Symptoms
Error 0xC004C008 is received when attempting to activate Windows Server.
Cause
Error 0xC004C008 translates to "The activation server reported that the product key has exceeded its unlock limit." This indicates that the activation limit for the OS license has been reached. When this occurs, this product key cannot be used to activate the OS on a physical or virtual server.
Resolution
If the OS license was purchased through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program, its activation limit may be lower than expected. Contact Dell Support and open a service request if you encounter this issue on a Dell server. Support cannot modify the activation limit directly but can submit a request to Microsoft to have it increased. The request may take several days to fulfill.
In rare cases, this error may appear if an OEM OS license was purchased with the server. This typically only occurs when virtual machines (VMs) with OEM licenses are hosted in a cluster, and Automatic Virtual Machine Activation (AVMA) is not used. OEM licenses are tied to the hardware with which they are purchased. Running an OEM-licensed VM on a different host can cause an activation issue that eventually results in error 0xC004C008. Using AVMA to activate VMs is the simplest solution in this case, but AVMA requires that virtualization hosts run a Datacenter edition of Windows Server. Non-Datacenter and non-Windows virtualization hosts cannot use AVMA.
If this error occurs in a cluster environment in which AVMA is not an option, contact Dell Support for assistance.
Additional Information
More information about Automatic Virtual Machine Activation (AVMA) is available from Microsoft at
Automatic Virtual Machine Activation in Windows Server.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Windows Server 2019, Microsoft Windows Server 2022, Microsoft Windows 2008 Server R2, Microsoft Windows 2008 Server Service Pack 2, Microsoft Windows 2012 Server, Microsoft Windows 2012 Server R2