The software licensing service reported that the product key is invalid

Error message when you try to activate a copy of Windows by using the Windows Activation wizard: «The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid: 0xC004F050»

Symptoms

When you try to activate a copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7 by using the Windows Activation wizard, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

An error has occurred

The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid

Cause

This problem occurs if the license validity interval has expired, or if the license is not signed correctly.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Re-insert the product key by using the «Change product key» tool

To re-insert the product key, follow these steps:

Click Start , click Computer, and then click System properties on the toolbar.

In the Windows activation section, click Change product key.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

In the Product key box, type the product key, and then click Next.

Follow the steps in the Windows Activation Wizard to complete the activation process.

If these steps do not resolve this issue, continue to Method 2.

Method 2: Activate Windows by using the automated telephone system

To activate Windows by telephone, you must use an automated telephone system.

To activate Windows by using the automated telephone system, follow these steps:

Click Start , and then click Computer.

Click System properties on the toolbar, and then click Click here to activate Windows now in the Windows activation section.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

Click Show me other ways to Activate.

Click Use the automated phone system, and then follow the instructions.

If these steps do not resolve this issue, continue to Method 3.

Method 3: Troubleshoot Volume Activation issues

For more information about how to troubleshoot Volume Activation issues, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

938450 How to troubleshoot Volume Activation error codes on Windows Vista-based computers

More Information

To verify the Windows activation status, follow these steps:

Click Start , and then click Computer.

Click System properties on the toolbar, and then view the activation status in the Windows activation section.

To view frequently asked questions about Windows activation, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Error message when you try to activate a copy of Windows by using the Windows Activation wizard: «The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid: 0xC004F050»

Symptoms

When you try to activate a copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7 by using the Windows Activation wizard, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

An error has occurred

The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid

Cause

This problem occurs if the license validity interval has expired, or if the license is not signed correctly.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Re-insert the product key by using the «Change product key» tool

To re-insert the product key, follow these steps:

Click Start , click Computer, and then click System properties on the toolbar.

In the Windows activation section, click Change product key.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

In the Product key box, type the product key, and then click Next.

Follow the steps in the Windows Activation Wizard to complete the activation process.

If these steps do not resolve this issue, continue to Method 2.

Method 2: Activate Windows by using the automated telephone system

To activate Windows by telephone, you must use an automated telephone system.

To activate Windows by using the automated telephone system, follow these steps:

Click Start , and then click Computer.

Click System properties on the toolbar, and then click Click here to activate Windows now in the Windows activation section.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

Click Show me other ways to Activate.

Click Use the automated phone system, and then follow the instructions.

If these steps do not resolve this issue, continue to Method 3.

Method 3: Troubleshoot Volume Activation issues

For more information about how to troubleshoot Volume Activation issues, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

938450 How to troubleshoot Volume Activation error codes on Windows Vista-based computers

More Information

To verify the Windows activation status, follow these steps:

Click Start , and then click Computer.

Click System properties on the toolbar, and then view the activation status in the Windows activation section.

To view frequently asked questions about Windows activation, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Error message when you try to activate a copy of Windows by using the Windows Activation wizard: «The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid: 0xC004F050»

Symptoms

When you try to activate a copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7 by using the Windows Activation wizard, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

An error has occurred

The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid

Cause

This problem occurs if the license validity interval has expired, or if the license is not signed correctly.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Re-insert the product key by using the «Change product key» tool

To re-insert the product key, follow these steps:

Click Start , click Computer, and then click System properties on the toolbar.

In the Windows activation section, click Change product key.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

In the Product key box, type the product key, and then click Next.

Follow the steps in the Windows Activation Wizard to complete the activation process.

If these steps do not resolve this issue, continue to Method 2.

Method 2: Activate Windows by using the automated telephone system

To activate Windows by telephone, you must use an automated telephone system.

To activate Windows by using the automated telephone system, follow these steps:

Click Start , and then click Computer.

Click System properties on the toolbar, and then click Click here to activate Windows now in the Windows activation section.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

Click Show me other ways to Activate.

Click Use the automated phone system, and then follow the instructions.

If these steps do not resolve this issue, continue to Method 3.

Method 3: Troubleshoot Volume Activation issues

For more information about how to troubleshoot Volume Activation issues, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

938450 How to troubleshoot Volume Activation error codes on Windows Vista-based computers

More Information

To verify the Windows activation status, follow these steps:

Click Start , and then click Computer.

Click System properties on the toolbar, and then view the activation status in the Windows activation section.

To view frequently asked questions about Windows activation, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Error message when you try to activate a copy of Windows by using the Windows Activation wizard: «The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid: 0xC004F050»

Symptoms

When you try to activate a copy of Windows Vista or Windows 7 by using the Windows Activation wizard, you receive an error message that resembles the following:

An error has occurred

The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid

Cause

This problem occurs if the license validity interval has expired, or if the license is not signed correctly.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods:

Method 1: Re-insert the product key by using the «Change product key» tool

To re-insert the product key, follow these steps:

Click Start , click Computer, and then click System properties on the toolbar.

In the Windows activation section, click Change product key.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

In the Product key box, type the product key, and then click Next.

Follow the steps in the Windows Activation Wizard to complete the activation process.

If these steps do not resolve this issue, continue to Method 2.

Method 2: Activate Windows by using the automated telephone system

To activate Windows by telephone, you must use an automated telephone system.

To activate Windows by using the automated telephone system, follow these steps:

Click Start , and then click Computer.

Click System properties on the toolbar, and then click Click here to activate Windows now in the Windows activation section.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.

Click Show me other ways to Activate.

Click Use the automated phone system, and then follow the instructions.

If these steps do not resolve this issue, continue to Method 3.

Method 3: Troubleshoot Volume Activation issues

For more information about how to troubleshoot Volume Activation issues, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

938450 How to troubleshoot Volume Activation error codes on Windows Vista-based computers

More Information

To verify the Windows activation status, follow these steps:

Click Start , and then click Computer.

Click System properties on the toolbar, and then view the activation status in the Windows activation section.

To view frequently asked questions about Windows activation, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

The software licensing service reported that the product key is invalid

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Answered by:

Question

I’m trying to activate a KMS Host, and I have installed KMS (KMSW2K3.exe) and WindowsServer2003-KB948003-x86-ENU.exe, as per the instructions in the document: «Key Management Service v1 1 for Windows Server 2003 Step-By-Step Guide.doc»

Next I am typing: cscript c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk

And I am getting the error: Error: 0xC004F050 The Software Licensing Service reported that the product key is invalid

What am I doing wrong?

Answers

In the end I manually registered it, with a phone call to Microsoft and reading out a very large number to them, and putting their reply in. What a convoluted process!

And then I discover this:

“KMS can activate both physical and virtual computers, but to qualify for KMS activation a network must have a minimum number of physical computers, called the activation threshold. KMS clients activate only after this threshold is met. To ensure that the activation threshold is met, a KMS host counts the number of physical computers requesting activation on the network. The count of activation requests is a combination of both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 computers. However, each of these operating systems begins activating after a different threshold is met. The Windows Server 2008 KMS client threshold is five (5) physical computers. The Windows Vista KMS client threshold is twenty-five (25) physical computers. Virtual computers do not contribute to the activation count, but virtual computers are activated by KMS after the physical computer threshold is met.”

All I’ve got is one computer I’m trying to test!

Sometimes I despair!
Steve.

All replies

I discovered the problem with that message. I need KMS v1.2.

Now I have that installed and the /ipk command works ok. However when I do the /ato, I get this:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>cscript slmgr.vbs /ato
Microsoft (R) Windows Script Host Version 5.6
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation 1996-2001. All rights reserved.

What has happened?

In the end I manually registered it, with a phone call to Microsoft and reading out a very large number to them, and putting their reply in. What a convoluted process!

And then I discover this:

“KMS can activate both physical and virtual computers, but to qualify for KMS activation a network must have a minimum number of physical computers, called the activation threshold. KMS clients activate only after this threshold is met. To ensure that the activation threshold is met, a KMS host counts the number of physical computers requesting activation on the network. The count of activation requests is a combination of both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 computers. However, each of these operating systems begins activating after a different threshold is met. The Windows Server 2008 KMS client threshold is five (5) physical computers. The Windows Vista KMS client threshold is twenty-five (25) physical computers. Virtual computers do not contribute to the activation count, but virtual computers are activated by KMS after the physical computer threshold is met.”

All I’ve got is one computer I’m trying to test!

Sometimes I despair!
Steve.

Yea, I’m getting the same thing. No answers, but you are not alone. M$ is giving me the «we’ll call you back in a day unless you want to pay more money than you already did for immediate support». This is a volume license activation issue that could impact every single computer on my network, and they want to call me back in a day?

So after spending time scratching to find the issue, I discover the broken KMS host. Great! Re-install. Now try to activate and I get the invalid key message (I am copy/pasting right out of my Volume Licensing Service Center portal. so I know it is right). Aaarrrggg!

I have a bunch of choice cuss words I’d like to throw at Microsoft right now. They go off half-cocked to «fight piracy», and are creating extra work / extra cost for paying customers. If my Office products quit working on every computer it would be a HUGE cost to productivity (maybe I could sue?).