PSS ID Number: 310389
Article Last Modified on 10/3/2003
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
This article was previously published under Q310389
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SUMMARY
This step-by-step article describes how to request a certificate by using the Certificates snap-in.
In a Windows 2000 public key infrastructure, there are several ways to request a new digital certificate. Microsoft provides the Certificates snap-in, which you can add to a custom MMC for requesting and managing certificates. Note that the Certificates snap-in can be used only for requesting certificates from an enterprise Certification Authority (CA). To request a certificate from a standalone CA, you must use the Web interface.
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Create a Certificates MMC
- Click Start, click Run, type mmc, and then press ENTER to open an empty console.
- On the Console menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in, and then click Add.
- In the list of available snap-ins, click Certificates, and then click Add.
- You are prompted to select a certificate type for user, computer, or service account. You can add nodes for more than one certificate type to a single console by repeating this process.
- You can save the console for future use. When you close the console, you are prompted to name it and choose a location in which to save it.
- If you want to, you can also add or delete additional snap-ins from this console. This makes it a useful tool because many commonly-used interfaces (such as DNS or Active Directory Users and Computers) can be stored in one tool that you can easily access from the desktop or where the console is saved.
Request a Certificate for a User Account by Using the Console
By default, certificates are displayed in the logical store view. To request a certificate for your user account by using the console:
- Expand the Certificates - Current User node in the left console pane.
- Right click the Personal node.
- Click All Tasks in the right context menu.
- Click Request New Certificate to start the Request Certificate Wizard.
NOTE: For more information about how to proceed if you receive a "Windows cannot find a certification authority that will process the request." error message, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:271861 Windows Cannot Find a Certificate Authority That Processes the Request
- When the wizard starts, click Next, and then click Administrator, Basic EFS, EFS Recovery Agent, or User on the Certificate Template page.
- On the Certificate Friendly Name and Description page, type an easy-to-remember name to identify the certificate, or type a description for the certificate that indicates its specific use.
- Review the information that you have typed on the Summary page. Ensure that the user account name is correct, and then click Finish to complete the wizard. You then receive a message that indicates that the certificate request was successful, and you receive the option to view the certificate. The certificate information tells you the purpose of the certificate (for example, you can use a user certificate to encrypt data on the hard disk, protect e-mail messages and confirm your identity to a remote computer), to whom it is issued, by what entity it is issued, and the time period within which it is valid.
- After you view the certificate, click Install Certificate on the Success Notification box.
- Click OK. The new certificate now appears in the list of certificates in the Certificates\Current User\Personal\Certificates node, in the Details pane of the Certificates MMC.
For additional information about related topics, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
313407 HOW TO: Create Automatic Certificate Requests with Group Policy
253498 How to Install a Certificate for Use with IP Security
231881 How to Install/Uninstall a Public Key Certificate Authority for Windows 2000
228821 Generating a Certificate Request File Using the Certificate Wizard in IIS 5.0
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