Error code 0xc004c003 in Windows 10

Many Windows users have received an error code 0xc004c003 after upgrading to Windows 10 or reinstalling. This error is related to the Windows activation process and can occur for a number of reasons, each with their own fix. This article explains every reason you might get error code 0xc004c003 when trying to activate Windows 10 on your machine and how to fix it so that you can get started without further ado.

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How to fix error code 0xc004c003 in Windows 10?

In order to use Windows 10 it is important to activate it, but many users have reported error code 0xc004c003 while trying to activate Windows. Speaking of activation issues, users reported the following issues:

0xc004c003 Product key blocked W indows 10 – This message can appear if your product key is not valid. If so, make sure you have a genuine version of Windows. If your copy is real, you might want to report this problem to Microsoft.
Microsoft Error Code 0xc004c003 – This error can occur when the activation servers are busy. If that’s the case, just wait a couple of hours and try activating Windows 10 again.
0xc004c003 Windows 10 Activation Error – Sometimes this error can appear after you haven’t upgraded to Windows 10 properly. However, you can easily fix this problem by performing an in-place upgrade.
Error 0xc004c003 Activation Server Detected – This is just one variation of this error, but you should be able to use one of our solutions to fix it.
0xc004c003 after a hardware change – your Windows license is tightly tied to your hardware, and if the problem is caused by a hardware change, the best solution is to contact Microsoft.
0xc004c003 clean install – In some cases, this issue can appear after performing a clean install. To fix the problem, repeat the installation process again.

Quick solution to fix various PC errors

Step 1 : Download this PC Scan and Repair Tool
Step 2 : Click Start Scan to find Windows issues that could be causing error 0xc004c003
Step 3 : Click Start Repair to fix all issues.

Solution 1 – use the slmgr.vbs command

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Due to the high number of Windows 7 and 8.1 users upgrading to Windows 10, the activation servers can become overloaded and refuse some connections. The majority of users who received error code 0xc004c003 cited this as the reason and were able to easily fix it by trying again to activate Windows 10 at a later time.

If you’re sure you’ve upgraded from a legally activated copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10, wait a few hours and then try again to activate Windows 10. You can do this by opening Windows Settings from the Start menu and selecting the Update & Security section . Select Activation in the left pane and click the Activate button .

You can also force activation of Windows 10. To do this, follow the steps below

Right click the Start Menu button and select Command Prompt (Admin) . This will open the Windows Command Prompt with administrator rights, which means you need to use a Windows user with administrator rights.
In the command prompt window, enter the command slmgr.vbs -rearm and execute it by pressing the Enter key . Wait a few minutes and restart your PC.

Solution 2 – Contact Microsoft after a hardware change

Rad When you first activate Windows 10, it registers your hardware configuration with the Microsoft activation servers. This way, you don’t have to enter a product key when reinstalling Windows 10 because activation is done using the digital entitlement method, which verifies that your hardware is registered.

The activation process with the digital authorization method can be interrupted if important components in your device, such as the motherboard or the hard drive, are replaced. If you’ve made changes to your computer and Windows 10 refuses to activate, you need to contact Microsoft Customer Service and let them know about the hardware changes.

Solution 3 – Make sure you are running Windows Update

If you have a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 license and want to upgrade to Windows 10, the recommended method is the first upgrade with Windows Update. This will convert your valid license key into a digital entitlement for your computer and you can reinstall Windows 10 on the same computer without using a product key.

To fix this, make sure your previous version of Windows is activated, then upgrade to Windows 10 using Windows Update.

Solution 4 – check that your product key is valid

If you manually entered a product key to activate Windows 10, it may not be valid for activation. In this case, you will need to use a different key to activate Windows. Once you have purchased this key, contact the seller and ask them to replace it or offer you a refund.

Solution 5 – perform an on-site upgrade

If you have an error code 0xc004c003 and you cannot activate Windows 10, upgrading in-place may fix the problem. If you’re unfamiliar, this is a great way to update to a new version of Windows while keeping all of your files, settings, and applications around. Several users reported that this method worked for them, so be sure to try it out. To perform an in-place upgrade, do the following:

Go back to the previous version of Windows and install any updates required to upgrade to Windows 10. Make sure the current version you are using is fully activated.
Download and run the Media Creation Tool .
Select Update this PC now and click Next .
Media Creation Tool will now prepare the necessary files.
Select the Download and Install Updates option . Note that this option is not required, so you can skip it if you want.
Windows 10 will now download the necessary updates and check whether your PC meets the requirements. This could take a while so keep that in mind.
Now click on Change what you want to keep and choose which files you want to keep. Now click on Next and Install .
You are now installing Windows 10. This process can take up to an hour, so be patient.

After an in-place upgrade, your Windows 10 installation should be activated and ready to use.

Solution 6 – keep trying to activate Windows 10

If you cannot activate Windows 10 due to error code 0xc004c003, the problem may be caused by Microsoft’s activation servers. If you’ve upgraded from a real and activated version of Windows, you shouldn’t have any problems, so it’s quite possible that the problem is with Microsoft servers.

To fix the problem, all you have to do is wait for the problem to be resolved. In the meantime, you can try activating Windows 10 every hour. r or so. Several users reported that they fixed the problem by being persistent so be sure to give this a try.

Solution 7 – update BIOS

Your Windows 10 license is tightly tied to your hardware, and if you can’t activate Windows 10, the problem could be your BIOS. Your BIOS is responsible for our hardware, and to resolve this issue, it is recommended that you update your BIOS.

BIOS update brings new features to your hardware, but it can also fix any incompatibility issues your hardware has with Windows 10.

There are several ways to update the BIOS, and we’ve written a general guide on how to flash your BIOS. To see how to properly update your BIOS, we highly recommend that you read your motherboard’s manual for detailed instructions.

It’s worth noting that updating the BIOS can be a potentially dangerous process, so be extra careful when updating your BIOS. If you are not careful, you can permanently damage your motherboard, so special care should be taken.

Several users reported that upgrading the BIOS fixed their activation issue.

Solution 8 – check your internet connection

To activate Windows 10, you need an active internet connection. So before you try to activate Windows, make sure your internet connection is working properly. If your network connection is fine, try restarting the connection and see if that helps.

In addition to restarting your connection, you can also restart your PC and see if that solves the problem. If the problem persists, you may just have to wait and see. Some users reported that their Windows 10 activated itself by simply waiting a few days, so you should try that too.

Solution 9 – use command prompt

Depending on the user, you can fix the error code 0xc004c003 simply by running a single command from the command prompt. Depending on the user, you can reveal your product key as follows:

Press Windows Key + X to open the Win + X menu. Now select Command Prompt (Admin) from the list. If Command Prompt is n’t available, you can also use Powershell (Admin) .
When Command Prompt opens, enter wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey command. You should now see your product key.
Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app and go to the Update & Security section .
Navigate to the Activation section in the left pane and select Change Product Key in the right pane.
Now enter the product key that you received from step 2 and click on Next .

Solution 10 – Contact Microsoft

If you still cannot activate Windows 10 due to error code 0xc004c003, please contact Microsoft. Several users reported that Microsoft Call Center managed to fix their problem. So, if none of the above solutions work, you should call official Microsoft support for your region and explain the problem to them.

If you are still having problems on your PC or just want to avoid them for the future, we strongly recommend that you download this tool (100% safe and tested by us) to fix various PC problems like file loss, malware and hardware failure.