The error message "The installer was unable to find required root certificates" typically occurs during the installation or upgrade of PTC Kepware products when the Windows operating system lacks the necessary updated root certificates to verify the installer's digital signature. This is common on systems that are offline or have disabled Windows Updates, as they cannot automatically download new Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) or Trusted Root CAs. Primary Solutions
Why would such a root certificate be absent on a functional Windows machine? The answer lies in the evolution of operating systems and the fragmentation of industrial PC environments. Many factory-floor PCs run on legacy versions of Windows (7, Embedded Standard, or early Windows 10 builds) that have outdated or manually curated root certificate stores. Unlike consumer PCs that receive automatic updates via Windows Update, industrial PCs are often air-gapped or locked down to maintain stability, meaning they never receive the automatic root certificate updates released monthly by Microsoft. Consequently, when a newer Kepware installer—built and signed using a CA that came into prominence after the OS’s last update—runs on such a machine, the OS’s root store has no record of that CA. The installer queries the system, receives a “not found” response, and halts with the cryptic root certificate error. The error message "The installer was unable to
Need further assistance? Contact PTC Kepware support with the installer log file (located in %temp%/PTC_Kepware_Install.log). The answer lies in the evolution of operating
If standard installation fails, users have reported success with these alternative methods: Registry Imports ThingWorx Kepware Server
F. Reinstall or repair Windows Root Certificate Program
When installing Kepware software (such as KEPServerEX, ThingWorx Kepware Server, or specific Kepware drivers), users may encounter a critical halt in the installation process accompanied by the error message: