Fixing error 0xc004F074 during activation of Windows 10, 8, 7

Author admin .7k. Updated August 21, 2020

Error code 0xc004f074 indicates that the Key Management Service (KMS) may not be running during the activation process. This happens when a user tries to upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10. Thus, people cannot use their computers without seeing the following message:

Windows can't connect to your organization's activation service. Connect to the corporate network. If you are already connected and the error continues to appear, contact your system administrator. You can also click the error details to get specific details about the error. Error code: 0xC004F074.

Windows 10 activation failure with error code 0xC004F074 is a well-known issue that has been around since the release of Windows 10 in 2015. Although Microsoft immediately released a fix and fixed the bug, it continues to appear with cumulative Windows updates.

However, users are advised to note that error 0xC004F074 may also appear if a compromised Windows update is downloaded from pirated sites. These pages are very dangerous and can permanently damage your system. Thus, we suggest you to get updates only from official websites.

If you downloaded the update and received Windows 10 error code 0xC004F074, read the instructions below to find out how to fix it manually. It is important to follow the manual carefully to avoid possible damage.

Correcting errors

In fact, this is the topic of a separate article, since this kind of problem can occur due to various factors, for example, due to damage to the hard drive. And since in most cases the operating system is located on it, this causes interruptions in operation. Therefore, I recommend checking this point separately.

If it turns out that everything is fine with the hard drive, then launch the command line, enter the command sfc /scannow and send it for execution by clicking “Enter”. We wait for the procedure to complete, restart the computer and look at the result.

How to get rid of the problem

Before you begin to get rid of the problem, you need to identify the cause of its occurrence.

Changing time and date

The easiest way is to check the date and time on your computer. If it does not coincide with reality, you need to correct it manually or synchronize it through “Options”. This is done very simply:

1. Launch "Settings" using the keys Win + I.
2. Go to the “Time, language” tab.
3. Select the current belt.
4. Uncheck automatic installation and re-enable the option.

Advice! It is often impossible to solve the error problem on your own, and the methods described in this article can make the situation even worse. Before your actions, you need to create a rollback point and a system disk image.

We set the current date

Perhaps the problem occurred as a result of an incorrectly set date. If the wrong year or even month is specified in the Windows settings, then most likely this caused problems when connecting to the Microsoft license verification server.

1. Click on the date and open the date options.

2. Select the time zone, disable the automatic setting function and press the “Change».

3. Set today's date and click "Change».

4. Close this window and restart the PC.

After a reboot, everything should work.

If the time settings disappear every time you restart the computer, then this indicates a failure on the motherboard side. Most often this is solved by replacing the BIOS battery.

When does it occur, how does it appear and what does error 0xc004f074 mean?

Code 0xc004f074 indicates that the computer was unable to contact Microsoft Key Management Service when trying to activate Windows. The error may appear in the Activation tab of Windows settings.

Error text 0xc004f074 may appear directly in the Settings window

Also, an error may appear in a separate window immediately after installing Windows 10. There are many reasons for this problem: from a connection error with the corporation’s server to problems with the user’s OS system files.

Error 0xc004f074 occurs if the PC is unable to contact the key management service

However, the problem does not always appear when trying to activate the OS. The user may encounter a problem after updating the system, when the previously entered product key “flies” and the user has to re-enter the still valid code.

The error may also occur when activating other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Office.

Turn off protection

Perhaps the problem is on the side of an incorrectly configured firewall, or as it is also called a “firewall”. It is part of almost all antiviruses and is responsible for the security of the Internet connection. When trying to access dubious resources (as he believes), a complete blocking occurs, which most likely happened.

As a solution, I suggest disabling it completely for a while.

How to do it:

1. Open the search by clicking on the corresponding icon at the bottom of the screen or through “start menu" and write "Firewall».

2. Open the desired section and click on the option to turn the defender on and off.

3. We set the available values ​​to the “Switch off" and click "OK».

Now let's move on to the next section, in which we will look at several options for reactivation.

Windows activation error 0xc004f074

On one of the servers the message Your copy of Windows is not genuine popped up and the screen was black. I would like to note right away that error code 0xc004f074 only appears on volume editions of Microsoft operating systems. I told you about the differences between editions; for those who haven’t seen it, here’s an article on how volume differs from Retail.

Error 0xC004F074 when activating Windows-01

Before eliminating

you need to figure out how it all works so that you can understand.

How KMS activation works

There is a server on your local network, and it processes activation requests. When your computer in a domain joins the network, it asks the DNS server if there is a KMS server configured on the network. since it is in it that there is a DNS record that tells where it is.

To get rid of the windows activation error 0xc004f074, do the following: open the command line and enter the slmgr /ipk key for your OS.

So we set the key for the volume edition, so to speak, we changed the Windows edition from Retail to Volume.

List of KMS keys for Volume editions of Windows. If you don't have a KMS server yet, read how to install one.

Product Registration

If you tried all of the above methods, but nothing helped, then most likely the cause of the malfunction was a normal license key failure.

Getting started (checking the status and first actions)

All you need to do is re-register the product. But before that, I suggest you check if this is so.

For this:

1. Call up a special menu with the command “WIN+X" and open "Options».

2. Click on "System».

3. Move to the tab "About the system».

4. We look at the line “ Product code ”. The license key should be displayed here. If it is, then skip this section and move on. If not, we continue to perform all the steps point by point.
5. We go down a little lower and click on the line for changing the key. Or you can use the command " slui 3" in the Run window, which is called up by clicking "Win+R».

6. Click "Change key».

7. Enter the current code (indicated on the Windows box) and click “Next”.

8. Reboot the computer.

Let's look at the result.

Method 1 (universal)

It happens that Windows 10 cannot be activated in the usual way. Then an alternative option using the command line comes to the rescue. First, run it as an administrator, and then follow the instructions.

Detailed instructions:

1. We write the command to the console slmgr.vbs –ipk XXXXX-XXXXX–XXXXX–XXXXX–XXXXX (instead of the “X” signs, indicate the registration number from the box) and press the “Enter».

2. Then immediately enter “slmgr.vbs –ato" and click "Enter».

3. We wait for both operations to complete and restart the computer.

Method 2 (universal)

This item will be useful if the “Activation error” notification pops up. This means that instead of a license code, a special activator was used, like kmsauto net, AAct or any similar one.

I suggest you re-register.

For this:

1. Download any KMS assembly that contains the application "Cleaner", for example, from "Ratiborus».

2. We launch “ Cleaner ” to clean up the previous key.
3. We register again, but through another tool, for example, AAct.
4. Reboot the PC.

The problem should be fixed.

Microsoft Office

At this stage, you will need the official key that comes with the office upon purchase. If it is, perform the following steps:

1. Checking the state of the office. Press “ Win ​​+ R ” and enter “ cscript OSPP.VBS /dstatus ”.
2. If you see a crash or a window with a missing license, you need to reactivate using the command “ cscript OSPP.VBS /inpkey: product_key ”.
3. Next is “ cscript OSPP.VBS /act ”.

Specifying a KMS server manually

Sometimes, if you deleted the key and added it again, you may still receive error 0xC004F074. The way out of this may be to manually specify which KMS server you need to connect to, to do this, enter in the command line in administrator mode:

slmgr.vbs /skms KMS server name:1688

After this, we see that the activation was completed successfully and even a reboot is not required.

Additional options

Sometimes the problem is not on the side of the installed assembly or software, and in such cases all of the above does not bring results.

Therefore, I additionally recommend doing the following:

1. Make sure the Internet connection is stable and quality. Even the slightest network problems can affect the performance of the OS and installed applications. Right-click on the network connection in the tray next to the time and select diagnostics.
2. Check the status of the router (router, modem). It may be faulty. Most often this can be resolved by updating the firmware. It is downloaded from the official website of the manufacturer.
3. Scan your computer for viruses. Malware can block access to various resources (usually the hosts file is infected). This is especially true when a message appears about slui.exe license activation failure.
4. If after entering the license code you see the message “Activation failed: 0xc004F074”, then you should wait a little and try again. We may be experiencing a short-term interruption in access to the Microsoft license server.
5. Remove unnecessary programs, especially those that block access to update servers.
6. Eliminate invalid registry entries. To do this, download the free version of the CCleaner and run it. Go to “ Registry ” and start scanning. Click the “ Fix ” button.

The last thing you can do is contact Microsoft Support for help. They will definitely help.

Checking the status of the license key

If changing the date does not help, you need to check the status of the key. To do this, do the following:

1. Open "Options".
2. Go to the "System" section.
3. Open the tab at the bottom “About the system”.
4. Look at the “Product Code” line.
5. If the key is missing, it must be specified again.
6. Press the Win+R .
7. Execute the following commands : “slui 3” and “slui 4”.
8. Enter a 25-character code and press “ok”.
9. To restart a computer.