Microsoft has come up with a workaround for the devices encountering an activation issue for the users who installed January non-security preview update. You might find a message like – “We can’t activate Windows on this device because you don’t have a valid digital license 0xc004c003” because of the release.
0xc004c003 Windows 10 activation failure occurs on Windows 10 2004 and 20H2. Non-security update KB4598291 for January 2021 was released on February 2, 2021, and since then the error code has been appearing. The problem commonly happens when you try to activate the copy using an OEM Activation 3.0 (OA3) Digital Product Key (DPK). Error appears when a licensing code component attempts to access a registry hive without having proper access. As a result, the product key isn’t extracted correctly due to access denied error. This bug in the patch doesn’t affect the devices which installed the KB4598298 pre-update for Windows 10 1909.
Error code 0xc004c003 Windows 10 Activation after Installing KB4598291
Here is how to fix Fix Error Code 0xc004c003 Windows 10 Activation after Installing KB4598291 –
Microsoft doesn’t only explain but also provides a workaround for the same. Because KB4598291 is the cause for this issue simply remove the non-security update from your computer. Here is how –
- Click – Search icon from the taskbar
- Type – cmd.exe and press – Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
- Select – Yes on the User account control.
- Copy wusa /uninstall /kb:4598291, paste into the command prompt, and hit Enter.
- The system will search Windows Update Standalone Installer ask for confirmation to uninstall the update. Follow the instructions until removal and then restart the PC to fix 0xC004C003.
Note – KB4598291 fixed a bug that caused some Windows 10 Education devices to incorrectly deactivate after upgrading to Windows 10 v2004.
Affected Windows 10 Versions and Editions –
- Windows 10 Enterprise, version 2004
- Windows 10 Home, version 2004
- Windows 10 Pro, version 2004
- Windows 10 Education, version 2004
- Windows 10 Pro Education, version 2004
- Windows 10 Pro version 20H2
- Windows 10 Enterprise, version 20H2
- Windows 10 Education, version 20H2
- Windows 10 Home, version 20H2
- Windows 10 Pro Education, version 20H2
Source – Microsoft support.
That’s all!!!