidentally some sort of Proxy involved ?

Not that I'm aware of. This is for my home network. If there were a
proxy, I'd be the one to add it.

I have Proton VPN (free), but I only use it when geofencing, not to
hide. I also disabled the Secure Network (a VPN) inside of Edge.

As old as it is, and in the IE era, I looked at Internet Properties (inetcpl.cpl), Connections tab, LAN settings, and no VPN defined there.

No 3rd-party anti-virus. Just Windows Defender.

In Edge, safe mode is combined with inprivate mode. I opened an
inprivate window in Edge, entered "comcast.net" (no protocol or
qualifier), but Edge was still a web nanny alerting me to an insecure
site before it went there just because it assumes the lack of https://
means using http://, but the site will redirect anyway.

Entering "comcast.net" does not add the protocol, but obviously the web browser can't use that invalid URL. It needs to prefix http:// or
https:// onto the partial URL string before it tries to connect.

I have tried enabling the "Automatically switch to more secure
connections with Automatic HTTPS" to see if Edge was prepending http://,
and would now prepend https://, but that didn't change Edge whining
about an insecure site based on what I entered versus what it should
use.

It is obvious Edge is spewing a bogus alert. When it shows the "doesn't support a secure connection" page, "Not secure" icon shows at the left
end of the address bar. Click on it, and you get the "About <domain>"
drop down very much like when looking at site info in Firefox. In the
drop down, it says "Your connection to this site is not secure". When
you click on that to expand a flyout to show details, that says "This
site does not have a certificate". Yes, it does. Click Continue, do an actual connect, and you can see the site has a cert.

The site has a cert. Enter "comcast.net", and Edge alerts the site is
not secure. Enter "http://comcast.net" (not https), and Edge doesn't
bitch, connects to the site, and either Edge or the site switches to
HTTPS even though you entered http://.

Seems Edge is bitching based on the URL that I entered without
prepending the protocol, not that it actually tested if the site had a
cert or not.

Since Edge is a Chromium variant, I'm wondering what Chrome does when
just "comcast.net" is entered in the address bar, and hit Enter.

"Secure your web browsing with HTTPS-First Mode in Microsoft Edge"

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/secure-your-web-browsing-with-https-first-mode-in-microsoft-edge-8377a6e4-9b57-4c81-83a8-fe32603eed7c

You could check your setting there.

As for the other info there, I'd probably have to sit down and
draw an old fashioned flow chart, to figure out how best to use it.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

VanguardLH wrote:

I don't get the
insecure nag if I enter https://comcast.net. It's when I enter just "comcast.net" when the insecure nag appears.

I'll test whatever you need me to test, but the one thing I won't do is
reset my edge settings (because it takes too much time to set it back).
edge://settings/resetProfileSettings
As described here
https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/reset-microsoft-edge-browser-defaults/

When I open MS Edge (runbox > msedge) and paste "comcast.net"
it goes to https://www.xfinity.com/national/

When I enter Mark Lloyd's "notstupid.us/" it goes to http://notstupid.us/
and says "not secure" directly to the left of the URL in the address bar.

I'm on the last known supported version of Windows 10 & Edge version...

wmic datafile where name="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Microsoft\\Edge\\Application\\msedge.exe" get Version

Version 143.0.3650.139
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

Edge is Chromium based. Can someone with Chrome do the same test?
Maybe it's a Chromium behavior that reflects into Edge, so maybe
behavior in Chrome is the same as in Edge.

Thanks for the data point.

As others also reported, it's apparently something with *your* setup.

What others (before you posted)?

Yes.

How Firefox behaves for sticks doesn't
mandate how Chromium web browsers behave. Maria reported what happened
in his Edge, not Chrome, and he didn't state he tried an incomplete URL (i.e., no https:// prefix). He entered full URLs. I don't get the
insecure nag if I enter https://comcast.net. It's when I enter just "comcast.net" when the insecure nag appears.

You're the first, and, so far, the only one that has noted behavior in
your Chrome (and in your Edge). Thanks for that data point.

No, Mark Lloyd tried Chrome before I posted (but he did not
specifically say that he *only* entered 'comcast.net'), that's why I
said "As others also reported":

Message-ID: <6962c142$0$21$882e4bbb@reader.netnews.com

Also for me - in The Netherlands - just entering 'comcast.net' works
fine, both in Edge and in Chrome, and redirects to <https://www.xfinity.com/overview>

That's what I expected, too.

- Enter "comcast.net".
- Edge should first try to connect using HTTPS by default (configured to
prefer HTTPS).
- Edge sees the site has a cert.
- The web session proceeds without incident.

That's why when I saw different behavior than expected that I got
curious. I watched TCPview. Edge did not connect to the site before announcing its insecure nag. It was bitching about my incomplete URL
syntax which I expected Edge to complete.

I don't have Chrome. What version of Edge are you using? Mine is 143.0.3650.139.

Mine is the same version as yours and says "Microsoft Edge is up to
date.". I'm on Windows 11 24H2 (not 25H2).

[...]
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

VanguardLH <V@nguard.LH> wrote:

Edge is presenting the following message before it even attempts to
establish a connection:

comcast.net doesnrCOt support a secure connection with HTTPS

I'm using Comcast as an example. I load Edge which opens a new tab to about:blank. I enter into the address bar:

comcast.net

Notice I did not specify http:// or https:// for the protocol. The web browser figures that out when it attempts to make a connection.
However, it seems Edge is bitching before it even makes a connection.
It doesn't like when I do not specify the protocol, and it displays a
bogus message. If I add https://, or use a bookmark to the site which
also has https://, Edge doesn't bitch about an insecure connection,
because it started with a URI that specifies the protocol.

After entering comcast.net into the address bar and getting the bogus non-secure warning, I click on "Continue to site". After continuing,
Edge then establishes a connection, and then it realizes the site does
have a valid certificate, and connects using HTTPS.

Many sites have HTTP connections that will redirect to HTTPS, but that
is after the initial HTTP connection. For this "doesn't support a
secure connection" warning, however, Edge has not connected to the site.
It presumes from the URL sans protocol that the site is insecure.

Any way to either stall Edge to wait until it connects to see what type
of connection the site will initiate (whether it starts with HTTP or
HTTPS), or to configure Edge to stop this bogus whining about insecure
sites that haven't had a chance to present a certificate? Don't use
what the user entered. The URI protocol will be required every time to
make a connection, but the web browser without hint from the URL should
try HTTP to see if HTTPS is accepted.

In Edge, there is the "Automatically switch to more secure connections
with Automatic HTTPS". Doesn't matter whether disabled or enabled.
Edge still bitches about an insecure that is secure.

I should not have to add the URI protocol (http:// or https://) when
manually inputting the URL in the address bar. The web browser should
figure that out by first trying HTTPS. If that fails, and the web
browser has to fallback to HTTP, *then* the web browser should warn the connect is insecure.

For those using something other than Edge, like Chrome, or Firefox, and
after you enter just "comcast.net" into the address and hit Enter, do
those web browser also puke out "this site is insecure" warning even
when the site really is secure?

Change OO Shutup to not disable anything in Edge. Still get the
insecure site nag for "comcast.net".

In Edge at edge://settings/privacy/security, what is your selection for:

_ Alerts you about insecure sites (Default)
_ Alerts you about insecure public and private sites

There is no option to turn off the alert, only change the scope it
encompasses. I don't need a big nag screen saying a site is insecure,
and having me click Continue. Just have the lock icon (site
information) at the left end of the address bar change colors (green =
secure, red = insecure), and flash 5 or 10 times when red to grab my
attention, but don't interrupt my surfing. I don't need nor want
handholding, like I'm a tot.

Are you saving cookies between web sessions (i.e., not purging them on
exit from Edge)? I have Edge configured to purge all its locally cached
data on its exit: browsing history, download history, cookies and other
site data, cached images and files, site permissions.

I thought cookies might explain why I get the insecure nag on the first
visit (no cookie yet, especially since I have yet to connect to the site
for it to save a cookie). On subsequent entries of "comcast.net" within
the same web session there is no nag. However, deleting the xfinity.com (Comcast) cookie, I still did not get the insecure nag on reentering comcast.net. Then I purged both cookies and browsing history. Voila,
now entering "comcast.net" reproduced the insecure nag. Then I tested
with just purging browsing history (keeping cookies).

If you keep browsing history, and have previously visited Comcast, Edge
sees that it managed to connect before to a secure site. No nag screen.
If you purge browsing history whether manually or with the purge-on-exit option, you get the insecure nag on entering "comcast.net".

I have Edge (and previously Firefox) purge all their locally cached data
on exit except for passwords (which is no longer a choice for purge
options). Purge-on-exit is not the default setting, and why others may
not get the insecure nag screen. So, yeah, my config of Edge differs
from other users who mostly just accept the defaults.

Unlike cookie purging with an option to exclude some sites (but those exclusions are site preferrences, so they still get deleted if purge
site preference is enabled on purge-on-exit), there is no exclude list
to browsing history purge-on-exit.

For privacy and security reasons, I have my web browsers purge all its
locally cached data on their exit. Browsing history is stored in webcachev01.dat, so forensic tools can interrogate that file to see
where you visited. I'm not paranoid about an intruder mounting my drive
to their computer to look in this file. It's just a privacy setting
that didn't seem to have a negative since I don't rely on browsing
history across web sessions, only within the same web session. It's a
privacy issue, easily enabled, and which I thought would have no impact
on my use of Edge since I don't give a gnat's fart about keeping my
browsing history across web sessions.

I'll have to reconsider if I continue purging browsing history on exit
from Edge to suffer the insecure nag which is presented before Edge even connects to the site to see if secure or not, or keep the history across
web session as a convenience feature that I don't need nor want.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-10

On 12 Jan 2026 15:00:53 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:

[snip]

No, Mark Lloyd tried Chrome before I posted (but he did not
specifically say that he *only* entered 'comcast.net'), that's why I
said "As others also reported":

I tried Chrome, Edge, and Firefox (all latest versions) and entered
nothing but comcast.net

[...]

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"Scientific creationism: a religious dogma combining massive ignorance
with incredible arrogance."
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2