Troubleshooting Microsoft Office KMS Activation from the Client Computer

Troubleshooting Microsoft Office KMS Activation from the Client Computer

Troubleshooting Microsoft Office KMS Activation from the Client Computer

Troubleshooting Microsoft Office KMS Activation from the Client Computer

This document explains how to troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Volume Activation for Microsoft Office 2010.

Checking Microsoft Office 2010 Activation Status

  • Launch Microsoft Word 2010.
  • Click to the File tab. Click Help.
  • Office is activated
  • Office is not activated

Determining Which Activation Method Office is Using – KMS or MAK

  • Click the start menu and enter cmd /k cscript “%programfiles%\Microsoft Office\Office14\ospp.vbs” /dstatus in the search box.
  • If running 32 bit Office 2010 on 64 bit Windows, %programfiles% above should be replaced with %programfiles(x86)%.
  • A command prompt pop up window will appear and display the activation information for Office.
  • The License Name will contain “KMS_Client edition” when using KMS activation.
  • The License Name will contain “MAK edition” when using MAK activation.

Changing the Activation Method for Microsoft Office 2010

Checking if a DNS Domain is Configured for KMS Auto-Discovery

 

To check if a DNS domain is configured for KMS auto-discovery, check that a SRV record exists.

nslookup -type=srv _vlmcs._tcp.<dept>.wisc.edu

If a SRV record exists for the domain, the DNS server will detail the SRV record.

 

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]

Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>nslookup -type=srv _vlmcs._tcp

Server: specialdc02.special.net

Address: 196.222.51.10

_vlmcs._tcp.special.net SRV service location:

priority = 0

weight = 0

port = 1688

svr hostname = kmsserver02.special.net

_vlmcs._tcp.special.net SRV service location:

priority = 0

weight = 0

port = 1688

svr hostname = kmsserver01.special.net

kmsserver02.special.net internet address = 196.222.51.34

kmsserver03.special.net  internet address = 196.222.51.37

 

If no SRV record exists for the domain, the DNS server will return an error

C:\>nslookup -type=srv _vlmcs._tcp

Server: specialdc02.special.net

Address: 196.222.51.10

*** specialdc02.special.net can’t find _vlmcs._tcp.special.net : Non-existent domain

 

Verifying that a Windows Computer can Communicate with the KMS Activation Server

 

From the command window, ping the following servers:

i.e. ping kmsserver01.special.net (or) ping 196.222.51.3

kmsserver02.special.net internet address = 196.222.51.34

kmsserver03.special.net  internet address = 196.222.51.37

 

Verifying that you are on a network that can access the KMS server

Verifying that outbound TCP port 1688 is open to the KMS server

          1. Download and install the utility portqry.exe from Microsoft. It is a command line utility from Microsoft that reports the port status of a remote host.
  • From a command prompt, run the command:

portqry.exe -n kmsserver01.special.net -p tcp -e 1688

The command will return “TCP port 1688 (unknown service): LISTENING” if the computer is able to communicate with the KMS server.

If the command returns “TCP port 1688 (unknown service): FILTERED” then the computer is unable to communicate with the KMS server. Contact your departmental IT support for assistance.

 

Manually Specifying the KMS Activation Server

  • Launch a command window with elevated privileges.
  • Type cmd in the search bar to locate the command window.
  • Right click on cmd and click Run as administrator from the context menu, or select cmd and hit CTRL-SHIFT-ENTER on the keyboard.
  • Click Yes at the User Account Control prompt to open the command window with elevated privileges.
  • At the command prompt, type cd\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office14.
  • If running 32 bit Office 2010 on 64 bit Windows, Program Files above should be replaced with Program Files (x86).
              1. Run the command cscript ospp.vbs /sethst:kmsserver01.special.net to manually specify the KMS activation server.
  • Run the command cscript ospp.vbs /act to activate Office with the KMS server.

 

Comments are closed.