Microsoft has confirmed that this month’s Patch Tuesday security updates are causing Windows activation and licensing failures with 0x80041008 error codes. The issue affects organizations that automate Windows activation and licensing processes, along with users of the Software Licensing Management Tool, or SLMGR.
Affected devices can hit error 0x80041008, listed as Invalid parameter (SWbemObjectEx), when they run commands to activate Windows, configure Key Management Service, or manage product keys. Microsoft said devices being set up for KMS activation may see errors when they try to start activation.
What triggers the activation failures
The failures appear after the slmgr.vbs /skms-domain <domain> and slmgr.vbs /ipk <key> commands are run on client and server devices. The client systems named in the alert are Windows 10 21H2, Windows 10 22H2, and Windows 11 23H2. The server systems named are Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2025.
Microsoft said KMS-activated devices usually stay activated for up to 180 days after successful activation. Devices that already have the KMS client key in their image and do not use SLMGR for licensing management are unaffected. The company also said devices that are already activated remain activated, and customers who already have the right KMS client key and KMS configuration are not expected to be affected if they do not need to run the affected Slmgr.vbs commands.
Fix timing and support route
Microsoft said a fix will be available over the coming days. Organizations that need immediate mitigation were told to contact Microsoft Support for business. The alert was seen by BleepingComputer on Wednesday.
Other Windows issues this week
Microsoft also said in January that it had addressed another known issue that caused Windows license migration failures during upgrades because affected devices could not register with the Windows Activation server for digital licenses. This week, it confirmed that the November 2026 Windows 11 security updates fail to install on systems with the October 2026 preview update. It also said Windows updates released since the October Patch Tuesday are triggering SQL Server performance and stability issues.
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