Lỗi 0xc004e016 on a computer running microsoft windows non-core edition

Activating your Windows 11/10 may look easy but is not. You may encounter errors while updating your computer from an older version of Windows to Windows 11/10. This can be because of many different things the main being a wrong product key. When this happens, you may see a message:

Error 0xc004e016, Run slui.exe 0x2a 0xc004e016 to display the error text

In this article, we are going to fix Windows 11/10 Activation Error 0xc004e016 with the help of some simple solutions.

The first thing you need to make sure of before going through these solutions, you have the correct product key as this problem is usually faced by those having a wrong product key. You should know that every version of Windows 11/10 has a different product key. If you have the right product and are facing the issue then you need to do mentioned solutions.

These are the things you can do to fix this Windows Activation error:

1. Check your Internet Connection
2. Check your Product Key
3. Run Windows Activation Troubleshooter
4. Activate in Clean Boot State
5. Activate your Windows with Command Prompt
6. Use SLUI
7. Activate Windows by Phone.

Let us talk about them in detail.

1] Check your Internet Connection

Most of the time, the problem is because of slow or poor Internet Connection. Therefore, before moving any further, you need to make sure that your Internet connection is stable. For that, you can pull out a YouTube video, and if it is constantly buffering, you know what the problem is.

You can even ping a certain website to see if the packets are dropping. To do that launch Command Prompt from the Start Menu and type the following command.

ping google.com

If packets are dropping in the journey, try fixing your Internet connection – Else use a different connection.

2] Check your Product Key

To resolve this first check if your product key is actually for the version of Windows like in the above case.

However, if you previously upgraded to Windows 11/10, but the current edition of Windows installed on your device doesn’t match the edition of your digital license. This means you might have changed some hardware on your Windows 10 computer.

Related Activation error: Invalid Product Key or Version mismatch.

3] Run Windows 10 Activation Troubleshooter

The best way out of this error is to use the Windows Activation Troubleshooter.

4] Activate in Clean Boot State

Sometimes, the problem can be because of a third-party application interfering with the process. So, we need to perform a Clean Boot.

Having done that, try to activate Windows now.

Read: How to troubleshoot Windows Activation states.

5] Activate using Command Prompt

If the conventional method didn’t work for you then try doing the same with the Command Prompt.

To activate your Windows, launch Command Prompt as an admin, type the following commands, and hit Enter simultaneously.

slmgr /ipk

slmgr /skms kms8.msguides.com

slmgr /ato

This way, you have activated your Windows 10 with Command Prompt.

6] Use SLUI

Hit Win + R, type “slui.exe 3”, and hit Enter. Now, enter your product key and hit Next to activate your Windows.

If you run the following command, you will see the error text displayed.

slui.exe 0x2a 0xc004e016

Hopefully, you won’t receive Windows 10 activation error 0xc004e016.

7] Activate Windows by Phone

You could also try to Activate Windows by Phone and see if that helps.

All the best.

Anand Khanse is the Admin of TheWindowsClub.com, a 10-year Microsoft MVP (2006-16) & a Windows Insider MVP (2016-2022). Please read the entire post & the comments first, create a System Restore Point before making any changes to your system & be careful about any 3rd-party offers while installing freeware.

Passionate about all elements related to Windows and combined with his innate curiosity, Ivan has delved deep into understanding this operating system, with a specialization in drivers and... read more

Updated on October 4, 2023

• Error 0xc004e016 occurs whenever there is a discrepancy between the version of Windows installed and the key that was used to activate it.
• It often only manifests itself when upgrading from one version of Windows to another, but it has on occasion been seen after a fresh installation of the operating system.

Sometimes activating your Windows isn’t easy as you think and there can be some errors. Users have reported error code 0xc004e016 on Windows 10, so we’ll explain to you how to deal with this issue.

Error code 0xc004e016 on Windows 10 is an activation error, and it’s caused when you try to update from previous versions of Windows to Windows 10.

What is error 0xc004f015?

The error 0xc004f015 occurs more often when you use the wrong product key while trying to activate Windows. However, there can be other causes, such as a change in hardware devices.

How do I fix error 0xc004f015 on Windows?

Solution 1 – Perform a clean install of Windows 10

To do this you’ll need to format your partition and download Windows 10 ISO. After you’ve installed Windows 10 you’ll be asked to activate it, but you can just choose to skip this step.

If, for some reason, you don’t know how to do this on your own, you can ask someone to help you, or hire someone to do it. Before doing this, please backup your important files.

How we test, review and rate?

We have worked for the past 6 months on building a new review system on how we produce content. Using it, we have subsequently redone most of our articles to provide actual hands-on expertise on the guides we made.

For more details you can read how we test, review, and rate at WindowsReport.

Solution 2 – Try to activate Windows 10 via Command Prompt

1. Press Windows then type cmd and select the Run as administrator option.
2. Now type the following command and press Enter to run it: slmgr /ipk W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX
3. Wait until the process is done, then type the following command and press Enter as well: slmgr /skms kms.xspace.in
4. Lastly, type this command and press Enter to activate Windows 10: slmgr /ato

Solution 3 – Check Microsoft server information

When activating your Windows 10 remember that you need to have valid version of Windows 8, 8.1 or Windows 7. If the problem persists there might be a problem with Microsoft’s servers, so you’ll need to be patient and try to activate it a bit later.

• RELATED: How to Activate Windows 10 if you Replace your Motherboard

Solution 4 – Check your Internet connection

If your Internet connection is not stable enough, you may experience various Windows 10 install problems, including error 0xc004e016. If you use a wireless connection, switch to a cable connecting while activating Windows 10.

If this is not possible, try to disconnect any unnecessary devices that are connected to your Wi-Fi network in order to reduce bandwidth consumption.

Solution 5 – Clean boot your computer

In rare cases, third-party apps and software may interfere with your Windows installation service. To eliminate this risk, you can clean boot your computer so that it boots up using only a minimum set of drivers and programs. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Go to Start > type msconfig > hit Enter
2. Go to System Configuration > Services > check the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ check box > Disable all.
3. Go to the Startup tab > Open Task Manager.
4. Select each startup item > click Disable.
5. Restart your computer and try to activate Windows 10 again.

Solution 6 – Run the slui.exe 3 command

1. Open a new Run window by pressing the Windows key + R key
2. Type slui.exe 3 > hit Enter
3. Enter your product key and check if this solved the issue
4. If error 0xc004e016 keeps appearing, open a new Run window again
5. This time, type slui.exe 4 > hit Enter and follow the on-screen instructions.

Solution 7 – Additional troubleshooting methods

If the issue persists, here are some other quick potential solutions to fix it:

• Unplug unnecessary peripherals
• Disable your antivirus, firewall or VPN
• Run the Windows Update troubleshooter

We hope that these answers have helped you to fix error code 0xc004e016 on Windows 10, but if none of these answers work for you, maybe it’s best to contact Microsoft and to see what’s causing this issue.

If you have any other Windows 10-related issues you can check for the solution in our Windows 10 Fix section.