Activation troubleshooting

Superfly · 09 Nov 2018

FYI for those wondering why Windows will suddenly get de-activated.

The Scheduled Task that checks licencing is SvcRestartTask - it is triggered daily.

It runs "C:\WINDOWS\system32\sppsvc.exe" as a service.

Code:

Enables the download, installation and enforcement of digital licenses for Windows and Windows applications. If the service is disabled, the operating system and licensed applications may run in a notification mode. It is strongly recommended that you not disable the Software Protection service.

Therefore, any "non-enforcement" eg. a non-reply from the Activation server would have the same effect as the service not running at all.

ThrashZone · 09 Nov 2018

Hi,
Yep most just go to panic mode and buy another cheap key somewhere :)
What happened to activate by phone = busy signal or another error code lol

Superfly · 09 Nov 2018

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Yep most just go to panic mode and buy another cheap key somewhere :)
What happened to activate by phone = busy signal or another error code lol

The problem is Digital Licencing uses a completely different methodology... its not the "legacy" key type activation (many still think the key gets de-activated.. which is not the case and go for a new one)

We were able to troubleshoot much more effectively with Win 7 and 8 (as the licencing files were local) -- now phone activation has gone as has COA etc...

MS are putting themselves under prssure with this - they should just have given new Win 10 keys with the free upgrade as was the case with Win 8 Media Centre upgrades from Win 8 Pro (which was easily shut down from new activations at one point) - and left the key activation method in place rather that replace it with this Store app. activation method.

NovHak · 09 Nov 2018

Superfly said:

Therefore, any "non-enforcement" eg. a non-reply from the Activation server would have the same effect as the service not running at all.

It can't be that way, otherwise that would mean people being offline, or at least on networks with restricted internet access for 24 hours, would become watermarked, which would be a huge issue.
It seems the recent problem comes from MS mistakenly altering W10 Pro licenses to home edition licenses. Hence I'm guessing that scheduled task is intended to automatically synchronise the local license with what is stored on MS' servers, and failure to synchronise doesn't mean deactivation... and here it's precisely synchronisation with an incorrect database that caused the problem.

In other words (if I'm guessing correctly), every time sppsvc.exe is started/restarted, it first tries to reach the activation servers, but upon failure, remains happy with the local license.

alphanumeric · 09 Nov 2018

My interpretation of what Superfly said is, if you were to kill that service, to try and cheat or extend activation, it would fail activation.
And under normal circumstances a loss or Internet wouldn't deactivate you.
What happened is that, that service ran on schedule, but failed to authenticate via the activation server. Therefore the PC became un activated.
Something like that. I don't claim to be any kind of expert on this or have the knowledge he has on this type of thing.

muchomurka · 09 Nov 2018

NovHak said:

It can't be that way, otherwise that would mean people being offline, or at least on networks with restricted internet access for 24 hours, would become watermarked, which would be a huge issue.
It seems the recent problem comes from MS mistakenly altering W10 Pro licenses to home edition licenses. Hence I'm guessing that scheduled task is intended to automatically synchronise the local license with what is stored on MS' servers, and failure to synchronise doesn't mean deactivation... and here it's precisely synchronisation with an incorrect database that caused the problem.

In other words (if I'm guessing correctly), every time sppsvc.exe is started/restarted, it first tries to reach the activation servers, but upon failure, remains happy with the local license.

You are right, once activated Win10 remains healthy for at least six months (Enterprise kms editions) after last contact with activation server. The recent problem was caused by misconfiguration or malfunction of MS license service, not its unavailability. Possible causes are:
- license database data inconsistency or index corruption
- more likely bad program logic in poorly tested new version of license server software. Déjà vu.

While asked for license acknowledgment, license servers erroneously returned wrong type of license to clients... Too easy to cripple our systems. Even loyal users will look for non-MS licensing alternatives.

Superfly · 10 Nov 2018

NovHak said:

It can't be that way, otherwise that would mean people being offline, or at least on networks with restricted internet access for 24 hours, would become watermarked, which would be a huge issue.
It seems the recent problem comes from MS mistakenly altering W10 Pro licenses to home edition licenses. Hence I'm guessing that scheduled task is intended to automatically synchronise the local license with what is stored on MS' servers, and failure to synchronise doesn't mean deactivation... and here it's precisely synchronisation with an incorrect database that caused the problem.

In other words (if I'm guessing correctly), every time sppsvc.exe is started/restarted, it first tries to reach the activation servers, but upon failure, remains happy with the local license.

Yep, the reason for the recent deactivatons were most likely server corruption, but the question then is why have that task at all? If one can disable it and it runs local DL perpetually?
There has to be a time period of "non-enforcement" when Windows decides it needs to verify the DL on the Activation server or deactivate.

I have tried disabling the task but it re-enables after a reboot.

NovHak · 10 Nov 2018

Superfly said:

Yep, the reason for the recent deactivatons were most likely server corruption, but the question then is why have that task at all? If one can disable it and it runs local DL perpetually?
There has to be a time period of "non-enforcement" when Windows decides it needs to verify the DL on the Activation server or deactivate.

I have tried disabling the task but it re-enables after a reboot.

I was thinking exactly the same. I suppose it exists as a try to avoid license duplication abuses, like transferring a license on another computer under the guise of a "big hardware change" while retaining the license on the old computer as well. That scheduled task tries to keep all systems synchronised with MS' license database.

I suppose if one manages to either disable the task (or more accurately prevent sppsvc.exe accessing MS' servers, since even with the task disabled I guess the service would try phoning home at boot), the local license remains valid undefinitely, since they can't punish someone from having a system with restricted internet access (which is the case in many corporate environments).

alphanumeric · 22 Nov 2018

Just did a clean install of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019. Activated it with a My Visual Studio MAK key. It didn't activate with a Digital License. It shows the Product code with all but the last five X'd out. Just a FYI post. All my other Visual Studio subscription MAK keys got DL's?

Superfly · 22 Nov 2018

alphanumeric said:

Just did a clean install of Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019. Activated it with a My Visual Studio MAK key. It didn't activate with a Digital License. It shows the Product code with all but the last five X'd out. Just a FYI post. All my other Visual Studio subscription MAK keys got DL's?

MS messed-up with Win 10 MAK's - they are supposed to be removed (I posted before about that before.. I need to search for the post .. I think in the ShowKey thread).. it's all gone wonky..