I always get a message "We could not complete your iTunes Store request. The host is down. There was an error in the iTunes Store. Please try again later." I have downloaded and reinstalled the current version of iTunes (11.0.2 (26) 64 bit) with no effect. I have not had any other problems with iTunes. I have not had any problems with Internet access.
Mac OS X (10.7.4)
Can you access other apple services, like software updates and the app store?
If not, I've seen a new network location solve this: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5289
I am able to access Software Update but not the App Store. I will look into the article you cited.
I wouldn't necessarily bother with that article, since software updates work.
What exactly are you doing when that message comes up?
As it turned out the procedure in the article was of no help.
If I am in iTunes, and I go from Library to the iTunes store, I get the "host is down" message every time.
As far as the App Store goes, I get a "Cannot Connect to the App Store" message every time that I click on the dock icon.
Test it in the guest account.
I can access both the iTunes Store and the App Store from the Guest Account. Is my Account information corrupted?
Ok, so it's isolated to your user and the new network location didn't work...
First, quit iTunes.
Then start by opening Finder, click Go, hold option, click Library. Back in the Finder window, go to Preferences and look for files starting with com.apple.itunes. Drag them to your desktop. Back in Library, go to Caches and locate similar and also drag to desktop. Back to the Library, go to SavedApplicationState and do the same again.
Test. Be prepared to put those items back if this doesn't work. If all seems well, trash them.
There were a total of 69 com.apple.itunes plist files (or plist.lockfiles) in Preferences. There were none in any of the other locations. I moved all to Desktop and tried iTunes. Same problem. I moved all of the files back.
Very unusual to have 69 itunes plist files in ~/Library/Preferences. Also unusual to not have one in ~/Library/Caches.
If it were my computer, I would trash all the ones in the Preferences folder, and double check for one in the Caches folder, and trash it if you find it. I'd also consider trashing the iTunes folder in ~/Preferences. Do this with iTunes quit, first. None of this touches your library, but you should have a backup before doing things like this. Or instead of trashing, back them up on your desktop like before, just in case.
Don't open itunes yet. Then, maybe a permissions repair on your home folder is in order. You may try this first, if you like, and possible should, since your app store isn't quite right either:
Shutdown, boot to recovery (hold CMD + R). You may be asked to select your language and you'll end up at OS X Utilities. When there, ignore that window, select Utilities at the top of your screen, then Terminal. Type in "resetpassword" (no quotes) and press enter. On the window that pops up, select your boot drive at the top (likely Machintosh HD), your user account (likely selected already). Then, select Reset near the bottom to reset your ACLs. This may take a few minutes depending on how many files you have for the reset to go through. When it's done, close the window and the terminal window. Then click the Apple in the upper left, restart, test.
I did all of the above, in the sequence suggested. Still no access to the iTunes Store or App Store. I do appreciate the suggestions you have made.
I am unable to access the iTunes Store, but all other features of iTunes are normal.
