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Windows 7 KMS Activation Issue: Resolved January 8, 2019 (Volume Licenses)

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Windows 7 KMS Activation Issue

Summary

This article addresses a specific activation problem encountered by users of volume-licensed Windows 7 Service Pack 1. The issue manifested as activation failures and “Windows is not genuine” notifications, beginning around 10:00 UTC on January 8, 2019. This problem specifically affected devices utilizing Key Management Service (KMS) activation and had the update KB 971033 installed. Microsoft identified the root cause as an unintended change to their activation and validation servers. A swift response from Microsoft resolved the server-side issue on January 9, 2019, at 4:30:00 UTC.

For users who continued to experience these activation and “not genuine” notifications after the server-side fix, the recommended solution involved removing the KB 971033 update. This article provides detailed steps to identify if KB 971033 is installed on your system and comprehensive instructions for its removal. It is crucial to note that this issue was isolated to a specific timeframe and configuration. For Windows 7 activation problems outside of this scenario, standard activation troubleshooting procedures should be followed. The Windows editions susceptible to this volume-licensing activation issue included Windows 7 Professional, Professional N, Professional E, Enterprise, Enterprise N, and Enterprise E.

Symptoms

Users affected by this activation issue experienced a range of symptoms, clearly indicating that their Windows 7 installation was being flagged as non-genuine. These symptoms were disruptive and could impact the user experience significantly. Identifying these symptoms is the first step in diagnosing and resolving the problem.

Here are the primary symptoms observed:

  1. “Windows is not genuine” error message upon logon: After starting their computers and logging into their Windows 7 accounts, users were greeted with a persistent error message stating that their copy of Windows was not genuine. This message was a clear indicator of an activation failure.

  2. “This copy of windows is not genuine” watermark: A visible watermark, stating “This copy of windows is not genuine,” appeared in the bottom-right corner of the Windows desktop. This watermark was displayed on top of a black desktop background, further emphasizing the non-genuine status and hindering normal computer use.

  3. Error code 0xC004F200 from slmgr /dlv: Executing the command slmgr /dlv in the command prompt, which is used to display detailed licensing information, resulted in the error code 0xC004F200. This error code specifically points to a non-genuine state in the licensing system.

  4. Activation failure with slmgr /ato: Attempts to manually activate Windows using the command slmgr /ato, which forces online activation, failed. The system responded with a message indicating that “Windows is running within the non-genuine notification period.” The message further prompted users to run slui.exe to validate Windows online, but this action would also likely fail due to the underlying issue.

  5. Event log entries: Specific events were logged in the Windows Event Log, providing further diagnostic information about the activation failure. These event logs are crucial for pinpointing the exact nature of the problem. The relevant event log entries are detailed in the table below:

Event log Event source Event ID Description
Application Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP 8209 Genuine state set to non-genuine (0x00000000) for application Id 55c92734-d682-4d71-983e-d6ec3f16059f
Application Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP 8208 Acquisition of genuine ticket failed (hr=0xC004C4A2) for template Id 66c92734-d682-4d71-983e-d6ec3f16059f
Application Windows Activation Technologies 13 Genuine validation result: hrOffline = 0x00000000, hrOnline =0xC004C4A2
Application Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP 8196 License Activation Scheduler (sppuinotify.dll) was not able to automatically activate. Error code: 0xC004F200:

These symptoms collectively pointed to a widespread activation issue affecting volume-licensed Windows 7 SP1 KMS clients around January 8, 2019. It was important to differentiate these symptoms from general activation problems to apply the correct resolution.

Cause

The root cause of this widespread activation issue was traced back to a recent, unintended update to Microsoft’s Activation and Validation servers. This update, rolled out on January 8, 2019, at 10:00:00 UTC, inadvertently triggered “not genuine” errors on volume-licensed Windows 7 clients that had the KB971033 update installed. This update, KB971033, was originally intended for consumer installations of Windows using RETAIL activation and was explicitly not recommended for enterprise customers using KMS or MAK volume activation.

The problematic server-side change was relatively short-lived. Microsoft engineers recognized the issue quickly and took corrective action. The change was reverted on January 9, 2019, at 4:30:00 UTC. This reversion effectively stopped the server from incorrectly flagging volume-licensed Windows 7 systems as non-genuine.

Importantly, Windows 7 devices that had KB971033 installed but were not active during the period between the problematic change introduction (January 8, 2019, 10:00:00 UTC) and its reversion (January 9, 2019, 4:30:00 UTC) were unlikely to experience the described issue. This temporal aspect is crucial in understanding the scope of the problem and who was most likely to be affected. The fact that KB971033 itself carried a warning against installation on KMS or MAK activated systems highlights a potential misstep in update deployment or user awareness. The recommendation to uninstall KB971033 even for unaffected systems underscores the potential for future conflicts and reinforces best practices for managing Windows updates in volume-licensing environments.

Resolution

To resolve the activation issues described, the primary action was to remove the KB 971033 update from affected Windows 7 systems. Before proceeding with the removal, it is essential to verify if KB 971033 is indeed installed on the system. Several methods can be used to determine the presence of this update.

Methods to Determine if KB 971033 is Installed:

  1. Control Panel - Installed Updates:

    • Navigate to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
    • Click on “View installed updates” in the left-hand menu.
    • In the list of installed updates, search for “Update for Microsoft Windows (KB971033)”. If it is present, KB 971033 is installed.

  2. DISM Command:

    • Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
    • Execute the following command:
      dism /online /get-packages
    • Examine the output for an entry containing “Microsoft-Windows-Security-WindowsActivationTechnologies-package31bf3856ad364e35amd64~~7.1.7600.16395”. The presence of this package indicates that KB 971033 is installed.

  3. WMIC Command:

    • Open Command Prompt.
    • Execute the following command:
      wmic qfe where HotFixID="KB971033"
    • If KB 971033 is installed, this command will return information about the hotfix. If no results are returned, the update is likely not installed.

  4. PowerShell Command:

    • Open Windows PowerShell.
    • Execute the following command:
      Get-Hotfix -id KB971033
    • Similar to the WMIC command, if KB 971033 is installed, PowerShell will display information about the hotfix. No output indicates the update is not present.

Once it is confirmed that KB 971033 is installed, proceed with one of the following methods to remove the update. Restarting the system after removing the update is highly recommended to ensure the changes are fully applied.

Methods to Remove KB 971033:

  1. Control Panel - Installed Updates (Uninstall):

    • Navigate to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > View installed updates.
    • Locate “Update for Microsoft Windows (KB971033)” in the list.
    • Right-click on “Update for Microsoft Windows (KB971033)” and select Uninstall.
    • Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation.

  2. WUSA Command:

    • Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
    • Execute the following command:
      wusa /uninstall /kb:971033
    • The Windows Update Standalone Installer (WUSA) will launch to uninstall the update. Follow the prompts.

  3. DISM Command (Remove-Package):

    • Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
    • Execute the following command:
      dism /online /Remove-Package /PackageName:Microsoft-Windows-Security-WindowsActivationTechnologies-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~7.1.7600.16395
    • DISM will remove the specified package, effectively uninstalling KB 971033.

After successfully uninstalling KB 971033, it is crucial to rebuild the activation-related files and reactivate the Windows 7 system. This process ensures that any corrupted or incorrect activation information is cleared and the system can establish a valid activation status with the KMS server.

Steps to Rebuild Activation Files and Reactivate:

  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

  2. Stop the Software Protection Platform UI Notify service:

    net stop sppuinotify

  3. Disable the automatic start of the Software Protection Platform UI Notify service:

    sc config sppuinotify start= disabled

  4. Stop the Software Protection service:

    net stop sppsvc

  5. Delete specific activation cache files (these commands may fail if the files don’t exist, this is acceptable):

    del %windir%\system32\7B296FB0-376B-497e-B012-9C450E1B7327-5P-0.C7483456-A289-439d-8115-601632D005A0 /ah
del %windir%\system32\7B296FB0-376B-497e-B012-9C450E1B7327-5P-1.C7483456-A289-439d-8115-601632D005A0 /ah
del %windir%\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwareProtectionPlatform\tokens.dat
del %windir%\ServiceProfiles\NetworkService\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\SoftwareProtectionPlatform\cache\cache.dat

  6. Start the Software Protection service:

    net start sppsvc

  7. Install the edition-specific KMS client key. Replace <edition-specific KMS client key> with the appropriate key from the table below:

    cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk <edition-specific KMS client key>

  8. Force activation against the KMS server:

    cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato

  9. Re-enable the automatic start of the Software Protection Platform UI Notify service:

    sc config sppuinotify start= demand

KMS Client Setup Keys for Windows 7 Editions:

Operating system edition KMS Client Setup Key
Windows 7 Professional FJ82H-XT6CR-J8D7P-XQJJ2-GPDD4
Windows 7 Professional N MRPKT-YTG23-K7D7T-X2JMM-QY7MG
Windows 7 Professional E W82YF-2Q76Y-63HXB-FGJG9-GF7QX
Windows 7 Enterprise 33PXH-7Y6KF-2VJC9-XBBR8-HVTHH
Windows 7 Enterprise N YDRBP-3D83W-TY26F-D46B2-XCKRJ
Windows 7 Enterprise E C29WB-22CC8-VJ326-GHFJW-H9DH4

By following these resolution steps, users affected by the January 8, 2019, Windows 7 KMS activation issue could effectively restore their systems to a genuine and fully activated state. Remember to choose the correct KMS client setup key based on your specific Windows 7 edition during the reactivation process.

If you found this article helpful or have further questions regarding Windows 7 KMS activation issues, please feel free to leave a comment below! Your experiences and inquiries can help others facing similar challenges.

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