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Computing > Support >  Library >  Safe Computing > Defenses > Authentication > PKI > FAQs >  

Why Did My Certificate Stored On a Windows XP Computer Stop Working?

Your private key is stored in the Windows Registry, encrypted using your account password. There is a problem in Windows XP Service Pack 1 when using an NT4 domain account. In this configuration, if you change your password, your private key will stop working. Changing your password back to the value it had when the private key was stored will enable it again.

We also recommend upgrading Windows XP to Service Pack 2. Microsoft provides an easy way of downloading updates to their operating systems via the Automatic Updates Control Panel. To manually access the Windows Update Web site, start Internet Explorer, then select Windows Update from the Tools menu.

03/14/08

Last Updated: 3/14/08