Windows Vista - Activation Error: Code 0x8007232b DNS Name does not exist

We are working with Windows Vista Enterprise x64 for our training lab systems.

Right now, we are creating, modifying, and deploying Windows Vista WIM images via network share to get comfortable with the process.

One of the lab systems is in its final resting place, so we went to activate the OS.

This is what we received when we tried:

Windows Activation Error

A problem occurred when Windows tried to activate. Error Code 0x8007232B ... DNS name does not exist.

The error itself is quite cryptic.

Given the mention of DNS, the next step was to watch in ISA to see if indeed there was some sort of blockage happening there. But, we saw absolutely nothing hit ISA when we tried to activate Windows.

So, the next step was to confirm that the ISA Client Firewall was installed and configured correctly which it was. IE showed the correct settings and could browse the Internet with no issues.

After exploring all of the possible physical connection properties we could, we tried a Live Search: Vista 0x8007232b dns name does not exist.

The answer was in the very first hit, a Microsoft Knowledge Base article: KB938107: Error message when you try to activate Windows Vista: "Activation Error: Code 0x8007232b DNS Name does not exist"

As soon as we saw the contents of the KB article, it hit us ... we had setup the WIM image without activating the OS and we were working with Vista Enterprise. There was no MAK entered during the initial setup of the OS we took the image from!

Heh ... one of those silly "Duh" moments. ;)

We clicked the "Change Product Key" link, entered our MAK, clicked on the Activate link, and voila:

Activation was successful

A very valuable lesson ...

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

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