Problem: The following Windows product activation error message is displayed after a master computer has had Sysprep run three times.

Error 0x80040605 Re-arming

Sysprep is limited to being run three times on an installed operating system. You cannot run Sysprep a fourth time.

Note   This limitation does not affect Microsoft Volume Licensing media.

Possible Solution 1: Never run Sysprep on the master image; instead, capture an image of the computer prior to running Sysprep. When the image requires updating, restore the master image, make any required changes, and then recapture the image prior to running Sysprep.

Possible Solution 2: When running Sysprep, use the –activated option to avoid resetting activations. For more information, see the Microsoft Support article ‘Error 0x80040605 Re-arming’ Error Message When You Try to Run Riprep.exe or Sysprep.exe on Windows XP.

Related Topics

Sysprep