A secure connection is denoted by an asterisk in front of the database name. It looks like this, "*MYDB" without the "" when seen inside the connection dialog. After connecting, your database will not show up in the recent tab.

The items that show up in the recent tab are actually path files. Because an asterisk is a windows reserved character, the path file cannot be created and if the path file cannot be created, it will not show up in the recent tab.

This is fine if you can click on the TCP/IP tab and log on but it may be annoying if you have to manually type the database name and IP address every time using the custom tab.

To workaround this feature, make a regular connection for the first connection. By doing this, your database will now appear in the recent tab. The next time you want to make a secure connection, highlight the database name in the recent tab and click on the custom tab. You will notice that the name and IP address is already filled in. All you have to do now is to add an asterisk in front of the database name and you can connect.