Windows – I have IPv6. Why does the connection to the Windows Store fail

ipv6windows 8windows-store

I recently installed Windows 8, and I am unable to access the Store.

I receive the error:

We weren't able to connect to the Store. This might have happened because of a server problem or the network connection timed out. Please wait a few minutes and try again.

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If I completely disable IPv6 on this computer, then I am able to access the Store normally.

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How do I recover from this error?

There are no network proxies in use (it's at home!). "Use a proxy server" is not checked in the Internet settings. Other network connections work fine. I can browse the Internet from this PC with no issues and have no trouble accessing IPv6 web sites such as Google and Facebook. And the system time is in sync with "time.windows.com".

After a lengthy session with Sysinternals TCPView, I am observing the following behavior when opening Windows Store:

When I first open it, the system opens an HTTPS connection to 157.55.145.242 port 443. This connection transfers some data and gets closed almost immediately. This appears to be a Microsoft IP address.
Then, two connections are opened: an HTTPS connection to 23.12.49.138 port 443 and an HTTP connection to 2400:cb00:2048:1::adf5:3daf port 80. Neither of these two connections transfer more than a token amount of data, and remain open so long as the Store timeout screen (seen above) is up. I expected the Akamai IP address, since Microsoft is well known to use Akamai CDN, but I wasn't expecting to see a CloudFlare address! Both connections close as soon as I hit Alt+F4 to close Store.

Oh, and for those of you who didn't read it the first time, yes, the Internet works on this computer, on both IPv4 and IPv6. This occurs immediately after installation, before any anti-virus software has been configured. And Store is listed as an Allowed app in Windows Firewall, on both private and public networks.

This appears to be IPv6-related, since when I connect via IPv4 only, I can access the Store with no trouble.

Best Answer

Try if your store is working after EACH of the fixes below, until it's working

Make sure internet is working (duh)

Check if you can connect to websites. If you can't, try the following:

Press win + R and type inetcpl.cpl.
In the window that appears, click on LAN settings.
Check "Use Proxy Server for your LAN" is unchecked like this:

Proxy settings

Check your date and time

Again, win + R and then type RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL timedate.cpl

Internet time -> Change settings -> Update now

Update now position

Windows Services

win + R -> msconfig

Click on Diagnostic Start Up then reboot.

Use your Local Account or another Account

Try registering for a new one if you have just one.

Last resort: refresh

win + C -> Change PC settings -> General -> Refresh your PC

Refresh windows 8

Source

Related Solutions

Windows – Why does Windows 7 try to resolve DNS against IPv6 DNS Servers

Your computer has tried to create a Teredo connection. Teredo is one of several IPv6 transition technologies, all of which have various drawbacks. Teredo's is that it just doesn't work in a variety of scenarios for which it was explicitly designed, such as being behind an IPv4 NAT device.

Thus, since Teredo is enabled, your computer thinks it has IPv6 connectivity, when that connectivity is actually broken. (The network status icon uses a completely different check for connectivity that is more accurate.)

To resolve the issue, disable Teredo (and while you're at it, the other two problematic ones, 6to4 and ISATAP). Right-click on Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator, then run the following:

netsh int ipv6 isatap set state disabled
netsh int ipv6 6to4 set state disabled
netsh int teredo set state disabled

Then restart your computer.

Networking – Why does the “Internet of Things” enforce the need for IPv6 addresses

The Internet of Things does not absolutely mandate IPv6, but for IoT to be useful or usable IPv6 is very much preferred.

IPv4, due to the limited number of addresses available means that not every device can have a public IP. For a cluster of devices to share an Internet connection then they have to share the IP via NAT technologies. If the devices want to host servers then they have to punch a hole through the device hosting an Internet connection using port forwarding or UPNP or related technologies. This can get complicated, especially if multiple devices want the same port for their servers. An alternative method is to have a central management server that both the home and remote devices dial in to in order to exchange data.

IPv6 does away with the need for NAT, port forwarding and the lot and allows every device to have its own public IP and associated ports. It removes complicated port forwarding rules and methods for punching holes in firewalls. It removes all the network co-existance problems that plague current devices. You can connect to devices without needing to configure firewalls or set up accounts on third party services that allow you to connect to your device.

Quite simply it allows the Internet to function in the way it used to before we realised we didn't have enough addresses to let every machine have its own public IP address.

To give a slightly more visual idea of how IPv6 and IPv4 allow the IoT to work imagine you have a fully automated home, with every device hosting a server where you can turn it on.

With IPv4 your network is complicated to set up (you will spend an age on your router setting up each individual port forward rule) and the best you get is a list of port numbers you have to write down in a text file:

myhomenetwork.com:80 (this is my router)
myhomenetwork.com:81 (this is my computer)
myhomenetwork.com:82 (this is my coffee machine)
myhomenetwork.com:83 (is this my TiVo?)
myhomenetwork.com:84 (could be a lightbulb, not sure)
myhomenetwork.com:85 (fish tank heater?)

It also means that unless you take the time to set up multiple ports for each device then they only have one port available and so can probably only present a webpage to the internet. For devices that want to show a http (web) server or ftp or SSH server this can get painful and annoying pretty quickly as you'll spend time opening up more ports and writing down what port you gave to what device.

IPv6 due to having publicly available IP addresses for every device means your network configuration time drops immediately and you can get a more sensibly named network and each device can easily host whatever services it likes:

myrouter.myhomenetwork.com
mycomputer.myhomenetwork.com
mytoaster.myhomenetwork.com:80 (http server, webpage showing a push-to-toast button)
mytoaster.myhomenetwork.com:21 (ftp server, so you can upload perfect toast settings)
mytoaster.myhomenetwork.com:22 (SSH server, for securely talking to your toaster)
myfrontroomlightbulb.myhomenetwork.com

And so on.

The IoT can work on IPv4 and be just fine, but IPv6 can make it work right.