KMS Activation Stuck on 4

FunMum 140 Reputation points
2026-04-30T19:52:43.4766667+00:00

Hello,

I am activating Windows 2022 Standard Servers using KMS. However, right now my KMS server is stuck on a 4 count license and I cannot get the 5th one activated (which is the min). I have tried to deploy new machines that are sysprepped. When I try to activate those machines, I get the following. What is KMS looking for that it cannot get the 5th one activated? With the sysprep, I have confirmed a new SID is being generated but I can't get them to activate without receiving the message below. Any ideas of how to troubleshoot this or is there something in the sysprep process I should do to allow KMS to see this server as unique?

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Windows for business | Windows Server | Devices and deployment | Licensing and activation

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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-30T19:53:07.2233333+00:00

    Error 0xC004F038 means the KMS host’s current activation count is below the required threshold. For Windows Server, the KMS count must be at least 5 before any server can be activated.

    In this situation, the KMS host is correctly reporting a count of 4, so all additional activation attempts fail with 0xC004F038 until the host sees a fifth unique, qualifying KMS client.

    To troubleshoot and get the count to 5:

    1. Verify the KMS host count
      • On the KMS host, run in an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell: 
             slmgr.vbs /dli
        or (for detailed output): 
             slmgr.vbs /dlv
      • Confirm the Current Count value and that the License Status is Licensed.
    2. Confirm clients are true KMS clients and unique
      • On each Windows Server 2022 system, run: 
             slmgr.vbs /dlv
      • Check:
        • Description shows VOLUME_KMSCLIENT (a KMS Client Setup Key / GVLK). If it shows MAK or another key, reinstall the correct GVLK with slmgr.vbs /ipk <GVLK>.
        • CMID is different on each server. Duplicate CMIDs prevent the KMS host count from increasing.
    3. Check KMS client and host events
      • On clients, look for KMS client events 12288 and 12289 in the Application log:
        • 12288 shows which KMS host FQDN and port were contacted.
        • 12289 shows the Current Count on the KMS Host and whether activation succeeded (Activation Flag 1) or failed (0).
      • On the KMS host, look for KMS host event 12290 entries when each client attempts activation. Each unique client with a unique CMID should increment the count.
    4. Ensure all clients reach the same KMS host
      • If there are multiple KMS hosts (or unsupported systems advertising KMS), the activation requests may be spread across them, so no single host reaches a count of 5.
      • Use the FQDN in client event 12288 or KMS Machine Name from DNS in slmgr.vbs /dlv to confirm all servers are contacting the intended KMS host.
    5. Add more qualifying servers if needed
      • The KMS host only activates servers after the threshold is met. If there are fewer than five unique, properly configured KMS server clients, add more servers (or temporarily bring additional test servers online) so the KMS count reaches 5.

    Once the KMS host’s Current Count reaches 5, subsequent activation attempts from Windows Server 2022 KMS clients should succeed and the 0xC004F038 error will no longer appear.

    References:

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