Suggestions for Using PayPal
on Ray Carney’s www.Cassavetes.com

If your computer is displaying a blank screen or an error message that “the page cannot be displayed” or “the page cannot be found” when you attempt to access your PayPal account, open a new account, or purchase an item, it may be because your browser's security level is set too low.

To access PayPal, as well as for maximum security in general, you should upgrade to a Netscape, Microsoft, or other browser that supports 128-bit encryption.

Below are the instructions for viewing your browser security level.

For Microsoft Internet Explorer:

   1.  Open your Internet Explorer browser and select “Help” from the toolbar.

   2.  Select “About Internet Explorer”.

   3.  On the About Internet Explorer window, you will be given a version number and a cipher strength (encryption rate).

   4.  If your cipher strength is less than 128-bit, you can update by going to your “Tools” tab and select “Windows Update”. (You may also click Help > About Internet Explorer > Update Information.)

   5.  This will direct you to the Microsoft web site to upgrade your browser.

You may also need to check your browser settings:

   1.  Click Start > Settings > Control Panel and open “Internet Options”.

   2.  Click the “Advanced” tab, scroll to the bottom of the scroll window.

   3.  Ensure that “Use SSL 2.0”, “Use SSL 3.0” and “Use TLS 1.0” place a check in the checkbox next to each of these options.

For Netscape Communicator or Netscape Navigator:

   1.  Click Help > About Communicator or Navigator.

   2.  In the window that opens, look for a section on RSA security.

   3.  If this section reads, “This version supports U.S. security”, then your browser supports 128-bit encryption.

   4.  Otherwise, it will indicate you have an export version, which only supports 40-bit. (Further details are also available by clicking on “Security” in the Navigator toolbar.)

   5.  If you need to upgrade your Netscape browser, go to http://home.netscape.com and click “Download Latest Netscape Browser” at the bottom of the page.

   6.  If the cipher strength is already set to 128 bit, you may need to clear your cookies.

   7.  If you are getting “Page Cannot be Displayed” when trying to open a new account, it could be your cookies are not enabled. Once your cookies are enabled, you should be able to view the PayPal pages.

For other browsers, please view your help files for more information about upgrading to a more recent version.

Double-checking the current time and date on your computer may also help with your issue:

   1.  Click the Start button in the lower left hand corner.

   2.  Scroll up to Settings and click on Control Panel.

   3.  Double click Date/Time.

   4.  Make sure the year is set to the correct year.

Once these changes have been made, you may need to reboot your computer.

If you are encountering difficulties using Internet Explorer on Mac OS 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, or below, you should consider using a different browser at this time. The error you are encountering is a well-known and documented issue with Internet Explorer's inability to recognize valid security certificates.

In 2003, Microsoft announced the end of development for future versions of the Internet Explorer browser for the Mac. With this in mind, you will want to begin looking at various alternatives available for your internet browsing needs.

If you are using version Mac OS 9.2 or lower, a list of links to alternative browsers is given below:

With any links used above, please download and install the latest available browser version that works with your Mac operating system.