Activation Error Codes

Table 10 provides troubleshooting help for problems that occur when activating volume editions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems.

Table 10. Error Codes and Descriptions

Error code	Error message	Activation type	Possible cause	Troubleshooting steps
0xC004C001	The activation server determined the specified product key is invalid	MAK	An invalid MAK was entered.	Verify that the key is the MAK provided by Microsoft. Contact the Microsoft Activation Call Center to verify that the MAK is valid.
0xC004C003	The activation server determined the specified product key is blocked	MAK	The MAK is blocked on the activation server.	Contact the Microsoft Activation Call Center to obtain a new MAK and install/activate the system.
0xC004C008	The activation server determined that the specified product key could not be used.	KMS	The KMS key has exceeded the activation limit.	KMS host keys will activate up to 10 times on six different computers. If more activations are necessary, contact the Microsoft Activation Call Center.
0xC004C020	The activation server reported that the Multiple Activation Key has exceeded its limit.	MAK	The MAK has exceeded the activation limit.	MAKs by design have a limited number of activations. Contact the Microsoft Activation Call Center.
0xC004C021	The activation server reported that the Multiple Activation Key extension limit has been exceeded.	MAK	The MAK has exceeded the activation limit.	MAKs by design have a limited number of activations. Contact the Microsoft Activation Call Center.
0xC004F009	The Software Protection Service reported that the grace period expired.	MAK	The grace period expired before the system was activated. Now, the system is in the Notifications state.	See the section “User Experience.”
0xC004F00F	The Software Licensing Server reported that the hardware ID binding is beyond level of tolerance.	MAK/KMS client/KMS host	The hardware has changed or the drivers were updated on the system.	MAK: Reactivate the system during the OOT grace period using either online or phone activation. KMS: Restart, or run slmgr.vbs /ato.
0xC004F014	The Software Protection Service reported that the product key is not available	MAK/KMS client	No product keys are installed on the system.	Install a MAK product key, or install a KMS Setup key found in \sources\pid.txt on the installation media.
0xC004F02C	The Software Protection Service reported that the format for the offline activation data is incorrect.	MAK/KMS client	The system has detected that the data entered during phone activation is not valid.	Verify that the CID is correctly entered.
0xC004F035	This error code equates to “The Software Protection Service reported that the computer could not be activated with a Volume license product key...” The error text is correct, but is ambiguous. This error indicates that the computer is missing a Windows marker in the BIOS – provided on OEM systems to indicate computers shipping with qualifying editions of Windows, which is a requirement for KMS client activation. Error: Invalid Volume License Key In order to activate, you need to change your product key to a valid Multiple Activation Key (MAK) or Retail key. You must have a qualifying operating system license AND a Volume license Windows 7 upgrade license, or a full license for Windows 7 from a retail source. ANY OTHER INSTALLATION OF THIS SOFTWARE IS IN VIOLATION OF YOUR AGREEMENT AND APPLICABLE COPYRIGHT LAW.	KMS client/KMS host	Windows 7 Volume editions are licensed for upgrade only. Installing a Volume operating system on a computer that does not have a qualifying operating system installed is not supported.	Install a qualifying version of a Microsoft operating system, and then activate by using a MAK.
0xC004F038	The Software Protection Service reported that the computer could not be activated. The count reported by your Key Management Service (KMS) is insufficient. Please contact your system administrator.	KMS client	The count on the KMS host is not high enough. The KMS count must be ≥5 for Windows Server  or ≥25 for Windows client.	More computers are needed in the KMS pool for KMS clients to activate. Run Slmgr.vbs /dli to get the current count on the KMS host.
0xC004F039	The Software Protection Service reported that the computer could not be activated. The Key Management Service (KMS) is not enabled.	KMS client	This error occurs when a KMS request is not answered.	Troubleshoot the network connection between the KMS host and the client. Make sure that TCP port 1688 (default) is not blocked by a firewall or otherwise filtered.
0xC004F041	The Software Protection Service determined that the Key Management Server (KMS) is not activated. KMS needs to be activated.	KMS client	The KMS host is not activated.	Activate the KMS host with either online or phone activation.
0xC004F042	The Software Protection Service determined that the specified Key Management Service (KMS) cannot be used.	KMS client	Mismatch between the KMS client and the KMS host.	This error occurs when a KMS client contacts a KMS host that cannot activate the client software. This can be common in mixed environments that contain application and operating system-specific KMS hosts, for example.
0xC004F050	The Software Protection Service reported that the product key is invalid.	KMS, KMS client, MAK	This can be caused by a typo in the KMS key or by typing in a Beta key on a Released version of the operating system.	Install the appropriate KMS key on the corresponding version of Windows. Check the spelling. If the key is being copied and pasted, make sure that em-dashes have not been substituted for the dashes in the key.
0xC004F051	The Software Protection Service reported that the product key is blocked.	MAK/KMS	The product key on the activation server is blocked by Microsoft.	Obtain a new MAK/KMS key, install it on the system, and activate.
0xC004F064	The Software Protection Service reported that the non-genuine grace period expired.	MAK	Windows Activation Tools (WAT) has determined the system is not genuine.	See the Volume Activation Operations Guide.
0xC004F065	The Software Protection Service reported that the application is running within the valid non-genuine period.	MAK/KMS client	Windows Activation Tools has determined that the system is not genuine. The system will continue to run during the Non-Genuine grace period.	Obtain and install a genuine product key, and activate the system during the grace period. Otherwise, the system will go into the Notifications state at the end of the grace period.
0xC004F06C	The Software Protection Service reported that the computer could not be activated. The Key Management Service (KMS) determined that the request timestamp is invalid.	KMS client	The system time on the client computer is too different from the time on the KMS host.	Time sync is important to system and network security for a variety of reasons. Fix this issue by changing the system time on the client to sync with the KMS. Use of a Network Time Protocol (NTP) time source or Active Directory Domain Services for time synchronization is recommended. This issue uses UTP time and is independent of Time Zone selection.
0x80070005	Access denied. The requested action requires elevated privileges.	KMS client/MAK/KMS host	User Account Control (UAC) prohibits activation processes from running in a non-elevated command prompt.	Run slmgr.vbs from an elevated command prompt. Right-click cmd.exe, and then click Run as Administrator.
0x8007232A	DNS server failure.	KMS host	The system has network or DNS issues.	Troubleshoot network and DNS.
0x8007232B	DNS name does not exist.	KMS client	The KMS client cannot find KMS SRV RRs in DNS. If a KMS host does not exist on the network, a MAK should be installed.	Confirm that a KMS host has been installed and DNS publishing is enabled (default). If DNS is unavailable, point the KMS client to the KMS host by using slmgr.vbs /skms <kms_host_name>. Optionally, obtain and install a MAK; then, activate the system. Finally, troubleshoot DNS.
0x800706BA	The RPC server is unavailable.	KMS client	Firewall settings are not configured on the KMS host, or DNS SRV records are stale.	Ensure the Key Management Service firewall exception is enabled on the KMS host machine. Ensure that SRV records point to a valid KMS host. Troubleshoot network connections.
0x8007251D	No records found for DNS query.	KMS client	The KMS client cannot find KMS SRV RRs in DNS.	Troubleshoot network connections and DNS.
0xC004F074	The Software Protection 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.	KMS Client	All KMS host systems  returned an error.	Troubleshoot errors from each event ID 12288 associated with the activation attempt.