Volume Licensing Activation Error Code 0xC004F042 shows up when the KMS host cannot activate the client software. The full error message states: The Software Protection Service determined that the specified Key Management Service (KMS) cannot be used, Error 0xC004F042.
This happens when a KMS Client contacts the KMS host for activation, the host cannot activate the client computer.
0xC004F042, Specified Key Management Service (KMS) cannot be used
KMS based Windows 10 Activation keys are particular keys that cannot be used without a KMS server. If you happened to have a KMS key that was sold on the internet, while it may work for a while, but not forever. That said, KMS keys are usually used on Enterprise, where the KMS server is set up to activate the Windows computer, which is part of the enterprise. Here the are things you need to check if you receive this error:
- Check if you are using a KMS key to activate a client and not public KMS key as it will not work with it. To activate a KMS client, it must have a special KMS public key installed.
- Secondly, make sure the version of the client and the KMS server is matched. You should check if you need to update the Windows 10 KMS Host and the client counterpart, so they have the same version. If either of them has a different version, it will result in this error.
- Enable Software Protection Service on the KMS Server. This service makes download, install, and enforces digital licenses for Windows. You can make sure it is enabled by going to Services Snapin (Services.msc), locate the Software Protection Platform, and set to Automatic (Delayed Start) and running.
- Lastly, contact Microsoft Support to resolve if the above methods don’t work. The IT admin can connect to Microsoft and resolve anything which is related to Volume Licensing.
I hope the post was useful, and you were able to get rid of the error 0xC004F042 related to Key Management Service (KMS).
