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Error message when you try to install the certification authority role on a Windows Server 2008-based computer: "Cannot install Certification Authority"

Article ID: 958670 - View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

On a Windows Server 2008-based computer, when you try to install the certification authority (CA) role, you receive the following error message:

Cannot install Certification Authority. Certification Authority cannot be installed on this computer

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This problem occurs in the scenario when only the CA Web Enrollment service was installed previously under the Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) role, and then the CA Web Enrollment service was uninstalled. In this scenario, the following registry subkey still exists in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CertSvc

However, this registry subkey should have been deleted.

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RESOLUTION

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To resolve this problem, check whether the following registry subkey exists:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CertSvc

If this registry subkey exists, back up the registry subkey to a file, and then delete this registry subkey. Then, you should be able to install the CA role.

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