Fix 'Windows Is Not Genuine' Error 0x80070005 in Windows 7 (Historical)

Historical support note: Windows 7 reached end of support on January 14, 2020. This article is retained for legacy systems.

A Windows 7 system affected by this issue may show a black desktop, a Windows is not genuine message, and activation error 0x80070005.

Microsoft documents a specific scenario in which slmgr.vbs /dlv also returns:

Access denied: the requested action requires elevated privileges

Even from an elevated Command Prompt, this can occur when permissions used by the licensing service have been altered or when a Plug and Play Group Policy setting blocks the required access.

1. Confirm the symptom

Open an elevated Command Prompt and run:

slmgr.vbs /dlv

If Windows shows licensing information normally, you may be dealing with a different activation problem. Do not apply registry or Group Policy fixes intended for 0x80070005 without confirming the symptom.

2. Check Plug and Play Group Policy

Microsoft’s documented procedure uses Resultant Set of Policy:

Press Windows key + R, type rsop.msc, and press Enter.
Browse to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > System Services.
Check whether Plug and Play is explicitly configured by a Group Policy Object.

If it is, the preferred fix is to correct that policy so the service account has the permissions Microsoft specifies, or return the setting to Not Defined when the policy was applied accidentally.

On a domain-managed PC, make this change in the controlling GPO rather than only on the local machine.

3. Missing licensing profile entries

Microsoft also documents a second scenario in which the built-in service profile registry entries for S-1-5-18, S-1-5-19, or S-1-5-20 are missing.

Do not use an unknown downloaded .reg file. Compare the system against Microsoft’s documented values or have an administrator repair the entries using the official article.

4. Activate again

After correcting the underlying permission or policy problem, restart Windows and complete activation using the legitimate product key or license assigned to the PC.