KB ID 0000766
Problem
I jumped on a clients remote desktop services server today and saw;
However when I went to activate;
Windows couldn’t be activated
Error Code: 0xC004F074
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.
Solution
Out of the box this version of Windows has installed with a KMS Key, that’s fine if you are going to run KMS, here’s how to set it up. But if you want to activate with MAK key or a retail key then you need to manually change it.
1. Press Windows Key+R > cmd {enter} and execute the following command;
Where 12345-ABCDE-12345-ABCDE-12345 is your MAK or retail key
2. Now attempt to activate the machine again,
Note: You can also activate by running the following command;
Related Articles, References, Credits, or External Links
Windows 8 – Changing the Unlock Code and Activating
