iTunes + Corporate Proxy Problem

This problem exists from when iTunes for Windows was launched. It cannot work properly when used via the Squid 2.5 Stable 10 proxy server.

For this matter I have sent them an e-mail in May 2005, and their reply was:
" Thank you for contacting the iTunes Music Store. After carefully reviewing your request, we have determined that this issue falls outside the type of support provided by iTunes Music Store Customer Service. The iTunes Music Store team answers non-technical questions about billing, customer accounts, downloading music, and iTunes Music Store content."

However, this is ridiculous, because if you go to:
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/store/connect/#form
the drop-down menu "Please select your question", lets you choose "I can't connect to the iTunes store"!

Send them your problem, maybe if more people complain, they will decide to look into the matter.

The message I sent was:
---
I am writing to inform you about a problem that the iTunes Music Store has when a user connects to the internet using a proxy server.
Please understand that this is not about helping me connect to the store.
I took the time to write to you so that you can fix the problem that your software has.

My system configuration is:
iTunes version 7.0.18 for Windows
OS: Windows XP Pro SP2
Proxy server: Squid 2.5 Stable 10 (on corporate network)

My Internet Explorer settings are configured properly, and I can access all websites through Internet Explorer using the proxy server.

The problem with the iTunes Music Store and the proxy server is the following:

When I run iTunes, the music store page loads instantly.
However, when I type an Album/Artist name to SEARCH, the search takes too long to complete (up to 5 minutes!) and finally displays the results.
After this, if I select a song, I can playback the "demo" version instantly.

There are also problems when trying to create a new iTunes store account or click any links (for example a particular album) from the store's main page.

The most common error is:

Either getting the message "Accessing music store..." for 5 minutes and then having your results displayed

or

Error message

"We could not complete your iTunes store request. The network connection timed out.Make sure your network settings are correct and your network connection active, then try again." where you need to repeat your selection once, twice or as many times it takes until you finally get your requested page.

It seems that other users face problems when using iTunes with a proxy. This problem is happening for a long time now, since iTunes for Windows was released.
The relevant messages can be found at:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1758465
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3068930
www.squid-cache.org/mail-archive/squid-users/200602/0115.html

Note that when I move my computer to another location that has direct internet connection (without a proxy), everything (including the search) works fine.

I am reporting this erroneous behavior of iTunes with proxies (and specifically Squid 2.5 Stable 10 Proxy that I have tested it with) hoping that you will fix the problem.

I would suggest that you try using the same configuration Squid 2.5 Stable 10 Proxy with iTunes for Windows in order to see the problem yourself.

If you need any more details regarding the problem, I would be happy to help.