After the recent update patch of Windows 10, a new problem has arisen for the Windows device users, which is error code 0xc004f074. This problem mainly occurs to the users who have KMS activated versions of Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 before and updated to the latest Windows 10 directly.
In most of the cases, the error notification, 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 appearing in the user’s device when they try to activate Microsoft Office or when they try to open the Command Prompt.
Even though Microsoft released a patch to bypass the error, it will not be able to resolve the 0xc004f074 Windows 10 problem for most of the users. Error description: the software licensing service reported that the product could not be activated. no key management service (kms) could be contacted. please see the application event log for additional information
If you are also suffering from the same problem and don’t know what to do, then no need to worry. In this article, we have some highly effective solutions for you which are not only going to fix the issue but also help to avoid the same problem again in the future. So, follow the rest of the article carefully.
Effective Methods to Get Rid of the Error 0xc004f074:
After getting several complaints of this particular problem, we did a little bit of research and found that the error code 0xc004f074 mainly occurs when software Licensing fails to contact the Key Management Server.
There can be various reasons for not being able to connect with the KMS such as a corrupted registry file or for PC date and time settings. No key management service could be contacted.
Depending on what causes the problem there are different solutions available for it. In the below section, we have provided a list of solutions which are simple yet effective. So, choose the proper method to start troubleshooting for your device.
Method #1: Use the Activation Key
Software Licensing User Interface or in short SLUI yet another effective way to solve 0xc004f074 Windows 10 issue. It can be also considered as an alternative to the first method. So if the previous method didn’t help you to activate the new code, then use this method. There are 4 different SLUI commands available for use.
- At first, turn on your device and then click on the Start Menu
- Now, locate and open a Command Prompt with the help of the search bar. Make sure to open it with the administrator privilege.
- Once the black box open type slmgr.vbs/dlv. By using this command, it will open the Windows Script Host window. Here you will see various information for future use such as the version of OS, Description of the OS, Activation ID, Application ID, extended PID, Installation ID, Processor Certification, Machine Certification and many more.
- After closing the Windows Script Host window, type slmgr.vbs /upk to delete the existing KMS key.
- Now, after removing the old key apply the following command slmgr.vbs/ipk<NewKMSProductKey>. In the <NewKMSProductKey> section, you have to carefully put the new 25 numbers key perfectly.
- Once the above step is completed, type slmgr.vbs –ato and then hit the Enter button.
- Now, restart your computer to complete the whole process.
To confirm if your problem is solved or not, go to the Settings and open the Update and Security window. Further, click on the Activation option. If the problem is fixed, then a new window will open which will show you that your Windows 10 has already been activated
Method #2: Install License Pack
If the error code is displayed when you are trying to activate a volume-licensed client Office 2016, then there is a slight chance that there are two KMS hosts available in the system. IT means both the Office 2016 and Office 2013 KMS are co-hosted on the same system which causes the error.
This particular incident commonly occurs in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 devices. But this type of problem can be easily solved by downloading the Microsoft Office 2016 Volume License Pack (16.0.4324.1002) from the official website.
Method #3: Execute Software Licensing Users Interface
Software Licensing User Interface or in sort SLUI yet another effective way to solve 0xc004f074 Windows 10 issue. It can be also considered as an alternative of the first method. So if the previous method didn’t help you to activate the new code, then use this method. There are 4 different SLUI command available for use.
- SLUI1- To bring up the activation status windows.
- SLUI2- To bring up the activation window.
- SLUI3- To bring the “Change Product Key window.
- SLUI4- To bring up the “Call Microsoft & Manually Activate” window.
For resolving error code 0xc004f074, we will recommend using the SLUI 3. If you don’t know how to use the SLUI command, then follow the below guide:
- At first, turn on your device and type Windows Keys + R key to open the Run dialog box.
- Once the Run dialog box opens, type Slui in the box and then hit the Enter button.
- When you do that a blue pop up window will open. In the blank white space of the window, type the 25 number product key and then hit the Activate button.
- Once it’s done, reboot your system and then check if the error code still continues to show up or not.
Method #4: Disable Windows Defender
The function of a Windows Defender Firewall or Antivirus software is to protect the device from the harmful application or network content. It also works as the first line of defence. But sometimes, this defensive function accidentally blocks a network connection even though it’s not harmful.
In all the Windows device licensing take internet connection. When the Windows defender block this connection, the error 0xc004f074 start popping up. To handle this kind of issue on the computer, you have to disable this security programme temporarily to complete the licensing process.
For third-party security software, you can simply uninstall the program and then reinstall it after successfully completing the update. But to disable the Windows defender, you have to follow a few simple steps:
- At first, turn on your device and then click on the Start Menu to search and open the Windows Firewall.
- Now, click on the Customize Settings option. Once the new window opens, select the Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off option from the left pane.
- Next, go to the Private network settings section and check the box which is labelled as Turn Off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) and after that, select Ok.
- When it’s done, head to the Public network settings section and select the same settings as above.
- Now, try to start the licensing process again. When it’s completed, go back to the same page and select the Turn on Windows Defender Firewall for both private and public network setting option.
Method #5: Update the Date and Time
In some cases, wrong data and time of your system conflict with the KMS host and client and end up triggering the error code 0xc004f074. This solution of this kind of problem is very simple and quick. You just need to open the time and date settings page to replace it with correct time and date. In case, you don’t know how to do that, then follow the below steps:
- Turn on your device and then click on the date and time from the taskbar.
- Once the window opens, select the Date and Time settings.
- Now, if you are using Windows 10 device, then just set the slider of Set Time Automatically to On position. But if you are using some other Windows version, then click on the Internet Time tab from the top of the windows
- Once the new windows open, check the box labelled as Automatically synchronize with an Internet time server
- Next, select the time.windows.com server and then click on the Update button.
- After completing the above steps, simply press the Ok button to exit the window.
If your setting is already set for automatic date and time update but still it’s showing the wrong time, then manually update it from the Date and Time settings. Else you can also resynchronize the time on the client. To do this, you have to open the Command Prompt with admin privilege and then type and run w32tm /resync.
Method #6: Re-enable DNS Host
If the problem is associated with the DNS, then re-enable it with the help of the registry editor will be the best option for you. Registry editor is a powerful tool to fix any kind of error but keep in mind that putting the wrong key values can damage your computer permanently. So, we will advise you to follow the below instructions carefully:
- At first, turn on your computer and then press Windows+R key to launch the Run dialog box.
- Now, type “regedit” in the Run dialog box and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor of your computer.
- Once the Registry Editor window opens, select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE from the left side of the screen and then follow the below-mentioned path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform
- In the SoftwareProtectionPlatform folder, you will find a DWORD type file named as DisableDNSPublishing on the right side of the screen. Double click on it to change its key value. If it’s not there, then create one in the same location.
- Once the Edit DWORD value window open, change the Value from 0 to 1 in order to disable the DNS publishing.
- After a few seconds, change the value from 1 to 0 to re-enable the DNS again.
- Now, exit the current window and then restart your device to apply the changes that you have made.
Method #7: Run SFC and DISM Scan
System’s corrupted files is also a solid reason which leads to the error code 0xc004f074. Windows devices come with numbers of built-in utilities to fix this kind of corrupted files issue, some of them are SFC and DISM. Running SFC and DISM scan has the most success rate to fix Windows update related problems. But using these functions take a lot of time. So, if you have time to spare, then give these methods a look.
To run the SFC scan, you have to turn on the device and press Windows Key + X Key to open the quick access menu. Now, choose Command Prompt (Admin) option to open the Command Prompt box with administrative privileges.
Once the Command Prompt box opens, type “sfc/scannow” and press Enter. After that, wait for 25-30 minute to let your device successfully conduct the scanning process and fix any corrupted file of the device automatically. When the scanning process is complete, check if the issue is still present or resolved.
If you are unable to run the SFC scan or in case, the issue is still present in the device, then running the DISM scan can be a good alternative choice for you. To run the DISM scan, you have to open the Command Prompt box in the same way as before.
But this time, you have to type and run “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” to start the scan. DCIM scan also takes near about 30 minute time, so don’t interfere or perform another task during the process.
Method #8: Run Windows Troubleshooter
If none of the above methods works for you and if you don’t have the slightest clue why the error is occurring in your device, then your last option will be to run the Windows Troubleshooter to fix the problem.
Even though the success percentage is low using the following method, some users claim that Windows troubleshooting resolves the error 0xc004f074 windows 10. So, you can give it a shot as a last resort.
Windows Troubleshooter will scan your system for any inconsistencies related to the updating component and apply various repair strategies targeted towards fixing the issue. To run the Window Troubleshooter in your device, follow the steps as given below.
- Open the Run dialog box by clicking on the Win+R key.
- After that, type ms-settings: troubleshoot and hit the Enter button to open the Getup and running tab.
- Now, scroll down a little and then click on Windows Update to select Run the troubleshooter.
- After that, simply wait until the utility completes the scanning process and find any glitches. If any inconsistencies are found, click on the Apply this fix and fix the suggested repair strategy.
Once it’s done, restart your computer and check if the error 0xc004f074 is resolved or not.
Conclusion
We hope that after applying the above methods, you are able to fix the error code 0xc004f074 issue. If you have some other effective methods to solve the issue, then you can also share it with us. Also, if these methods are still not able to resolve the problem, then we will highly recommend contacting a professional for better guidance.
