[KB6996] Resolve ACT or ECP errors during activation (business users)

Issue

Solution

 Home users |  Android users

Troubleshooting activation errors

If an ESET product fails to activate, an ACT error is displayed. To resolve this issue:

  1. Remove any previously installed antivirus software using the vendor's approved method.

  2. Verify you have an active internet connection. Your computer must have an active internet connection for your ESET product to activate and download updates.

  3. Click Start and type Command Prompt. 

  4. Right-click the Command Prompt icon and select Run as administrator.

  5. Type netsh winsock reset and press Enter. Restart your computer and attempt to activate your ESET product again.

Figure 1-1

  1. Errors can occur when the system time on your machine is set incorrectly. Set your system clock properly to resolve this error.

  2. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc and determine if the hosts file contains any DNS-poisoned entries related to the "edf.eset.com" domain.

    If any DNS-poisoned entries are found, use a text editor (for example, Notepad or Notepad++) to remove all entries from the hosts file. This action requires Windows administration privileges.

Figure 1-2

See the complete Activation overview diagram for more information and context about activation issues, or try checking Activation error codes and messages in the table below. Need further assistance? Contact ESET Technical Support.

Activation error codes and messages

Error code Issue Description and Troubleshooting
ACT.0 If you receive this activation error with your ESET business product, contact ESET Technical Support.
ACT.1
 Activation was successful but something went wrong. Determine if you have the latest version of your ESET product.
ACT.15 If you cannot activate your product with a License Key, manually deactivate the seat in the ESET PROTECT Web Console, ESET PROTECT Hub or ESET Business Account and activate your product with a License Key again.
ACT.17

Activation Failed - Canceled license

  • If you have renewed/enlarged/upgraded your product recently, verify that you are using the most recent License Key supplied by ESET to activate it. The previous credentials could have changed.
  • Your license credentials could have been reset to avoid overuse due to leaking practices. Check the email account registered during purchase and look for any communication on behalf of ESET regarding this scenario. You can recover a new License Key through the Lost ESET Subscription form.
ACT.18
 It is required to verify the activation with the parent (previous) license, which is already non-renewable or expired.
ACT.20
 This license is not valid in the selected country. Your license must be activated in the country where it was purchased. Contact your local ESET partner to update your license and help you activate your ESET product.
ACT.21
This error typically occurs after upgrading your ESET product. To resolve this error, restart your computer and attempt to activate your product again.
ACT.23
 Activation failed, no usable unit distributions found. Your ESET PROTECT Hub or ESET Business Account does not contain any unit distributions suitable for activating this product. 
ACT.24

Your ESET product is having trouble connecting to the ESET GEO IP server.

Verify that your network has rules allowing access to the ESET GEO IP servers.
ACT.25 You may receive the ACT.25 error if you used your license previously with an ESET Beta product. To resolve this issue, contact ESET Technical Support.
ACT.32
ACT.34

Activation failed - An error occurred during activation

Your License Key is not valid in the country you selected during installation. Select the proper country or contact your license distributor.
ACT.39

Your license is overused. Possible solutions are:

To identify and report a pirated ESET license, visit our Knowledgebase article for instructions.

When the license is no longer overused, attempt to activate your product again.
ACT.4 This error may be caused by a failed upgrade or corrupted installation. Uninstall other antivirus/security software installed on your system in conflict with your ESET product.
ACT.46

Your license is expired and must be renewed.

If you are receiving this error when your ESET product is new and you have not already activated it, contact ESET Technical Support.
ACT.5

Activation failed/Invalid License Key

Type or copy/paste the License Key into your ESET product as it is written.

If you receive the error message "Activation failed", then the Activation Key you are using has already been activated or you entered an incorrect License Key. When the key was activated, an email was sent out to the registered email containing an ESET-issued Username, Password, and License Key.

Depending on the version of your product, you will need to enter one or more of these credentials into your ESET product to activate it.
ACT.6 Your license is expired and non-renewable, the product has to be activated using a different license. This error typically occurs when you try to activate a product using an expired trial license.
ACT.7

Activation failed

Verify you downloaded the correct ESET product for the license you purchased. To download a different product, visit the download page.
ACT.8

Entered invalid username/password for access to ESET My licenses.

If you are a license owner and cannot log in, contact ESET Technical Support.
ECP.4097

Undefined error

This error can occur when the system time on your machine is set incorrectly. Set your system clock properly to resolve this error.

If you are still unable to resolve your issue, contact ESET Technical Support.
ECP.4098

Your ESET product is having trouble connecting with ESET servers.

Verify your computer has an active internet connection by going to www.eset.com.

If you are still unable to resolve your issue, contact ESET Technical Support.
ECP.4099

We could not reach the activation server

This is a known issue with Windows operating systems that prevents activating your ESET product in some circumstances.

ESET Endpoint Antivirus/Security users (and all Windows XP users)

If you still cannot activate your ESET product, contact ESET Technical Support. We recommend including ESET Log Collector output when submitting a support request.
ECP.4100

Internal error

If you are still unable to resolve your issue, contact ESET Technical Support.
ECP.4115

Invalid credentials

You are trying to activate an ESET security product with ESET PROTECT Hub or ESET Business Account Security Admin login credentials, however, the username or password is wrong.
ECP.4116

This license is not valid in the selected country. Your license needs to be activated in the country where it was purchased

Alternatively, contact your local ESET partner to update your license and help to activate your ESET product:

Activation server or internet connection issues

Error code Issue Description and Troubleshooting
ECP.20002

We could not reach the activation server

This error is commonly caused by the following reasons:

  • Your computer is not properly connected to your network and your internet connection is not active.
  • A conflict with third-party security software, such as Lavasoft Web Companion. To resolve the error, uninstall Lavasoft Web Companion and run a winsock reset.

Check if you have an active internet connection

Your ESET product is having trouble connecting with ESET servers. Verify that your computer has an active internet connection by going to https://www.eset.com.

Remove Lavasoft Web Companion

NOTE: In the Add/Remove programs window, Lavasoft may be displayed as "Web Companion" only.

With Lavasoft removed, follow the steps below:

  1. Open an administrative Command Prompt. Right-click the Command Prompt icon and select Run as administrator

  2. Type the command netsh winsock reset and press Enter.

  3. Restart your computer.

  4. Delete the following files:

    C:\Windows\system32\LavasoftTcpService64.dll

    C:\Windows\system32\SysWOW64\LavasosftTCPService.dll (64-bit systems only)

In normal circumstances, you should be able to activate your ESET product. If not, that means your computer has a network/DNS/Internet issue or third-party security software leftovers in your computer block attempts to perform the activation. If you are still unable to resolve your issue, contact ESET Technical Support.
ECP.20006

Connection to the activation servers has been blocked/interrupted. Check for a firewall presence on your network. To resolve this issue, contact ESET Technical Support. 
ECP.20016 Proxy server settings have an invalid username and password to connect to the proxy.
ECP.20031 Certificate validation fails.

Refer to Certificate validation fails when installing my ESET product.
ECP.20032 The ESET servers are busy. Wait the specified amount of time provided in the error message and then try to activate again. If you are still unable to resolve your issue, contact ESET Technical Support.

Earlier ESET products

Error code Issue Description and Troubleshooting
Error 0008

Product activation fails

You may need to re-enter your ESET username and password or clear the update cache.
Error 0015

Activation Error

If you receive the messages "Activation failed" and "The activation key you entered has already expired" when attempting to activate your ESET product purchased from Staples, contact ESET Technical Support. Include your Activation key and the proof of purchase number from your Staples receipt in your email if available.
Error 0097

Activation key is used for a different product

Verify you downloaded the correct ESET product for the license you purchased. To download a different product, visit the Download Page.

If you are still unable to resolve your issue, contact ESET Technical Support.

 

Last Updated: Mar 5, 2025

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