Reset Windows Activation Keyqueentree

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Uninstalling the product key on a Windows 10 PC will not remove the digital license for that PC from Microsoft activation servers. If you try to activate Windows 10 on another PC with this same retail product key, you may have to activate by phone if online activation fails. The reason it is not activated as you have stated is because you now have Windows 10 Pro, when the edition the device has a licence for is Windows 10 Home. How did you Reset. Did you use the Reset function within Windows 10. It should have reset to Home edition. If you are sure you have Pro now, you will need to clean install to get back to Home.

If you have trouble when activating Azure Windows virtual machine (VM) that is created from a custom image, you can use the information provided in this document to troubleshoot the issue.

Understanding Azure KMS endpoints for Windows product activation of Azure Virtual Machines

Azure uses different endpoints for KMS (Key Management Services) activation depending on the cloud region where the VM resides. When using this troubleshooting guide, use the appropriate KMS endpoint that applies to your region.

  • Azure public cloud regions: kms.core.windows.net:1688
  • Azure China 21Vianet national cloud regions: kms.core.chinacloudapi.cn:1688
  • Azure Germany national cloud regions: kms.core.cloudapi.de:1688
  • Azure US Gov national cloud regions: kms.core.usgovcloudapi.net:1688

Symptom

When you try to activate an Azure Windows VM, you receive an error message resembles the following sample:

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

Reset Windows Activation Windows 10

Cause

Generally, Azure VM activation issues occur if the Windows VM is not configured by using the appropriate KMS client setup key, or the Windows VM has a connectivity problem to the Azure KMS service (kms.core.windows.net, port 1688).

Solution

Note

If you are using a site-to-site VPN and forced tunneling, see Use Azure custom routes to enable KMS activation with forced tunneling.

If you are using ExpressRoute and you have a default route published, see Can I block Internet connectivity to virtual networks connected to ExpressRoute circuits?.

Step 1 Configure the appropriate KMS client setup key

For the VM that is created from a custom image, you must configure the appropriate KMS client setup key for the VM.

  1. Run slmgr.vbs /dlv at an elevated command prompt. Check the Description value in the output, and then determine whether it was created from retail (RETAIL channel) or volume (VOLUME_KMSCLIENT) license media:

  2. If slmgr.vbs /dlv shows RETAIL channel, run the following commands to set the KMS client setup key for the version of Windows Server being used, and force it to retry activation:

    For example, for Windows Server 2016 Datacenter, you would run the following command:

Step 2 Verify the connectivity between the VM and Azure KMS service

  1. Download and extract the PSping tool to a local folder in the VM that does not activate.

  2. Go to Start, search on Windows PowerShell, right-click Windows PowerShell, and then select Run as administrator.

  3. Make sure that the VM is configured to use the correct Azure KMS server. To do this, run the following command:

    The command should return: Key Management Service machine name set to kms.core.windows.net:1688 successfully.

  4. Verify by using Psping that you have connectivity to the KMS server. Switch to the folder where you extracted the Pstools.zip download, and then run the following:

    In the second-to-last line of the output, make sure that you see: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss).

    If Lost is greater than 0 (zero), the VM does not have connectivity to the KMS server. In this situation, if the VM is in a virtual network and has a custom DNS server specified, you must make sure that DNS server is able to resolve kms.core.windows.net. Or, change the DNS server to one that does resolve kms.core.windows.net.

    Notice that if you remove all DNS servers from a virtual network, VMs use Azure's internal DNS service. This service can resolve kms.core.windows.net.

    Also make sure that the outbound network traffic to KMS endpoint with 1688 port is not blocked by the firewall in the VM.

  5. Verify using Network Watcher Next Hop that the next hop type from the VM in question to the destination IP 23.102.135.246 (for kms.core.windows.net) or the IP of the appropriate KMS endpoint that applies to your region is Internet. If the result is VirtualAppliance or VirtualNetworkGateway, it is likely that a default route exists. Contact your network administrator and work with them to determine the correct course of action. This may be a custom route if that solution is consistent with your organization's policies.

  6. After you verify successful connectivity to kms.core.windows.net, run the following command at that elevated Windows PowerShell prompt. This command tries activation multiple times.

    A successful activation returns information that resembles the following:

    Activating Windows(R), ServerDatacenter edition (12345678-1234-1234-1234-12345678) …Product activated successfully.

FAQ

Reset Windows License Key

I created the Windows Server 2016 from Azure Marketplace. Do I need to configure KMS key for activating the Windows Server 2016?

Windows 10 Activation After Reset

No. The image in Azure Marketplace has the appropriate KMS client setup key already configured.

Windows 10 Activation Key Free

Does Windows activation work the same way regardless if the VM is using Azure Hybrid Use Benefit (HUB) or not?

Windows 10 Activation Reset

Yes.

What happens if Windows activation period expires?

When the grace period has expired and Windows is still not activated, Windows Server 2008 R2 and later versions of Windows will show additional notifications about activating. The desktop wallpaper remains black, and Windows Update will install security and critical updates only, but not optional updates. See the Notifications section at the bottom of the Licensing Conditions page.

Need help? Contact support.

If you still need help, contact support to get your issue resolved quickly.