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Using digital certificates on USB sticks |
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This document is also available as a downloadable PDF. Download Using digital certificates on USB sticks (PDF, 457KB). |
Putting your digital certificate on to a USB stick will give you the flexibility to login to the Tax Office’s portals from any computer without having to install your certificate on each computer that you want to use.
It’s the ideal solution for people who want to login to our portals from a variety of computers (for example, home and work or when travelling interstate) or who want to use their clients’ computers to access the portals.
Once you’re set up, you can plug your USB stick into any computer with an internet connection and login to the portals with confidence. Using your digital certificate this way leaves no trace of the transactions you make on the computers you plug into.
Required
- 128 MB or greater USB memory stick (retractable or with dust cap).
- Windows Vista, Windows XP (Service pack 2) or Windows 2000 (Service pack 4) operating system.
- Current virus scanning software.
Table of contents
Removing your USB stick safely
What to do if Login to online services.exe stops working
What to do if your digital certificate stops working
Renewing your digital certificate
What to do if you lose your USB stick
Removing other people’s digital certificates from your USB stick
How to setup your USB stick
- Download the setup wizard (EXE, 23 MB) onto a computer on which you have installed your digital certificate and CSI. We recommend you save the file to your desktop so it’s easy to find.
The file will save to your computer as Digital certificate to USB setup.exe.
- Double click on
Digital certificate to USB setup.exe to run the setup wizard. - When prompted, insert your USB stick into a USB port on your computer and select Next.
- Read the Licence Agreement and accept the terms and conditions to continue.
- Locate the USB drive and select Install.
Installation may take up to 15 minutes.
- When installation is complete, you will see a screen indicating that your USB stick has been successfully set up.
Check the Launch online services login screen box and select Finish.
- You are now at the online services login screen and ready to start using your USB stick to login to the portals from other computers.
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Just as you protect your computer, we recommend you scan your USB stick for viruses on a regular basis. |
Login to the portals
The first time you login
At the end of the setup process, the online services login screen will launch automatically.
- Click on the portal you would like to use.
- Select your digital certificate and enter your password.
You’ll find demonstrations of the most common portal functions (including how to log in) in the FAQs at ato.gov.au/onlineservices.
- When you are finished, select Logout from the top right hand corner of the screen in the portal.
- If you would like to login to another portal, press Home or Alt+Home to return to the online services login screen.
Otherwise, close the browser by clicking on the red cross in the top right hand corner of the screen.
- Close the online services login screen browser by clicking on the red cross in the top right hand corner of the screen.
- You can now remove your USB device from the computer. Please refer to Removing your USB stick safely for guidance on how to do this.
Login after setup
- Insert your USB stick into the computer you would like to use.
- Locate the USB drive and run Login to online services.exe.
This launches the online services login screen. From here you can login and use the portal as you did the first time you logged in.
Removing your USB stick safely
- Double click on the safely remove hardware icon in the bottom right corner of your screen.
- Double click on your USB drive and select Stop > Close.
- Remove your USB stick from the computer’s USB port.
How to print in the portals
Press Control + P to print in the portals when using your digital certificate on a USB stick.
What to do if Login to online services.exe stops working
If you forget to safely remove your USB stick before unplugging it, Login to online services.exe may stop working. To fix this problem, reboot your computer and run Login to online services.exe again.
If the problem still exists, follow the instructions in What to do if your digital certificate stops working.
What to do if your digital certificate stops working
- Try repeating the How to setup your USB stick instructions.
Your digital certificate can become corrupted if you forget to close your browser before unplugging your USB stick from the computer you are using. Running the setup process again will reinstall your digital certificate and CSI onto your USB stick.
- If suggestion (1) doesn’t fix the problem, try putting your digital certificate on to a different USB stick. This will help if it is your USB stick that is corrupted.
If you continue to experience problems, please phone 1300 139 373 between 7.00am and midnight, Monday to Friday.
Renewing your digital certificate
Your digital certificate has a life of two years. It’s important to renew it at ato.gov.au/digitalcertificates before it expires to ensure you can continue using it.
You can check your certificate’s expiry date at any time through the Management Utility.
How to renew
- Go to your master computer (where your digital certificate is located on the hard drive).
- Visit ato.gov.au/digitalcertificates, select Renew and follow the prompts.
- Repeat the How to setup your USB stick instructions to put your new digital certificate onto your USB stick.
What to do if you lose your USB stick
If you lose your USB stick, go to your master computer and follow the process explained in Renewing your digital certificate.
This will disable the digital certificate on the USB stick you have lost so that no-one else can use it.
You are then free to put your digital certificate onto another USB stick.
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If you have other people’s digital certificates on your USB stick, you must inform them immediately that you have lost your USB stick. They will also need to renew their digital certificates. |
We highly recommend Removing other people’s digital certificates from your USB stick after completing the setup process.
Removing other people’s digital certificates from your USB stick
- Insert your USB stick into a computer with internet access.
- Locate the USB drive and run Login to online services.exe.
- Click on Management utility.
- Highlight the digital certificate that you would like to remove and select Delete.
- Repeat until only your digital certificate appears in the table.
Changing your password
- Insert your USB stick into a computer with internet access.
- Locate the USB drive and run Login to online services.exe.
- Click on Management utility.
- Select Change password.
- Enter your current password in the Current password box.
- Enter your new password and confirm it by retyping it in the Confirm password box.
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When you update your password, you are only updating the digital certificate on your USB stick. The master copy, which resides on the hard drive of the computer you originally installed your digital certificate on, will not change. We highly recommend having the same password for all copies of your digital certificate. |
If you would like to change the master copy of your password, go to the Start menu on your master computer and open the CSI Management Utility.
More information
View our FAQs for more information about copying your digital certificate on a USB stick.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 28 January 2009
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