Error 0xC004F06C when you activate Windows

This article helps fix the error 0xC004F06C and the error message "The Key Management Service (KMS) determined that the request timestamp is invalid" when you activate Windows.

When you try to activate Windows by using the Slmgr /ato command, you receive the following error message:

Error: 0xC004F074 The Software Licensing Service reported that the computer could not be activated. No Key Management Service (KMS) could be contacted. Please see the Application Event Log for additional information.

In addition, Event ID 12288 with the 0xC004F06C error is logged in the application event log.

    Log Name:      Application
    Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP
    Date:         
    Event ID:      12288
    Task Category: None
    Level:         Information
    Keywords:      Classic
    User:          N/A
    Computer:     
    Description:
    0xC004F06C, 0x00000000, azkms.core.windows.net:1688, <CMID>, <DateTime>, 1, 5, 0, 34e1ae55-27f8-4950-8877-7a03be5fb181, 

This error occurs in one of the following conditions:

• The Windows Time service isn't working.
• The NtpClient time provider isn't enabled.
• Domain-joined computers don't sync time with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS).

To resolve this error, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the Windows Time service is running.

   1. Type services.msc in the Search box and press Enter to open the Services window.

   2. Search for Windows Time and make sure the service is running.

   3. Run the following command from an elevated command prompt to make sure the service is working properly:

      w32tm.exe /query /status /verbose
      

2. For non-domain-joined computers, use the Network Time Protocol (NTP) time source by enabling the NtpClient provider.

   Important

   This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For protection, back up the registry before you modify it so that you can restore it if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.

   1. Open Registry Editor and go to the following registry key:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient

   2. Change the value of the Enabled registry entry to 1 to enable the NtpClient provider in the current time service.

3. For domain-joined computers, use the AD DS time source by configuring the time client type.

   1. Open Registry Editor and go to the following registry key:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Parameters.

   2. Make sure the value of the Type registry entry is NT5DS. This means the computer is synchronizing its time with the AD DS time hierarchy.