System Activation

Windows activation-related configuration

Description

All images of Baidu AI Cloud are automatically activated upon login, requiring no manual intervention. If the system is found to be unactivated upon login (i.e., activation failure), please refer to [handling of Windows activation failure](#Handling of Windows activation failure). For manual reactivation, consult the document [Windows Manual Activation System Tutorial](#Windows Manual Activation System Tutorial).

All Baidu Cloud Compute OS source files (ISO) of Baidu AI Cloud originate from [Microsoft official website Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center)] https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/servicecenter/.

Configuration

KMS client key configuration

All images created from OS source files are equipped with KMS client keys. The activation server of Baidu AI Cloud only supports activating OS images using KMS client keys. If the key is manually changed, it needs to be changed back in the following ways:

• Open the command line with administrator permissions and enter slmgr.vbs /ipk [KMS Client Key]

• KMS Client Key is publicly available and can be obtained from Microsoft official website: [Microsoft official site] https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867(v=ws.11).aspx

  Note:

  Use the English document format when visiting the website, as the Chinese document is outdated and does not include descriptions for Windows Server 2016.

Client activation server configuration

The activation server data on the client is stored in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\SoftwareProtectionPlatform. By default, the server points to kms.baidubce.com, with port 1688 as the default.

Additional information

• If the image activation process fails, the system will automatically attempt reactivation every 120 minutes.

Windows Manual Activation System Tutorial

Baidu AI Cloud images automatically activate the system upon deployment. However, in certain scenarios, you may need to manually activate the Windows system, such as when automatic activation fails or when a custom image includes specific modifications to the activation server.

Below is the manual activation process for Windows system:

1. Launch the command prompt with administrator privileges.

2. Type slmgr.vbs /ckms in the command prompt to clear the KMS server settings.

3. Type slmgr.vbs /rearm in the command prompt to reset the system's activation key status.

4. Restart the BCC instance, and the activation status should then appear as expected.

5. Open the command prompt again with administrator privileges and enter the command slmgr.vbs /skms kms.baidubce.com:1688.

6. Finally, enter the command slmgr.vbs /ato in the command prompt to complete the activation process.

Note:

If activation still fails, refer to [handling of Windows activation failure](#Handling of Windows activation failure) or submit a ticket to contact Baidu AI Cloud customer service staff.

Handling of Windows activation failure

Note:

Certain steps outlined in this document require a basic understanding of the Windows operating system. If you encounter any difficulties, please contact customer service first. Before proceeding, it is strongly advised to create snapshots of both the system disk and the data disk to avoid potential data loss.

Activation failures occur for various reasons. Below summarizes some encountered activation failure scenarios:

• Communication failure
• Time and timezone desynchronization
• Client key error
• Impact of third-party software
• Service abnormal

Among the activation failures we encountered, prompts like this frequently appear: Error: [Error Code], on a Computer Running Microsoft Windows Non-core Edition, Run slui.exe 0x2a [Error Code] to Display the Text. This means the running program encounters an activation client error but cannot display the string; running the command is required to obtain readable error information. slui.exe is the Windows activation client primarily used for license activation. Errors with this prompt are mainly caused by license-related issues. In such cases, first open the command line tool CMD, enter the mentioned string, and check the specific error. For example:

When you enter slui.exe 0x2a 0xBBA in the command prompt, a pop-up window will appear providing detailed and readable descriptions.

Below, we provide detailed documentation of some commonly encountered activation failure scenarios.

Communication failure

Phenomenon

When a Baidu AI Cloud Windows system is unactivated and encounters error code 0xC004F074 during activation attempts.

Cause

Baidu AI Cloud Windows activation depends on a KMS server. This error occurs due to connectivity issues between Windows and the KMS server. The KMS server is located within the cloud platform's intranet. Normally, connectivity is stable regardless of whether an EIP is added to Windows.

Solutions

1. Check if the network interface card is disabled.
2. Verify if pinging kms.baidubce.com is successful and whether the domain name kms.baidubce.com resolves correctly.

3. Ensure no software or settings are restricting the port.

   3.1 Verify if the firewall is blocking TCP port 1688 for kms.baidubce.com.

   3.2 Check if IP security group policies are restricting TCP port 1688 for kms.baidubce.com.

   3.3 Confirm whether antivirus or security software is blocking TCP port 1688 for kms.baidubce.com.

4. Inspect the route configuration by opening CMD with administrator privileges, then run the command route print to check if it's an intranet route.
5. Check if telnet to kms.baidubce.com is successful.

6. If no issues are found in the above steps, attempt reactivation by executing the following command in a CMD with administrator permissions. 6.1 slmgr /skms kms.baidubce.com:1688

   6.2 slmgr /ato

   6.3 For more detailed manual activation instructions, refer to Windows Manual Activation System Tutorial.

Time and timezone desynchronization

Phenomenon

When a Baidu AI Cloud Windows system is unactivated and displays error code 0x80072F8F during activation attempts.

Cause

Ensure the Windows system's time and timezone align with the KMS server's settings, as time discrepancies can cause activation issues.

Solutions

1. Check for significant time deviations in the bottom-right corner of the desktop; if necessary, manually synchronize the system's time and timezone.
2. Using the command line tool CMD.exe with administrator privileges, enter net start W32Timew32tm /resyn to complete synchronization, then attempt activation again.

Client key error

Phenomenon

Windows indicates the system is unactivated with error code 0xC004F015, or the activation section in system properties shows "Product ID Unavailable.\

Cause

The system reports that the authorized service license is missing, likely because the current system is not recognized by the VLK server. An investigation reveals the activation code used does not match the one provided by VLSC.

Solutions

Reinstall the KMS client key to resolve the issue.

1. Download the KMS client key from Microsoft [official website] https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj612867(v=ws.11).aspx.
   a. Note: Use English document format when accessing the website, as Chinese document is outdated and lacks Windows Server 2016 descriptions. b. Windows 2008 R2 Data Center：74YFP-3QFB3-KQT8W-PMXWJ-7M648。 c. Windows 2012 R2 Data Center：48HP8-DN98B-MYWDG-T2DCC-8W83P。 d. Windows 2016 Data Center： CB7KF-BWN84-R7R2Y-793K2-8XDDG。
2. Install and reactivate the key using the following two commands. a. slmgr.vbs /ipk [KMS Client Key]。 b. slmgr.vbs /ato。

Impact of third-party software

Phenomenon

Third-party antivirus software or trojans might disrupt system activation. For instance, a service required for activation may be stopped by SafeDog Software, leading to failure. Third-party software may also generate various error codes, with "Access Denied" (error code 0xC0000022) being particularly common.

Solutions

Since third-party software often does not run in safe mode, access safe mode to verify whether activation succeeds. Follow these steps to enter safe mode:

1. Open the command line and enter msconfig to launch the System Configuration interface.
2. In the System Configuration window, go to General > Startup Selection, choose Diagnostic Startup, click OK, and restart the computer.
3. During startup, press F8 to select Safe Mode and proceed with booting.
4. Once in the OS, open a command line with administrator privileges and execute the command slmgr.vbs /ato for reactivation.

Service abnormal

Phenomenon

Windows activation involves several service programs, such as the Software Protection service, used for activating and verifying digital licenses. When these services encounter exceptions, activation may fail with different error codes, one example being 0x80070002 - "The system cannot find the specified file.\

Cause

If the Software Protection service is experiencing issues, the program sppsvc.exe, which the service uses, may not have started.

Solutions

1. Restart the Software Protection service: Right-click on Computer, go to Manage > Services > Software Protection, then select Start.

2. If the Software Protection service fails to start, possible reasons include:

   • If antivirus software is blocking the service, temporarily disable the antivirus software and try activation again.

   • For service configuration errors, the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\sppsvc registry key requires reconfiguration.

     1. First, back up the registry key by exporting it (e.g., backup.reg).
     2. Export a functional registry key file (e.g., normal.reg) from another system running the same version, then import it into the affected system.
     3. If the import fails, reimport the backup.reg file to the original computer and investigate other possible causes.