Trusted Root Certificate Automatically disappear on client SSL connection

Question

I have this weirdest problem. First off: I'm VERY new to this certificate thingy. I've done a fair amount of searches and reading up though.

The CA Cert that I install into the Trusted Root Certificate Authorities store in my server automatically get removed/disappeared as soon as a client web-browser try to connect to a web-site using an SSL cert created with that CA cert.

DETAILS: Windows Server 2008 R2 (development server). I've created my own Certificate Authority Cert; which I use it to generate an SSL server cert (to install on my IIS 7 Server) and a client cert (for use at my local PC to connect to the WCF Webservice on the development server which is set to Require SSL and Require Client Cert).

I installed the CA Cert into the Trusted Root on both Server and local PC. Installed the SSL server cert into the IIS7 for that particular site and did the https binding to port 443.

As soon as I launch my browser to access that site with HTTPS, the CA cert in automatically removed on the server (from the Trusted Root Certificate Authorities store). and my local PC browser will report an error 403.

This is driving me nuts... anyone knows what is happening?

Answer 1

Apparently, after a lot of running around, it is due to too many of the same certs in many stores. I open the MMC.exe > Add/Remove SnapIns > Certificates Notice there are 3 types there (My User Account, Service Account & Computer Account). Open up My User and Computer Account, go through all the stores for each one and DELETE all of the CA cert with the same name. Then add the CA cert in either My User Account or Computer Account, depending on how you access the certs (in the event of the cert being used programatically, install it in the Computer Account, [Trusted Root Certificate Authorities].

Just 1 place, then the problem will dissappear.