iTunes: Troubleshooting iTunes Store on your computer, iPhone, iPad, or iPod
I have had the pleasure =) of not being able to access the iTunes store on my home computer. It has almost come to blows with my computer. Seriously I want to put it into a chipper shredder. It all happened around halloween, we got hit with a piece of malware and the cat stepped on the switch to the computer power supply. I eventually removed the virus but it wreaked havoc on the internet proxy settings. I read a ridiculous amount of information and tried to fix the proxy settings. I updated explorer and mozilla and eventually internet connectivity came back to normal. iTunes however was a different story. I couldn't figure it out. I read some other posts that told me my firewall could be the issue. So I tried to figure that out. 2 hours later after going through windows defender and my norton settings, I don't know how many restarts nothing changed. No iTunes store. I waved the white flag and called Norton. Norton was very helpful, I asked to chat with a rep who after 15 min came online and tried to asssit me. He took control of my computer and removed Norton and tried the iTunes store. Nothing. He restarted.....nothing. He put Norton back on...no iTunes store. He said sorry it is not a Norton problem. This was 2 hours. He suggested it was an ISP issue and told me to contact Comcast. So I did....4 attempts of calling and being transfered and hung up on I finally got a fantastic rep in Ontario Cananda to help me. This guy should be on the Comcast commercial or at the very least thier training films. He was awesome, walking me through all of the steps to problem solve what was wrong. After 2 hours of help we were no closer and we got disconnected. That could have been my fault. So I took my knowledge of what happened so far and all of my research and trudged out on my own. First i used a second computer connected by a wire to the modemn. Itunes store connects. I unplugged the computer and no itunes store thruough wifi. Ah ha! ok so I reset the wireless router and crossed my fingers and nothing. I was defeated. Then I had a hunch and I uninstalled internet explorer. Using Mozzilla I downloaded and installed a new version of internet explorer. Then I uninstalled mozilla. I opened Internet exploere and i recieved an error message about my proxy settings. Internet explorer fixed them....somehow and iTunes Store is now available.
The moral of this story is that if you can not connect to the itunes store via wifi
- Reset your wireless router
- try again
- try connecting directly through your modem
- uninstall / re-install internet explorer / firefox
- try iTunes
Listed below are some other steps I tried. I can not say they did or did not help but I tried them so they are here.
To access the iTunes Store on your computer, you need iTunes and an Internet connection. For best results accessing the iTune Store on your computer, update to the latest version of iTunes. For best results accessing the iTunes Store on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, be sure your iOS is up to date. If you are having issues accessing the iTunes Store after updating to the latest version of iTunes and/or iOS, please see the steps below for troubleshooting tips.
- Make sure the issue is with the iTunes Store only.
- Open a secure website to test if you are online as is necessary for the iTunes Store. This also tests if the main ports 80 and 443 are accessible. If the website works but the iTunes Store does not, it is most likely a firewall blocking the iTunes software or servers. If this is the case, follow the steps in the "Blocked by software firewall" section below.
- Test using another device.
- If possible, another device, ideally on a different network, would help troubleshooting any iTunes Store issues most efficiently. If another device on another network has issues, the iTunes Store may be undergoing maintenance, and will be available soon.
- Test using another network.
- Taking your computer to another network and testing helps determine the next step. This is also helpful if multiple devices are affected.
- If the issue disappears while connected to another network, you may need to work with your support options to open access to:
- Note: iTunes may use the fully qualified version of these addresses for additional security.
- iTunes uses well known ports and these ports may need to be opened for iTunes: 80, 443, 3689, 5297, 5298, 5353, 8000-8999, and 42000-42999.
- It is critical that your date, time, and time zone be correct:
- On Windows:
- Click Start and then click Control Panel.
- Click "Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options" and then click Date and Time.
- Click the Date & Time tab.
- Make sure that the date and time settings are configured to use the current date and time and then click OK.
- On Mac OS X:
- From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
- In System Preferences, click Date & Time.
- Enable the option to "Set date and time automatically" if it is not.
- Click the Time Zone tab and adjust the time zone to match your current location.
- It is recommended you use iTunes from an administrator account. To become an administrator account:
- On Windows:
- Refer to the Help documentation from Microsoft, contact your IT department, or visit support.microsoft.com for more information.
- You can also check using iTunes Diagnostics if you are recognized as an administrator by iTunes.
- On Mac OS X:
- From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
- In System Preferences, click Accounts.
- You may need to unlock the lock in the bottom-left corner of the window to make changes. If you can unlock the lock, you are already an admin user.
- Under the account you are using, it may say "Standard." Enable the option to "Allow user to administer this computer" to make the user an admin account user.
- From the Apple () menu, choose Log Out.
- Log back in and return to using iTunes. Test to see if the issue is resolved.
After isolating the issue to iTunes by following the above steps:
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If the issue still occurs and iTunes displays an alert message with a specific code, please see the section below titled "Specific Conditions and Alert Messages" for additional troubleshooting steps.
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If the issue is still not resolved and there is no specific code or alert message, you can visit the iTunes Store Discussion Board to try to find additional information for help resolving your issue:
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You can also contact AppleCare to discuss your support options. Depending on your product's coverage status, you may need to pay for support.
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New routers or a new Internet Service Provider (ISP) may limit your ability to connect to iTunes Store. Let your router manufacturer or your ISP know about the ports and servers in this article and confirm that they are compatible.
If other Internet services work, or other devices on the same network can access iTunes Store, follow these steps:
On a Windows PC:
- From the Start menu, choose Control Panel.
- If the Control Panel is in Classic View, skip to step 4.
- On Windows 7 and Vista, click Security; on Windows XP, click Security Center.
- Click Windows Firewall.
- On Windows 7 and Vista, click Change Settings; if asked for permission by Windows, click Continue; make sure the "Block all incoming connections" option is not selected.
- Click the Exceptions tab.
- Check the iTunes box.
- Click OK.
If iTunes has an exception in Windows Firewall already, or Windows Firewall is off, see iTunes for Windows: Troubleshooting Windows security software.
If there's no firewall preventing access, but the iTunes Store still does not work while other Internet services (websites) work, the iTunes Store may be blocked by your configuration. Follow the steps below under "Blocked by configuration" to continue troubleshooting.
In Mac OS X:
- From the Apple () menu, choose System Preferences.
- In Mac OS X v10.5 and v10.6, click Security, in Mac OS X v10.4 click Sharing.
- Click the Firewall tab.
- If necessary, click the lock to make changes and enter your admin password.
- Reduce the restrictions on access in the firewall.
- Test the issue.
- If the issue persists, repeat steps 5 and 6.
If there's no firewall preventing access, but the iTunes Store still does not work while other Internet services (websites) work, the iTunes Store may be blocked by your configuration. Follow the steps below to continue troubleshooting.
- Configure Internet Options (for Windows computers only):
- Run iTunes Diagnostics. If the "Secure link to iTunes Store" section does not pass, do the following.
- Open Internet Explorer.
- From the Tools menu, choose Internet Options.
- Click Connections.
- Under "Dial-up and Virtual Private Networking," choose "Never dial a connection." It may not be possible to choose this if you've never used dial-up Internet; if this is the case, skip to the next step.
- Click LAN Settings.
- In the window that opens, enable the option to "Automatically detect settings" if it is not enabled.
- iTunes uses Internet Options proxy settings. Apple recommends removing proxy settings that interfere with access to the iTunes Store if needed.
- Click OK.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Scroll down to the Security section and look for the option to "Check for server certificate revocation." If it is enabled, disable it.
- Look for Use SSL 3.0 and Use TLS 1.0. Make sure at least one of those two checkboxes is selected and click OK (You can select both checkboxes).
- Apply any changes, and restart your computer if you modified the option to "Check for server certificate revocation" (step #11).
- Rebuild network information.
On Windows:
Windows XP:
- From the Start menu, choose Run.
- In the Open field type cmd and click OK.
- In the resulting window, type ipconfig /flushdns and press Return on the keyboard.
- You should see a message that the DNS Resolver Cache has been successfully flushed.
Windows Vista and Windows 7:
- From the Start menu, choose All Programs > Accessories and then right-click Command Prompt and choose "Run as Administrator" from the shortcut menu. If Windows needs your permission to continue, click Continue.
- In the resulting window, type ipconfig /flushdns and press Return on the keyboard.
- You should see a message that the DNS Resolver Cache has been successfully flushed.
The "hosts" file may also be blocking the iTunes Store.
- Normally you can find your hosts file at C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC
- Select the hosts file. Then click the Edit menu, and choose Copy.
- Then, click the Edit menu again, and choose Paste. There should now be a duplicate of the hosts file named "Copy of hosts" (Windows XP) or "hosts -Copy" (Windows Vista/7).
- Drag the original hosts file to your desktop. If Windows needs your permission to continue, click Continue.
- Drag the "Copy of hosts" (Windows XP) or "hosts -Copy" (Windows Vista/7) to the desktop.
- Right-click "Copy of hosts" (Windows XP) or "hosts -Copy" (Windows Vista/7) and choose Open. You may be prompted to choose the program you want to use to open this file. Double-click Notepad.
- When Notepad opens, click the Edit menu and choose Select All. Then click the Edit menu, and choose Delete.
- Click the File menu, and choose Save. Close Notepad.
- Drag the "Copy of hosts" (Windows XP) or "hosts -Copy" (Windows Vista/7) file from your desktop back into the original location. If Windows needs your permission to continue, click Continue.
- Right-click the "Copy of hosts" (Windows XP) or "hosts -Copy" (Windows Vista/7) file, and choose Rename. Type "hosts" (without quotation marks) and press Enter.
- Restart your computer and try connecting to the iTunes Store.
On a Mac:
The following steps will delete your network preferences. Most broadband connections do not require any special settings to connect, but if your connection does or if you are not sure, please contact your ISP or network administrator for further assistance.
- Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
- Choose Go to Folder from the Go menu.
- Type: /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration
- Click Go.
- In the Finder window, locate the file named "NetworkInterfaces.plist" and drag this file to the Trash.
- Restart your computer.
- Once your computer has restarted, you will not be able to connect to the Internet. You will need to refresh your network settings to be able to connect again:
- Choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu.
- Choose Network from the View menu.
- If you're using Mac OS X v10.4, choose New Location from the Locations menu.
- Click Apply Now at the bottom right.
- If your network connection requires any special settings, you will need to put them back in at this point. You would have received these from your ISP or network administrator.
If accessing iTunes Store produces a specific alert message, use these steps to address the specific conditions or alerts described below.
Network tab
Connection
Your organization or Internet service provider may offer or require you to use a proxy. A proxy acts as an intermediary between your computer and the Internet. It intercepts all requests to the Internet to see if it can fulfill the request using its cache. Proxies are used to improve performance, filter requests, and hide your computer from the Internet to improve security. Proxies are often part of corporate firewalls.
Connection Settings Dialog
- No proxy: Choose this if you don't want to use a proxy.
This is the default setting.
- Auto-detect proxy settings for this network: Choose this if you want Firefox to automatically detect the proxy settings for your network.
- Use system proxy settings: Choose this if you want to use the proxy settings configured for your operating system. This is the default setting.
This is the default setting in Firefox 3.6.4 and above.
- Manual proxy configuration: Choose this if you have a list of one or more proxy servers.
Ask your system administrator for the configuration information. Each proxy requires a hostname and a port number.
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- If the same proxy name and port number are used for all protocols, check Use this proxy server for all protocols.
- No Proxy For: List of hostnames or IP addresses that will not be proxied.
- Automatic proxy configuration URL: Choose this if you have a proxy configuration (.pac) file. Enter the URL and click okay to save changes and load the proxy configuration.
- Reload: The reload button will load the currently available proxy configuration.
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