Can't install personal certificate/private key

From: Paul Crisp (paul@paccts.co.uk)
Date: 06/28/02 

From: "Paul Crisp" <paul@paccts.co.uk>
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 2002 15:35:10 +0100

I tried this query about a month ago. People tried to help but my problem
remains. I thought I would try again.
I am trying to establish internet access to my bank accounts (HSBC). This is
controlled via a set of passwords, logon IDs and certificates. Two
certificates are required, one is a trusted root certificate and the other
is a personal certificate with a corresponding private key. Both are
generated on the bank's host system.

My problem is that I cannot get the personal certificate to install in my
W2Kpro system either directly from the bank or by exporting it from one
machine and importing it to another. I have done both of these things on
other boxes - 2 XP machines and 1 W2K box. The latter is nearly identical to
the machine I am failing to get the certificate and PK onto.

The trusted root certificate installed without difficulty. The personal
certificate goes through the whole import routine and at the final stage
throws up a message that says "An internal error occurred. The private key
that you are importing might
require a cryptographic service provider that is not installed on your
system"..

The bank are stumped and I can't find anything about this problem in the
newsgroups or in MS's on-line resources. As I have installed the self same
certificate on 3 other computers, I'm betting on it being an issue with the
particular machine (which is an Acer Travelmate 613TXV by the way). It is
updated to the latest security patch - but I tried the certificate install
both before and after applying the patch. In case it's relevant, the Acer is
normally networked via a docking station to an SBS4.5 network which accessed
the internet via an ADSL router through MS Proxy Server 2.0.

On the advice of this group I've checked that the algorithms in use are
consistent, which they are, and that the machine uses 128 bit
'cyberstrength', which it does. I'm guessing that this is some screw-up in
the registry but I don't know
enough about it to figure out what. I've read some of the Microsoft stuff on
certificates and my head hurts.

One poster suggested that the problem was a corrupt registry which seems
likely to me too. Has anyone any idea what I might do to fix it? Is it worth
reinstalling anything, and if so, what?
Anybody any thoughts? I'd be very grateful.
Paul
Coventry
England

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