Error: "Cannot find the certificate request associated with this certificate file. A certificate request must be completed on the computer where it was created" when installing certificate using Microsoft IIS 7.0 or 7.5

Thank to: https://knowledge.digicert.com

Problem

When installing an SSL certificate using Microsoft IIS 7.0 or 7.5 on Windows Server 2008 / 2008R2, the following error may occur:

Cause

This error occurs because IIS Manager performs a lookup operation to search for the friendly name of the certificate during installation. However, the code that performs this lookup operation misses this specific case, and it does not know how to retrieve the friendly name of a certificate in a PKCS#7 file. Therefore, the lookup operation fails, and the error message is displayed.

Solution

To resolve this problem, verify if the certificate was installed by performing the following steps:

Step 1: Create a Certificate snap-in within the MMC on the server

1. Click Start > Run > type MMC
2. From the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), click  File > Add/Remove Snap-in
3. From the list of snap-ins, select Certificates
4. Click Add
5. Select Computer Account
6. Click Next
7. Select Local Computer (the computer this console is running on)
8. Click Finish
9. In the Add/Remove Snap-in window, click OK

Step 2: Locate the SSL certificate

1. Go to Personal > Certificates
2. Right-click the SSL Certificate
3. Select Properties
4. Enter a Friendly Name value
5. Click Apply, then click OK
6. Go back to Personal > Certificates
7. Double-click on the SSL certificate

On the General tab, under the validity dates, there should be a key icon with the following message:
 
"You have a private key that corresponds to this certificate"

If this is present, close the certificate and the MMC and proceed to Step 3. If there is no reference to the private key, please refer to the instructions referenced at the following knowledge base solution, to restore the private key.

Step 3: Bind the SSL certificate to the appropriate web site in IIS

1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager
2. Browse to [Server name] > Sites > [Site for installation]
3. From the Actions pane, choose Bindings
4. In the Site Bindings window, choose Add (or Edit if an https binding already exists)
5. From the Add/Edit Site Bindings window, select the binding type: https
6. Select the SSL certificate that will be used for the site
7. Click OK