Problem

You receive a "Failed to generate the certificate request" error message when you try to create a Certificate Signing Request in IIS

Solution

When you try to create a CSR (Certificate Signing Request) in IIS, you receive the following error message:

Failed to generate the certificate request. Access is denied.

This happens when the administrator who tries to create the certificate does not have the Full Control permissions on the files and subfolders of the MachineKeys folder.  The following steps discuss the steps for resolving this issue:

1. Navigate to the \Documents and Settings\All Users\ Application Data\Microsoft\Crypto\RSA folder.


2. Right-click on MachineKeys and select Properties from the drop down menu.


3. Click the Security tab and click on the Administrator (or group account that you want) and check the box to enable Full Control permissions.  Once you have done this, click on the OK button.

Go through the process of recreating the CSR.