DOCUMENT:Q241060 10-AUG-2001 [winnt] TITLE :Err Msg: The Certificate Server Did Not Start: Unable To... PRODUCT :Microsoft Windows NT PROD/VER:winnt:4.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbenv kberrmsg kbtool ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 - Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYMPTOMS ======== After you install NTOP version of Certificate Server on incompatible ODBC versions, the Certificate Server Service does not start and the following error appears in the Application Log of the Event Viewer: The Certificate Server did not start: unable to initialize the database connection for . The error code is oxffffffff. CAUSE ===== This issue can occur if you install Internet Explorer 5 or MDAC 2.1 on your computer before you install Certificate Server. RESOLUTION ========== To resolve this issue, follow these steps: 1. Open the ODBC Data Sources Administrator in Control Panel. 2. If you see a User DSN named CertSrv that is using the Access database, click Remove. 3. Recreate the User DSN as a System DSN named CertSrv: a. On the System DSN tab, click Add. b. Click "Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)," and then click Finish. c. On the ODBC Microsoft Access Setup Page, type "CertSrv" (without the quotation marks) for the Data Source Name. d. Under Database, click Select. e. Point to the %SystemRoot%\System32\CertLog\certsrv.mdb file, and then click OK. f. On the ODBC Microsoft Access Setup Page, click Advanced, and then configure the Default Authorization Login Name box to use "Admin" and no password. 4. Use the Services tool in Control Panel to restart the Certificate Server Service. MORE INFORMATION ================ There is an incompatibility between the NTOP installer and the ADO (Jet database) of MDAC 2.1 which shipped in Internet Explorer 5. This incompatibility causes Certificate Server to create a UserDSN for certsrv instead of the necessary SystemDSN. Additional query words: ====================================================================== Keywords : kbenv kberrmsg kbtool Technology : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTSEntSearch kbWinNTSEnt400 kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400 Version : winnt:4.0 Hardware : ALPHA x86 Issue type : kbbug Solution Type : kbfix ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2001.