Back up default recovery keys to a floppy disk

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To back up default recovery keys to a floppy disk

Click Start, click Run, type mmc, and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in, and then click Add.
Under Add Standalone Snap-in, click Certificates, and then click Add.
Click My user account, and then click Finish.
Click Close, and then click OK.
Double-click Certificates - Current User, double-click Personal, and then double-click Certificates.
Click the certificate that displays the words File Recovery in the Intended Purposes column.
Right-click the certificate, point to All Tasks, and then click Export.
Follow the instructions in the Certificate Export Wizard to export the certificate and associated private key to a .pfx file format.

Notes

This operation must be performed by the recovery agent account that has the recovery certificate and private key in their private store.
In a home or non-domain environment, there is no default recovery agent. To configure a recovery agent, see Related Topics.
Before making any changes to the default recovery policy, be sure to secure the default recovery private key. The default recovery keys in a domain are stored on the first domain controller for the domain. The domain administrator is the default recovery agent.
For more information about using Certificates in MMC, see Related Topics.

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.