Error during encryption or decryption. System error code 997.

[irishkid]

Hello,

I am trying to reconnect to a farmafter my PDC crashed and I had to create all the new users, When I run the sharepoint configuration tool and can get as far as entering the DB server which then finds the sharepoint_config. I add the connection details and select next which then throws up the following error:

09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF The parameter user is chosen,
so returning the value as IPIC\cdigby
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function Command.this[string key]
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function CommandCollectionBase.Get
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Found value in collection for key password
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function CommandCollectionBase.Get
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Found parameter password in collection
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function Command.this[string key]
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF The parameter password is chosen, so returning the value as ***************
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF The parameter password is chosen, so returning the value as ***************
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function Common.CreateSecureSringFrom
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function Common.CreateSecureSringFrom
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function Farm.IsJoinedToFarm
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function Farm.TryIsJoinedToFarm
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF My cached Farm object is null, so will load it
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Calling SPFarm.Local and SPServer.Local to get the local farm objects
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF SPFarm.Local returned null. This usually means that the server is not joined. But, you can delete a server from the configdb without unjoining, which would mean that this machine still thinks it is joined.
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Trying to access the server farm connection string
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function TaskCommon.TryGetWssVersion3ConnectionStringExists
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function RegistryHelper.RegistryHelper
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF The RegistryHelper has the key name as SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\12.0\Secure\ConfigDB and the registry hive as LocalMachine
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function RegistryHelper.RegistryHelper
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF WSS v3 registry key SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Web Server Extensions\12.0\Secure\ConfigDB for the connection string does not exist
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Unable to get the WSS v3 connection string
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function TaskCommon.TryGetWssVersion3ConnectionStringExists
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF DID NOT discover a v3 connection string and SPFarm.Local indicates that this machine is not joined.
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function Farm.Clear
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Entering function CentralAdminServiceInstance.Reset
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function CentralAdminServiceInstance.Reset
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function Farm.Clear
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function Farm.TryIsJoinedToFarm
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Leaving function Farm.IsJoinedToFarm
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Creating connection string for config db SharePoint_Config server IPIC-SERVER2\SHAREPOINT
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Creating connection string for admin content db SharePoint_AdminContent_938f78c4-0a10-4a04-b4e0-26a95d7a9022 server IPIC-SERVER2\SHAREPOINT
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Using NTLM for sql connection string
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Openning configdb so that I can join it at server IPIC-SERVER2\SHAREPOINT database SharePoint_Config in farm mode
09/13/2008 13:20:34 8 INF Now joining to farm at server IPIC-SERVER2\SHAREPOINT database SharePoint_Config
09/13/2008 13:21:38 8 ERR Task configdb has failed with an unknown exception
09/13/2008 13:21:38 8 ERR Exception: System.ArgumentException: Error during encryption or decryption. System error code 997.
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPCredentialManager.DecryptWithMasterKey(Byte[] rgbEncryptedPassphrase)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPEncryptedString.GetSecureStringValue()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPEncryptedString.get_SecureStringValue()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPProcessIdentity.get_SecurePassword()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPApplicationPool.Provision()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPWebServiceInstance.Provision()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm.Join()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ConfigurationDatabaseTask.CreateOrConnectConfigDb()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.ConfigurationDatabaseTask.Run()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.TaskThread.ExecuteTask()

If anyone can help me work around this I would be extremly grateful.

Thanks