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Error 8007274d usually means the Configuration Manager task sequence was refused when it tried to open a TCP connection to a site system—most often a management point (MP) or distribution point (DP). Windows 10 Enterprise 21H2 is usually incidental, not the cause. Identify the phase that failed, the server and port in smsts.log, and then test DNS, TCP access, protocol, certificates, boundaries, and client registration.

What error 8007274d means

Microsoft describes this code in an OSD context as “No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.” In logs it may appear as:

socket 'connect' failed; 8007274d
Failed to connect to Management Point :80
Failed to connect to Management Point :443

The code describes the failed socket connection, not the root cause. A stopped service, wrong MP or DP name, closed or incorrect port, firewall or load-balancer rule, proxy path, or HTTP/HTTPS mismatch can all produce it. It is not, by itself, evidence of a corrupt 21H2 WIM, authentication failure, or missing application package. A related 0x87D00269 generally means the required management point was not found; a final 0x80004005 may only be the task-sequence wrapper around the earlier network error. See Microsoft’s [OSD guidance](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1039160/osd-task-sequence-unable-to-domain-join) and [MP connection example](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/199083/error-0x87d00269-when-installing-application).

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First determine where the sequence fails

WinPE

If it fails before Windows is installed or before the first reboot, suspect a missing NIC driver, DHCP/VLAN restrictions, an unsupported USB-C dock, unavailable DNS, or an MP/DP that is unreachable from the deployment network. A driver in the installed image does not put that driver in WinPE.

After the first reboot

WinPE has been replaced by Windows, so the full OS needs its own network driver and may apply a different firewall profile. Check client installation, MP discovery, certificate trust, and whether the task sequence supplied the correct site and MP properties.

During Install Applications or another client step

The client may not have registered, may have the wrong site or MP, may be in the wrong boundary group, or may reach the MP on one protocol while attempting another. The MP supplies policy and content locations; the DP supplies content, so test them separately.

Fast checks on the affected device

Enable command support in the boot image and press F8 in WinPE. Run:

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ipconfig /all
nslookup <management-point-fqdn>
nslookup <distribution-point-fqdn>
ping <management-point-fqdn>

Confirm an IPv4 address, mask, gateway, DNS servers, and the expected adapter. If networking did not initialize, try:

wpeutil InitializeNetwork
ipconfig /all

Ping is only a clue because ICMP can be blocked. If PowerShell is present in your boot image, test the actual ports:

Test-NetConnection <management-point-fqdn> -Port 80
Test-NetConnection <management-point-fqdn> -Port 443
Test-NetConnection <distribution-point-fqdn> -Port 80
Test-NetConnection <distribution-point-fqdn> -Port 443

Do not assume both 80 and 443 should be open. Use the ports configured for your site systems. If Test-NetConnection is unavailable in WinPE, test from a Windows client on the same VLAN or obtain firewall evidence.

Read the right logs

Start with smsts.log, using the path appropriate to the phase and client version:

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  • X:WindowsTempSMSTSLogsmsts.log in early WinPE
  • C:_SMSTaskSequenceLogsSmstslogsmsts.log after formatting or on the destination drive
  • C:WindowsCCMLogsSMSTSLogsmsts.log in full Windows

Verify paths against Microsoft’s [task-sequence log documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/intune/configmgr/osd/understand/log-files). Search for 8007274d, socket 'connect' failed, Failed to connect to Management Point, Failed to connect to Distribution Point, Current Management Point, :80, :443, certificate, and WinHttp. The first refused connection and the FQDN/port beside it are more useful than the final generic task-sequence error.

In full Windows correlate LocationServices.log, ClientLocation.log, and CcmExec.log. Determine which MP the client selected, whether it is assigned to the expected site, whether it considers itself intranet or internet, and whether it is attempting HTTP, HTTPS, or Enhanced HTTP.

Check drivers and hardware differences

  1. Compare one working and one failing model, including NIC, dock, firmware, MAC address, VLAN, and switch port.
  2. Verify the adapter appears in ipconfig /all during WinPE.
  3. Add the correct architecture-specific NIC driver to the boot image, update it, and redistribute it.
  4. Ensure the full Windows image or driver package contains the same device’s Windows driver.
  5. Retest with direct wired Ethernet, bypassing a dock, VPN, or adapter.

Reimporting storage drivers will not fix a missing network driver. A few failing machines often indicate model, dock, NAC, VLAN, or firmware differences rather than an image-wide defect.

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Validate the management point and distribution point

From a functioning client on the same network, run:

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Resolve-DnsName <management-point-fqdn>
Test-NetConnection <management-point-fqdn> -Port 80
Test-NetConnection <management-point-fqdn> -Port 443

For the MP, verify IIS and the MP role are healthy, the configured binding and certificate match the FQDN, Windows Firewall permits the client port, and any load balancer listener has healthy backends. A successful ping does not prove TCP, IIS, TLS, or ConfigMgr registration.

For the DP, confirm the required package or application is distributed, the DP belongs to the client’s boundary group, its protocol and port are correct, and content-download authentication succeeds. A working DP does not prove the MP works, and vice versa. Configuration Manager’s [endpoint-communications guidance](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/intune/configmgr/core/plan-design/hierarchy/communications-between-endpoints) explains client-to-MP/DP traffic and firewall requirements.

Check boundary groups

  1. In the console open Administration → Hierarchy Configuration → Boundary Groups.
  2. Open the relevant group and confirm the device’s subnet, IP range, AD site, or VPN boundary is included.
  3. On References, verify site assignment and the intended MP and DP.
  4. Review Relationships for fallback behavior.

You can add the Boundary Group(s) column to the Devices view, but its value updates after a location request and can take up to 24 hours; it is not a live connectivity test. See Microsoft’s [boundary-group procedures](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/intune/configmgr/core/servers/deploy/configure/boundary-group-procedures).

HTTPS, certificates, and Enhanced HTTP

If HTTPS fails while HTTP works, validate the certificate chain, expiration, subject/SAN matching the MP FQDN, trust in both WinPE and full Windows, and availability of a client certificate where PKI authentication is required. Check TLS inspection, proxy, and load-balancer behavior as well as MP and DP protocol consistency. A site change from HTTP to HTTPS while DPs remain HTTP can expose an inconsistent configuration.

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Beginning with Configuration Manager 2103, allowing HTTP client communication is deprecated; Microsoft recommends HTTPS or Enhanced HTTP. Do not use CCMHTTPSSTATE, CCMHTTPSTATE, DNSSUFFIX, or registry edits as universal fixes. Microsoft’s Q&A discussion specifically warns that directly setting HTTP-state properties is unsupported. Correct the site, certificate, boot-image trust, and client-install configuration instead.

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Fixes by symptom

Observed symptom Likely cause Next action
No IP in WinPE NIC driver, DHCP, VLAN, dock Add the WinPE driver; verify DHCP/switch authorization; test direct Ethernet.
IP exists, MP name fails in DNS DNS, suffix, isolated VLAN, wrong FQDN Correct DNS and the supported MP-location configuration.
DNS works, TCP is refused Service, listener, firewall, wrong port, load balancer Check the configured port, IIS/binding, and firewall or load-balancer logs.
Only HTTPS fails Certificate or TLS/protocol mismatch Validate SAN, trust chain, client certificate, and site-system mode.
MP works, content fails DP boundary, distribution, or DP protocol Verify content distribution, DP association, and DP logs.
Only some models fail NIC, dock, firmware, VLAN, NAC Compare a working device and update model-specific drivers.
Failure begins after reboot Full-OS driver, firewall, or client registration Check Windows drivers, client logs, MP assignment, and certificates.

When the 21H2 image is actually suspect

Do not replace the WIM simply because the title contains “21H2.” Rebuild or service the image only when image-specific setup or servicing errors reproduce on every device at the same image step, independent of MP/DP connectivity. A refusal that follows a particular reboot, model, VLAN, or site-system endpoint is infrastructure or phase-specific evidence.

What to give the network team

  • Device name, MAC address, model, and switch port
  • Failure timestamp with time zone
  • IP, subnet, gateway, and DNS values
  • MP and DP FQDNs and destination port
  • Relevant smsts.log lines plus client-log excerpts
  • Whether failure occurred in WinPE or full Windows
  • Firewall, proxy, NAC, and load-balancer results
  • A working-device comparison

The older Configuration Manager 2012 nondefault-port hotfix documented by Microsoft applies only to a specific legacy scenario; it is not a default fix for current-branch deployments. Likewise, the 2022 forum thread matching this wording records the symptom but does not establish a verified resolution.

The Bottom Line

Bottom line: Treat 8007274d as a refused connection, not a 21H2 image diagnosis. Find the failing phase and exact MP/DP FQDN and port in smsts.log, then prove each layer—NIC and IP, DNS, TCP, IIS/service, certificates, boundary-group location, and client registration—until the refusing endpoint is identified.

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