Fresh Windows 11 Enterprise Evaluation 26H2 installation immediately reports 0xC004F009

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Thank you for taking the time to provide such detailed information, including the slmgr.vbs /dlv output, VM configuration, shutdown behavior, and ISO checksum verification.

It is helpful to distinguish between the 90-day evaluation period and the activation state of the Evaluation installation.

1. What does 0xC004F009 mean?

Error 0xC004F009 means: The Software Protection Service reported that the grace period expired.

When this occurs, Windows can enter the Notification licensing state.

However, in your case, the unusual part is that this happened shortly after a clean installation. The error itself does not necessarily demonstrate that you have actually consumed 90 days of evaluation use.

2. Does Windows 11 Enterprise Evaluation require activation?

Microsoft describes Windows 11 Enterprise Evaluation as a 90-day evaluation. The Evaluation Center also states that Windows prompts you to activate after installation, while a product key is not required for the Evaluation software.

For this reason, I would not consider the Evaluation ISO to be an offline, preactivated 90-day installation. The post-installation activation state and the 90-day evaluation period should be considered separately.

This is particularly relevant in your environment because the VM was intentionally created without a network adapter and therefore has not had Internet connectivity.

3. Why is the VM shutting down approximately every hour?

The hourly shutdown behavior appears consistent with the licensing condition you reported.

Your slmgr.vbs /dlv output shows:

• Channel: TIMEBASED_EVAL
• License status: Notification
• Notification reason: 0xC004F009

Since the Hyper-V logs also show that the guest OS is initiating the shutdown, this points toward Windows licensing rather than Hyper-V itself unexpectedly stopping the VM.

4. Is offline activation supported for TIMEBASED_EVAL?

I would be particularly cautious here because there are different Windows activation mechanisms involved.

Microsoft provides supported volume-activation options for appropriately licensed Windows installations, including activation scenarios for computers that do not have direct Internet access. For example, Microsoft documents VAMT proxy activation for supported volume-licensed products in disconnected environments.

However, I could not find public official Microsoft documentation confirming that the Windows 11 Enterprise Evaluation TIMEBASED_EVAL SKU can use MAK, KMS, or VAMT proxy activation to initialize its 90-day evaluation period.

Therefore, I would not recommend changing the product key, attempting MAK/KMS activation, resetting or rearming the evaluation, changing the system clock, or modifying the Software Protection service as a workaround for this Evaluation image.

5. Is this a known Windows 11 Enterprise Evaluation 26H2 issue?

At this time, I could not find official Microsoft documentation confirming a general Windows 11 Enterprise Evaluation 26H2 issue in which a newly installed TIMEBASED_EVAL system immediately returns 0xC004F009.

For that reason, I would be cautious about calling this confirmed Windows 11 26H2 licensing bug.

What is unusual in your case is not the meaning of 0xC004F009 itself, but why a newly installed Evaluation image is already reporting that the grace period has expired.

The currently available documentation explains the error and the activation requirement, but I could not find documentation stating that this immediate transition is expected behavior for a fresh Windows 11 Enterprise Evaluation 26H2 installation.

6. What I would recommend next

Since you have already verified the ISO against Microsoft's published SHA256 value, I would avoid reinstalling the VM at this point.

Instead, as a troubleshooting test, I suggest:

• Create a Hyper-V checkpoint so that the current VM state is preserved.
• Temporarily add a virtual network adapter and provide Internet connectivity.
• Allow Windows an opportunity to complete its normal activation process.
• Check the licensing state again with: slmgr.vbs /dlv

If Windows then enters the normal Evaluation licensing state, that would indicate that connectivity was relevant to the initial activation condition.

However, if the system continues to report TIMEBASED_EVAL, Notification, and 0xC004F009 after Internet connectivity is available, I would recommend escalating the activation issue through Microsoft Support rather than attempting unsupported licensing workarounds.

7. For a permanently isolated Hyper-V environment

If this VM must remain permanently isolated or air gapped, I would not rely on the Evaluation ISO as a long-term solution unless Microsoft confirms a supported offline activation method for this particular Evaluation SKU.

A better approach for a long-term isolated test environment would be a properly licensed Windows edition covered by your organization's licensing agreement, together with an activation method that is supported for disconnected systems.

Microsoft's Volume Activation documentation discusses activation planning for environments with different connectivity requirements, including VAMT proxy activation for eligible volume-licensed products.

8. Conclusion

From the information you have provided, there is nothing that clearly points to your Hyper-V configuration, Secure Boot, virtual TPM, CPU, memory, or virtual disk as the cause.

The most significant difference in this configuration is that the fresh Evaluation installation has had no network connectivity to complete its normal post-installation activation.

Microsoft documents both the 90-day Windows 11 Enterprise Evaluation period and the fact that Windows prompts for activation after installation. However, I could not find official documentation confirming either:

• A freshly installed 26H2 Evaluation image is expected to immediately report 0xC004F009, or
• An offline activation procedure is available specifically for the TIMEBASED_EVAL Evaluation SKU.

For this reason, I recommend preserving the existing VM and temporarily enabling Internet connectivity as the next diagnostic step.

If 0xC004F009 still persists afterward, I recommend contacting Microsoft Support for further assistance. They can help investigate the licensing state while ensuring that any next steps remain within supported and license-compliant methods.

References:

Windows 11 Enterprise | Microsoft Evaluation Center

Volume activation for Windows | Microsoft Learn

Plan for volume activation | Microsoft Learn

Use the Volume Activation Management Tool | Microsoft Learn

Run proxy activation | Microsoft Learn

Activate Microsoft perpetual products using the Product Activation portal | Microsoft Support

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