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User profile for user: IPhoneUser_2015
IPhoneUser_2015 Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Cannot Sign-in to my iTunes account

I've been trying to sign into my PC Windows 10 (x64) iTunes account for several weeks now but I keep getting a variety of Verification Failed errors:


e.g. "This action could not be completed. Try Again"

"There was an error connecting to the Apple ID Server"


My iTunes account works fine on my iPhone but I can not use my Windows 10 Itunes app to sign into the iTunes store without getting the above error messages. Very frustrating.


This is what I have tried over the last several weeks:


  1. Tried a clean install of iTunes currently using 12.5.4.42 (done this 5 times)
  2. Fully disabled Windows Firewall now so its not that.
  3. Uninstalled Anti-virus apps and anything else which might cause some issues.
  4. Double checked the Windows Date/Time,
  5. Reset Hosts file several times. Currently using the standard windows Hosts file with no gs.apple.com
  6. In Administrator mode in CMD: netsh winsock reset
  7. and finally deleting the iTunesPrefs.xml within \AppData\Local\Apple Computer\iTunes and in the \Roaming\ folder as well.


My PC is pretty good and I'm running over a fiber-optic internet connection so I easily meet the minimum specs.


I'm at my wits end and I would very much appreciate any suggestions on how to overcome this difficult technical issue. I've just tried signing into my apple iCloud through the PC and the exact same issue/


Many thanks for your help.

iPhone 6, iOS 10.1.1

Posted on Dec 24, 2016 7:09 AM

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2 replies
User profile for user: sterling r
sterling r
User level: Community Specialist

Dec 25, 2016 9:41 AM in response to IPhoneUser_2015

Greetings IPhoneUser_2015,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. It seems like iTunes on the PC is not connecting to the iTunes Store. It looks like you have already done a lot of troubleshooting. I would recommend you read these articles, there are a few steps available that you have not mentioned trying or checking yet.

On your PC

If you can't connect to the iTunes Store for more than a day, find out the required ports and servers:

  1. Make sure that you can access the Internet on your computer.
  2. See if your computer meets the iTunes minimum system requirements.
  3. Check that your operating system is up to date.
  4. Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
  5. The iTunes Store might appear empty and only display the words iTunes Store. In this case, fix conflicts between software that monitors Internet traffic and Apple software.
  6. You might need to set up Windows Firewall to let iTunes access the iTunes Store.
  7. Disable any proxies built-in to Windows. You should avoid proxies because they can cause issues.
  8. Contact your Internet service provider and make sure that these ports and servers are turned on for your network.

If there's still an issue, your hosts file might be the cause. For example, some workplaces might put internal resources in the hosts file that block the iTunes Store. Learn how to reset the hosts file back to default.

To create a copy of your hosts file and replace it with an empty hosts file, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the hosts file at C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC.
  2. Select the hosts file. There should be a duplicate of the hosts file named "Copy of hosts" (Windows XP) or "hosts-copy" (Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8).
  3. Drag the original hosts file to your desktop.
  4. Control-click or right-click the duplicate file and choose Open from the pop-up menu. If you're asked to choose the program you want to use to open the file, double-click Notepad.
  5. When Notepad opens, choose Edit > Select All.
  6. Choose Edit > Delete.
  7. Choose File > Save.
  8. Close Notepad.
  9. Control-click or right-click the duplicate file, and choose Rename from the pop-up menu.
  10. Type hosts, then press Enter.
  11. Restart your computer.
  12. Try to connect to the iTunes Store.

If you still can't connect, your security software or firewall might not let iTunes communicate with the Internet. Learn how to fix security software issues.

If you can’t connect to the iTunes Store
If there's still an issue, check out this link too.
Advanced steps for fixing issues with iTunes Store connection
Take care.

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User profile for user: IPhoneUser_2015
IPhoneUser_2015 Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Dec 25, 2016 3:07 PM in response to sterling r

Many thanks for the above information and I will start going through the list.


Does anybody have any ideas how I can test whether my PC has network access to the apple server like "albert.apple.com" ?


I would very much like to find out if I can ping the appropriate apple servers from my PC for iTunes access without my PC somehow blocking the connection.


I hope this makes sense.


Thanks

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Cannot Sign-in to my iTunes account

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