it's the same server !!!! that's what I said earlier... no virtual machines, same config, same php.ini, same database...the only difference is this one :
* 2 subdomains on the same server (e.g. test.domain.com & shop.domain.com).
But:
* the "new" test version doesn't have an SSL certificate
* the "old" shop installed for testing purpose does have an SSL certificate.
Does the use of SSL activate some parameters somewhere ? Checked the database, the config files... didn't see anything.