Event ID 4103 — Windows License Verification

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows license verification checks the authenticity of the product's license through product activation. An installation identifier is generated so that its authenticity can be validated in relationship to the type of license purchased.

Event Details

Resolve

Provide a valid license

Validating a Windows license requires that the product key supplied for the operating system is not already in use by another installation, that the version of Windows is genuine, and that the computer can connect to the Internet to validate the license online.

If you have Internet connectivity and activation of Windows fails, contact Product Activation by using the telephone number provided in the message to connect to the customer support center for your area.

If you do not have network connectivity, check the following items to try to resolve your network issues to allow activation to succeed.

To perform these procedures, you must have membership in the local Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority.

• In Device Manager, check the status of the network adapter. To open Device Manager, click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and then press ENTER. Double-click Network adapters, and then double-click the network adapter that you use for connecting to the Internet. The device status should indicate that the device is working properly. If a yellow exclamation point appears next to the network adapter, you need to update the driver for the device. To download and update the driver automatically, double-click the network adapter, click the Driver tab, and then click Update Driver. Some devices require that you manually download the driver updates from their Web sites.
• Check network connectivity indicator lights on the computer and at the hub or router. Different manufacturers have different indicator light configurations, but in most cases a light that is on indicates connectivity and a light that is off indicates no connectivity. Some manufacturers have different colored lights to provide more information about issues. In most cases, green lights are used to indicate proper operation, and orange or red lights indicate connectivity issues. A solid green light normally indicates that a device is connected to the port but there is no current network activity. Intermittent flashing lights normally indicate that data is being transferred. Continuous flashing lights normally indicate that there is a problem with the connection, such as a faulty network adapter.
• Check network cabling. Verify that the connections are well seated at both the computer and the hub or router. If possible, replace the network cable with a known good cable.
• Check firewall settings by using the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security snap-in. For more information about troubleshooting Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, see Windows Firewall with Advanced Security (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=96306).
• Check IP security (IPsec) settings by using the IP Security Policy Management snap-in.

If the problem persists, you can use the following procedure to help determine the extent of the network connectivity issue.

Note: Before performing these steps, check whether the firewall or IPsec settings on your network allow Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) traffic. ICMP is the TCP/IP protocol that is used by the Ping command.

1. Click Start, type cmd, and then press ENTER.
2. At the command prompt, type ipconfig /all, and then press ENTER. Verify that your computer has a recognizable Domain Name System (DNS) suffix, an assigned IP address, and that the IP address lease was obtained at the time you last connected the computer to the network.
3. Type ping localhost to verify that TCP/IP is installed and correctly configured on the local computer. If the ping is unsuccessful, this may indicate a corrupt TCP/IP stack or a problem with your network adapter. Type ping <IP_address>, where <IP_address> is the IP address assigned to the computer. If you can ping the localhost address but not the local address, there may be a problem with the routing table or with the network adapter driver.
4. Type ping <DNS_server>, where <DNS_server> is the IP address assigned to the DNS server. If there is more than one DNS server on your network, you should ping each one. If you cannot ping the DNS servers, this indicates a potential problem with the DNS servers or with the network between the computer and the DNS servers.

Verify

To verify that your copy of Windows is properly licensed:

1. Open Internet Explorer, and go to Genuine Microsoft Software (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=101869).
2. Click Validate Windows.
3. If prompted, install the Windows Genuine Advantage software.
4. The Web site should report "Validation Complete."

Related Management Information

Windows License Verification

Core Security