0xc004f200 (non-genuine)

[Geraldine Ferraiz]

Windows10 isn't the only Windows version experiencing issues after receiving cumulative updates. Latest January security patch has also brought troubles for those on Windows 7. The update has reportedly resulted in several issues, including file share and connection issues. It is also giving some users 0xc004f200 "not genuine" error. However, Microsoft says that at least this Windows 7 activation bug isn't caused by the latest update.

If you are also seeing this Windows 7 activation error after installing the latest updates (January patch KB4480970), Microsoft has acknowledged the problem and offered a workaround. The company writes:

Microsoft assures that this is NOT a problem associated with the latest security patch and the "timing of this issue" just coincides with the release of the January updates (KB4480960 and KB4480970) that were released earlier this week.

"A recent update to the Microsoft Activation and Validation unintentionally caused a "not genuine" error on volume-licensed Windows 7 clients that had KB 971033 installed," Microsoft says. "The change was introduced at 10:00:00 UTC on January 8, 2019, and was reverted at 4:30:00 UTC on January 9, 2019."

Microsoft says that Windows 7 devices that have installed KB971033 but did not experience this activation issue between 10:00 UTC, January 8 and 4:30 UTC, January 9 should not experience the issue in the future. But if you do experience this problem and have KB971033 installed, you can follow any of these steps to uninstall the update.

After you have uninstalled KB 971033, rebuild the activation-related files and then reactivate the system by running the following commands in a Command Prompt window as admin (for specific details, head over to this official post):

Along with the activation error that Microsoft says isn't related to the latest January update, the company has acknowledged two more issues with Windows 7 that do seem to have resulted from the latest patch. These include:

The company says it recommends these workarounds until a fix is made available in a future release. For more details, head over to the official post that explains both what fixes the latest update has brought and the associated known issues.

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It is reported that Microsoft's January KB971033 has caused not genuine 0xc004f200 activation error on Windows 7 Enterprise PCs, which is bothering you. Soon afterwards, Microsoft explains the reason for the issue and gives a corresponding solution. In this article, we will show you specific information about this thing.

However, although it is cautious to patch quickly, the update trips up network shares over the SMBv2 file-sharing protocol. Normally, the security-only update may avoid the bug, but it also causes the same issues.

According to Microsoft, its support page for KB971033 contains a warning for enterprise customers who use Key Management Service (KMS) or Multiple Activation Key (MAK) volume activation not to install that update.

To solve the Windows 7 KMS activation issue, Microsoft strongly recommends that organizations with volume-licensed Windows 7 devices uninstall KB971033, even on machines that are not currently affected by the issue.

Some Windows users are encountering that they are experiencing an activation error 0xc004f200 that ends up essentially bricking their OS and labeling it as non-genuine. This problem is reported to occur on both Windows 10 and Windows 7.

If the scenario described above is perfectly applicable to your situation, the instructions below will allow you to uninstall the problematic KB4480970 update and ensure that you resolve the 0xc004f200 error code.

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