Error 0x80070005 when you log on to computer - Windows Server (2024)

This article helps fix the 0x80070005 error that occurs when you log on to a computer.

Original KB number: 2704233

Symptoms

When you log on to a computer that is running Windows, you receive the following Windows Activation message:

Windows is not genuine
Your computer might be running a counterfeit copy of Windows.

Additionally, the desktop background is black, and you receive the following error message in the lower-right corner of the screen:

The copy of Windows in not genuine

When you view the System properties in Control Panel, the following information is displayed:

You must activate today. Activate Windows now.

See Also

Get help with Windows activation errorsHow to Get Windows 10 for Free (or Under $30)Queries about genuine Windows - Microsoft Q&AHow to Activate Windows 10 for Free Permanently in 2024

If you use the slmgr.vbs /dlv script to view the licensing status, you receive the following message:

Error: 0x80070005 Access denied: the requested action requires elevated privileges

Resolution

To resolve this problem, use the following methods, depending on your scenario.

Scenario 1: Lack of permissions

The network service account has to have full control and read permissions in the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Profilelist\S-1-5-20

The permissions may have been removed when a Plug and Play Group Policy Object (GPO) was applied.

To resolve the problem in this scenario, use method A or method B.

Method 1: Edit the permissions of the Group Policy

1. Determine the source of the policy. To do this, follow these steps:

   1. On the computer that is experiencing the Activation error message, run the Resultant Set of Policy wizard. To do this, click Start, type rsop.msc in the Search box, and then press Enter.

   2. In the navigation pane, expand the following containers: See image

      

      • Computer Configuration
      • Windows Settings
      • Security Settings

   3. In the navigation pane, click System Services.

   4. If the Plug and Play service is configured through a Group Policy setting, you see the GPO listed here with settings other than Not Defined. Additionally, you can see which GPO is applying this setting.

2. Open the GPO that is identified in step 1, and then open the corresponding Group Policy setting.

3. Click Edit Security, and then click Advanced.

4. In the Advanced Security Settings for Plug and Play window, click Add, and then add the SERVICE account.

5. Click OK.

6. Select the following permissions in the Allow section, and then click OK:

   • Query template
   • Query status
   • Enumerate dependents
   • Interrogate
   • User-defined control
   • Read permissions

   Note

   These are the minimum required permissions.

7. Run gpupdate /force after you apply the previous permissions to the Group Policy setting. To do this, click Start, type gpupdate /force in the Search box, and then press Enter.

   See Also

   How to Find Your Product Key on Windows 10 and Earlier

8. Make sure that the appropriate permissions are applied. To do this, click Start, type sc sdshow plugplay in the Search box, and then click OK.

The following are the permissions that are applied to the Plug and Play service in the security descriptor definition language (SDDL):

D:(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;SY)
(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)
(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;IU)
(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;SU)
S:(AU;FA;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;WD)

(A;;CC LC SW LO CR RC ;;;SU is an Access Control Entry (ACE) that allows the following rights to SU (SDDL_SERVICE - Service logon user):

A: Access Allowed
CC: Create Child
LC: List Children
SW: Self Write
LO: List Object
CR: Control Access
RC: Read Control
SU: Service Logon User

If there are no GPOs in place, the default registry permissions have been changed. To work around this problem, follow these steps:

1. Start Registry Editor on the computer that is receiving the error message. To do this, click Start, type regedit in the Search box, and then press Enter.

2. Right-click the registry key HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-20, and then click Permissions.

   

3. If the NETWORK SERVICE isn't present, click Add.

   

4. In Enter the object names to select area, type network service, click Check Names, and then click OK.

   

5. Click NETWORK SERVICE, and then select the Full Control and Read permissions.

   

6. Click OK.

7. Restart the computer.

8. After you restart the computer, you may have to activate the copy of Windows. Complete the activation.

Method 2: Disable the Plug and Play GPO

To disable the Plug and Play GPO, follow these steps:

1. Determine the source of the policy. To do this, follow these steps:

   1. On the computer that is experiencing the Activation error message, run the Resultant Set of Policy wizard. To do this, click Start, type rsop.msc in the Search box, and then press Enter.
   2. In the navigation pane, expand the following containers:
      • Computer Configuration
      • Windows Settings
      • Security Settings
   3. In the navigation pane, click System Services.
   4. If the Plug and Play service is configured through a Group Policy setting, you see the GPO listed here with settings other than Not Defined. Additionally, you can see which Group Policy is applying this setting.

2. Disable the Group Policy settings and force the Group Policy to be reapplied. To do this, follow these steps:

3. Edit the Group Policy that is identified in Step 1 and change the setting to Not Defined. Or, follow the steps in Method 1 to add the required permissions for the Network Service account.

4. Reapply the Group Policy setting. To do this, click Start, type gpupdate /force in the Search box, and then press Enter.

Scenario 2: Missing registry entries

One or more of the following registry subkeys is missing:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Profilelist\S-1-5-18

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Profilelist\S-1-5-19

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Profilelist\S-1-5-20

To resolve this problem in this scenario, follow these steps:

1. Copy the text below into a text editor such as Notepad, and then save the text file as Profilelist.reg.

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-5-18]
   "Flags"=dword:0000000c
   "State"=dword:00000000
   "RefCount"=dword:00000001
   "Sid"=hex:01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00
   "ProfileImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,\
   00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,\
   5c,00,63,00,6f,00,6e,00,66,00,69,00,67,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,\
   00,6d,00,70,00,72,00,6f,00,66,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,00,00
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-5-19]
   "ProfileImagePath"=hex(2):43,00,3a,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,\
   00,73,00,5c,00,53,00,65,00,72,00,76,00,69,00,63,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,\
   66,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,5c,00,4c,00,6f,00,63,00,61,00,6c,00,53,00,65,\
   00,72,00,76,00,69,00,63,00,65,00,00,00
   "Flags"=dword:00000000
   "State"=dword:00000000
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-1-5-20]
   "ProfileImagePath"=hex(2):43,00,3a,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,\
   00,73,00,5c,00,53,00,65,00,72,00,76,00,69,00,63,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,\
   66,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,5c,00,4e,00,65,00,74,00,77,00,6f,00,72,00,6b,\
   00,53,00,65,00,72,00,76,00,69,00,63,00,65,00,00,00
   "Flags"=dword:00000000
   "State"=dword:00000000

2. Merge profilelist.reg. To do this, right-click the file that you saved in step 1, and then click Merge.

3. Restart the computer.

4. Activate Windows.

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you're finished with this section. If the problem isn't fixed, you can contact support.

Advanced information

Because the Licensing service uses Plug and Play to obtain hardware ID information and binds the license to the computer, this setting can result in an activated system appearing to be out of tolerance. The default permissions of the Plug and Play policy don't grant the Licensing service the appropriate rights to access the Plug and Play service. The Licensing service runs under the Network Service account.

Data collection

If you need assistance from Microsoft support, we recommend you collect the information by following the steps mentioned in Gather information by using TSS for deployment-related issues.