[Solved] The dreaded 'Sys' is undefined and the crypto dlls used by SSL?

[Jon]

I have a user with Win7 and IE8 who was experiencing the dreaded 'Sys' is undefined script error, when trying to load the page that has the RadEditor on it. He is running a clean install of Win7 and IE8. I was unable to reproduce this on my own clean install of Win7 and IE8.

This user did a search looking for "Can't access https sites", and came up with a link:

http://www.daniweb.com/forums/post894841.html#post894841

that recommended :

Trythis in a dos box

regsvr32 softpub.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll

It fixed all problems!

He did this, and resolved the problem! He can now use the Editor.

I believe that these DLLs are involved in crypto used by the browser for SSL, to it is quite a surprise to me that this has resolved the problem for him.

Very strange. I don't see the connection, and, since I was unable to duplicate the problem, I have no way of testing this.

He claims to have been working with a fresh install of Win7.

If anyone sees a connection between "'Sys' is undefined" and these DLLs and wishes to share, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

-Jon

[Rumen]

Hi,

Based on your description, the 'Sys' is undefined error is a client-side issue that typically occurs when the ASP.NET AJAX framework scripts are not loaded correctly. This is often due to script delivery failures, which can be caused by several factors, including network issues, resource handler misconfiguration, or problems with HTTPS/SSL connections.

Connection Between Crypto DLLs and the Error:

• The DLLs you listed (such as softpub.dll, wintrust.dll, initpki.dll, etc.) are core components of the Windows cryptographic subsystem. They are responsible for handling SSL/TLS connections in Internet Explorer.
• If these DLLs are missing or not registered correctly, IE8 may be unable to establish secure HTTPS connections. As a result, the browser may fail to download necessary resources such as ScriptResource.axd and WebResource.axd over HTTPS.
• If the AJAX framework scripts are not delivered to the browser, you will encounter the 'Sys' is undefined error because the JavaScript objects provided by ASP.NET AJAX are not available on the page.

Why This Fix Worked:

• Registering these DLLs restored the cryptographic functionality needed for IE8 to access HTTPS resources. This allowed the client to successfully download the required scripts, resolving the error.

Why the Issue Is Hard to Reproduce:

• The problem may only appear on systems with a very specific set of missing or unregistered DLLs, which is uncommon even on clean installations. This explains why you could not reproduce it on your own test setup.

Recommendations:

• For users experiencing similar issues, ensure that all Windows updates are applied and that the cryptographic DLLs are properly registered.
• Confirm that HTTPS resources are accessible and that there are no certificate or mixed content warnings.
• Note that IE8 and Win7 are no longer supported environments for Telerik UI for ASP.NET AJAX, and compatibility issues may arise.

 

Regards,
Rumen
Progress Telerik