Yes its a good workaround but irts a shame we have to use a crutch

Are there any more url examples this is happening in?

cynicscorner said

However on my problem machine, every Amazon page comes up https including the home page, and nothing I do can change that. If I hard-type www.amazon.com, I am taken to https://www.amazon.com/. Pages that are supposed to be secure (like shopping cart, order history, etc.) work fine, but the product pages, which normally would have http links instead show https links and they cause the redirect error; manually changing the address to http results in the browser sitting there “Waiting…” (as does trying to access a product page directly from Google).

First the obvious thing that distinguishes a private window from a regular window: did you try clearing Amazon cookies??

While viewing a page on the site (that will load, in a non-private window), try either:

• right-click (on Mac Ctrl+click) a blank area of the page and choose View Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
• (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
• click the "i" icon in the address bar, then the ">" button, then More Information, and finally the "View Cookies" button

In the dialog that opens, amazon.com should be pre-filled in the search box at the top of the dialog so you can remove the site's cookies individually without affecting other sites.

Then try http://www.amazon.com/ -- any improvement? Does it still work if you log into your Amazon account or does the problem return?

If the problem occurs without any extension (for example, in Firefox's Safe Mode), and after Amazon cookies are cleared, possibly Firefox stored a "strict HTTPS" instruction from the server. My understanding is that all such instructions are stored in a single settings file that you could remove and see whether that resolves it. If you want to try it, 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 files and folders in Windows Explorer.

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 SiteSecurityServiceState.txt to something like SiteSecurityServiceState-old.txt (just in case you decide you want to restore it).

Start Firefox back up again. Any change with Amazon?

Oops, another thing that distinguish private windows from regular windows is that Tracking Protection is automatically enabled. This article describes that feature and how you can experiment with disabling it to see whether the problem returns in a private window: What happened to Tracking Protection?.

guigs said

Are there any more url examples this is happening in?

Not that I know of... of course, there are quite a few Amazon url's where this happens. I would say about 75 percent of the Amazon url's that I try exhibit this behavior.

jscher2000 said

cynicscorner said

However on my problem machine, every Amazon page comes up https including the home page, and nothing I do can change that. If I hard-type www.amazon.com, I am taken to https://www.amazon.com/. Pages that are supposed to be secure (like shopping cart, order history, etc.) work fine, but the product pages, which normally would have http links instead show https links and they cause the redirect error; manually changing the address to http results in the browser sitting there “Waiting…” (as does trying to access a product page directly from Google).

First the obvious thing that distinguishes a private window from a regular window: did you try clearing Amazon cookies??

While viewing a page on the site (that will load, in a non-private window), try either:

• right-click (on Mac Ctrl+click) a blank area of the page and choose View Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
• (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
• click the "i" icon in the address bar, then the ">" button, then More Information, and finally the "View Cookies" button

In the dialog that opens, amazon.com should be pre-filled in the search box at the top of the dialog so you can remove the site's cookies individually without affecting other sites.

Then try http://www.amazon.com/ -- any improvement? Does it still work if you log into your Amazon account or does the problem return?

---

If the problem occurs without any extension (for example, in Firefox's Safe Mode), and after Amazon cookies are cleared, possibly Firefox stored a "strict HTTPS" instruction from the server. My understanding is that all such instructions are stored in a single settings file that you could remove and see whether that resolves it. If you want to try it, 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 files and folders in Windows Explorer.

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 SiteSecurityServiceState.txt to something like SiteSecurityServiceState-old.txt (just in case you decide you want to restore it).

Start Firefox back up again. Any change with Amazon?

Yes, I have tried just about everything except standing on my head. The only thing I know for sure... Chrome works and Firefox Private Windows works. Why would Chrome work for a regular window (same url's as far as I can tell, including the https) and Firefox not work??

I am changing from Chrome to Firefox as my standard browser. Because Chrome is dropping support for Vista.

As far as I can tell, the only visible difference is that https is always used in a normal window, and plain url's (www.amazon.com) in the private window.

Of course, in a private window I have to manually log into Amazon, so when I first bring up the web page Amazon doesn't realize that I am a registered user of Amazon -- until I login, of course.

jscher2000 said

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then rename SiteSecurityServiceState.txt to something like SiteSecurityServiceState-old.txt (just in case you decide you want to restore it). Start Firefox back up again. Any change with Amazon?

Wow. I had previously and repeatedly cleared cookies, used safe mode, etc. to no avail, but getting rid of that txt file did the trick.

This is awesome. I can't thank you enough.

jscher2000 said

cynicscorner said

However on my problem machine, every Amazon page comes up https including the home page, and nothing I do can change that. If I hard-type www.amazon.com, I am taken to https://www.amazon.com/. Pages that are supposed to be secure (like shopping cart, order history, etc.) work fine, but the product pages, which normally would have http links instead show https links and they cause the redirect error; manually changing the address to http results in the browser sitting there “Waiting…” (as does trying to access a product page directly from Google).

First the obvious thing that distinguishes a private window from a regular window: did you try clearing Amazon cookies??

While viewing a page on the site (that will load, in a non-private window), try either:

• right-click (on Mac Ctrl+click) a blank area of the page and choose View Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
• (menu bar) Tools > Page Info > Security > "View Cookies"
• click the "i" icon in the address bar, then the ">" button, then More Information, and finally the "View Cookies" button

In the dialog that opens, amazon.com should be pre-filled in the search box at the top of the dialog so you can remove the site's cookies individually without affecting other sites.

Then try http://www.amazon.com/ -- any improvement? Does it still work if you log into your Amazon account or does the problem return?

---

If the problem occurs without any extension (for example, in Firefox's Safe Mode), and after Amazon cookies are cleared, possibly Firefox stored a "strict HTTPS" instruction from the server. My understanding is that all such instructions are stored in a single settings file that you could remove and see whether that resolves it. If you want to try it, 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 files and folders in Windows Explorer.

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 SiteSecurityServiceState.txt to something like SiteSecurityServiceState-old.txt (just in case you decide you want to restore it).

Start Firefox back up again. Any change with Amazon?

YES! Renaming this file did the trick!! Amazon now is working properly.

Is this something that I will routinely have to fix?? Or is this a 1 time kind of thing?

pawnslinger said

jscher2000 said

If the problem occurs without any extension (for example, in Firefox's Safe Mode), and after Amazon cookies are cleared, possibly Firefox stored a "strict HTTPS" instruction from the server. My understanding is that all such instructions are stored in a single settings file that you could remove and see whether that resolves it. If you want to try it, 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 files and folders in Windows Explorer. 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 SiteSecurityServiceState.txt to something like SiteSecurityServiceState-old.txt (just in case you decide you want to restore it). Start Firefox back up again. Any change with Amazon?

YES! Renaming this file did the trick!! Amazon now is working properly.

Is this something that I will routinely have to fix?? Or is this a 1 time kind of thing?

I think it must be some remote corner of Amazon that set strict transport security on your Firefox, since as far as I know this is an uncommon problem and the result obviously is very dysfunctional.

Do you use any less common features, such as being a vendor or an affiliate?

jscher2000 said

pawnslinger said

jscher2000 said

If the problem occurs without any extension (for example, in Firefox's Safe Mode), and after Amazon cookies are cleared, possibly Firefox stored a "strict HTTPS" instruction from the server. My understanding is that all such instructions are stored in a single settings file that you could remove and see whether that resolves it. If you want to try it, 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 files and folders in Windows Explorer. 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 SiteSecurityServiceState.txt to something like SiteSecurityServiceState-old.txt (just in case you decide you want to restore it). Start Firefox back up again. Any change with Amazon?

YES! Renaming this file did the trick!! Amazon now is working properly.

Is this something that I will routinely have to fix?? Or is this a 1 time kind of thing?

I think it must be some remote corner of Amazon that set strict transport security on your Firefox, since as far as I know this is an uncommon problem and the result obviously is very dysfunctional.

Do you use any less common features, such as being a vendor or an affiliate?

No. I am a normal customer. I am somewhat hesitant to discuss my habits, but I think I am a fairly ordinary customer. I am certainly not a vendor or affiliate, nothing like that at all. Just a buyer.