Schannel Error 36888

Anonymous
2009-12-24T01:59:46+00:00

I am getting this Schannel Error 36888 over and over and over again. There NOTHING listed on the help site about it. I have no idea what it is, but my computer is crashing over and over again. I don't know if this is the reason, but it seems to be the most frequent event listed in the event viewer.

I restored my computer to the image I made after the initial installation back in July, and did this only after going back to restore points to 12/6/09.

It does not seem to be a Windows O/S issue or else these various restores would have fixed it. Nothing else has changed though. No new hardware added and any external devices I did have connected, I have disconnected to rule them out. All I have connected is one external hard drive (which I need for my backups) and the keyboard and mouse.

The computer goes to a blue screen, usually after doing something like opening Windows Explorer or something like that. Just sitting idle, it doesn't seem to happen. Or at least not as often.

What is Schannel Error 36888. I found posting on different sites but none that are conclusive or tell me what EXCATLY to do about it.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Apps

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Anonymous
2011-10-31T15:24:32+00:00

Getting the same error.  Just installed Trial Version of Outlook 2010 and noticed the message.

The error occurs when I allow Outlook to set up e-mail accounts on its own.  The first try is on a encrypted connection which fails, then the option to use an unencrypted connection succeeds.  The error happens during the encrypted attempts and occurs 3 times in succession.

My POP3 server just uses a password, so it seems the attempts to use a encrypted protocol is involved.  But maybe someone who understands more about how it works will know what type of scenarios might generate such an error.

Also I notice if I let Outlook set up the accounts, it will succeed using the incorrect server name.  Mine are pop-server instead of just pop, but Outlook sets it up anyway.  But e-mail access does not generate the error even using the wrong server name.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-08-01T03:04:57+00:00

    I had the same problem from 7/23/214 to 7/30/2014.  I believe the cause was an automatic update to Microsoft Silverlight because the blue-screen (allegedly memory) errors and reboots stopped when I uninstalled Silverlight.  However, the Schannel errors did not stop until a few days later.

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-07-28T11:59:14+00:00

    Hi Naman,

    you asked me which security software I use and I answered. Nothing to do with Windows-related stuff. I know about Defender, had it on my PC ages ago and never found it much use. You do not have to comment on this. However,

    as soon as I start Skype I get Schannel errors 36888. Just now I tried again and found 6 of them in Event Viewer. When I do not use Skype, I have no errors. Long before Microsoft bought Skype I did not want it on my PC because I knew the people who designed it always compromised security. It appears  that Skype still compromises security, even though Microsoft is now responsible.

    I had change to Skype because Windows Live Messenger no longer exists, but I will not use Skype as long as it is a security risk.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-07-26T11:55:10+00:00

    Hello Albert,

    Thank you for replying.

    Windows 8 comes with built in Windows Defender for security which is Integrated with Microsoft Security Essentials.

    If you have any issues/queries related to Windows, please create a new post to avoid confusion. We appreciate your participation on Microsoft Community Forums.

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  4. Anonymous
    2014-07-22T10:39:06+00:00

    Hi Naman,

    thank you for your reply. For security I use Microsoft Security Essentials. I does me fine (another reason for not upgrading to Windows 8 :-)

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