IIS 7 error: cannot write configuration file when trying to bind an SSL certificate to a site

When binding a new certificate to a site in IIS Manager, if you get an errror like:

filename: \\?\C:\Windows\system32\inetserv\config\applicationHost.config Error: cannot write configuration file

…try restarting the server before trying anything else! This error looks a lot like a permissions error or corrupt file problem, but it sometimes resolves on restart.

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Resources

• IIS 7.5 Unable to write configuration file
• Sites are down – IIS Error: Cannot write configuration file
• How To Fix Corrupted applicationHost.config file in IIS 7