November Windows updates break activation for some organizations
Original title: Microsoft confirms Windows activation failures after November updates
Error 0x80041008 hits SLMGR and automated KMS setup; devices already activated are expected to stay activated.
Microsoft confirmed that this month’s Patch Tuesday updates can cause Windows activation and licensing failures with error 0x80041008. The issue affects organizations that automate activation or use SLMGR on listed Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server releases. Failures follow specific SLMGR domain and product-key commands, while images that already have the KMS client key and do not use those commands are not expected to be affected. Microsoft says a fix is coming within days and points urgent cases to Microsoft Support for business.
Unconfirmed: Microsoft has not published the fix date beyond saying it will arrive over the coming days.
- Affected clients are Windows 10 21H2/22H2 and Windows 11 23H2.
- Affected servers are Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025.
- Failing commands are slmgr.vbs /skms-domain and slmgr.vbs /ipk.
- KMS-activated devices typically remain activated for up to 180 days.
Impact: Windows activation and KMS licensing commands fail
| Product | Affected |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Windows 10 | 21H2/22H2 after this month's Patch Tuesday updates |
| Microsoft Windows 11 | 23H2 after this month's Patch Tuesday updates |
| Microsoft Windows Server | 2019, 2022, and 2025 after this month's updates |
- 1.Contact Microsoft Support for business if immediate mitigation is required.
- 2.Avoid the affected SLMGR commands until Microsoft’s promised fix arrives.
- Vendors
- Microsoft
From the original article
2 min read at bleepingcomputer.com
Microsoft has confirmed that this month's Patch Tuesday security updates are causing Windows activation and licensing failures with 0x80041008 error codes. [...]
By Sergiu Gatlan · bleepingcomputer.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.