Can't update Windows or access the Microsoft Store(possibly not able to connect to Microsoft Servers)

Dear Elijah Barrett,

I hope all is well with you. I haven't heard from you yet. Is your problem not solved? If there's anything I can do for you, or if there's something that's unclear, don't hesitate to let me know.

Best Wishes

Pyked | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Thanks for your reply.

I have been thinking about providing a better approach to your issue and this situation has indeed been bothering you for a long time. Your device is supposed to be properly connected to the Internet, but you always encounter network level errors when using Microsoft service-related features.

After all, you have tried so many possible approaches and I have provided you with some network level suggestions. There is indeed a limit to what else we can do at the moment, so let's try the following options again:

Reinstall the Store:
Press Windows key + X
Click Windows PowerShell (Admin)
At the command prompt, type the following then hit Enter:

Get-AppXPackage *WindowsStore* -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

If that does not work, try resetting the software distribution folder:
Before carrying out this procedure, disconnect from the Internet. That means turning off Wi-Fi and disconnecting from a wired connection. If you don't, Windows 10 will indicate some files are in use and cannot be modified or the command will be non-responsive. Also, you should restart your computer after disconnecting from the Internet. The easiest way to do it is to enable Airplane mode from the Action Center - Windows key + A.

1. Open Start, type: CMD
   Right click CMD
   Click Run as administrator

Type each of the following then hit Enter

taskkill /F /FI "SERVICES eq wuauserv" (do this multiple times)
net stop cryptSvc
net stop bits
net stop msiserver
ren C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.old
rmdir C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\DataStore
rmdir C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download

If that does not work...

1. Open Start, type: CMD
   Right click CMD
   Click Run as administrator

Type each of the following then hit Enter

Run these codes:
Net Stop bits
Net Stop wuauserv
Net Stop appidsvc
Net Stop cryptsvc
Ren %systemroot%\SoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak
Ren %systemroot%\system32\catroot2 catroot2.bak
Net Start bits
Net Start wuauserv
Net Start appidsvc
Net Start cryptsvc
After running these commands, check if your issue is fixed.

The above are additional thoughts I have these days. To be honest, I really don't want to go as far as fixing and installing the whole system.

Anyway, I still look forward to your replies and progress.

Best Regards.

Leo.L - Microsoft Community Support Specialist

I understand if you haven't responded due to being busy(there are a lot of questions here😄). This message is just in case you haven't seen my response to your original message:

"Thank you for the prompt response Leo. So I have gone through each step(and checked after each one to see if it was fixed) but unfortunately the issue is still unfixed. Do you have other suggestions?"

Thank you for the prompt response Leo. So I have gone through each step(and checked after each one to see if it was fixed) but unfortunately the issue is still unfixed. Do you have other suggestions?

Hello, Elijah Barrett.

Welcome to Microsoft Community!

I understand that you have currently tried a number of methods to resolve this internet connection related issue and I consider you to be a very experienced user. In order to investigate and resolve this issue with you, I have also provided you with the following options:

Setting up the security protocol

1. Click windows+R and type inetcpl.cpl to open the Internet options.
2. Click Advanced and check the box “Use SSL 3.0”, “Use TLS 1.0”, “Use TLS 1.1”, “Use TLS 1.2 Use TLS 1.3”.
3. Reboot the computer after application to see if the problem can be solved.

Change DNS

1. Click windows+R and type ncpa.cpl.
2. Click the name of the network you are currently connected to to open the Network Status window, click Properties, and double- click Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4) in the Network Properties window.
3. Manually set the DNS servers to “4.2.2.1” and “4.2.2.2” and restart the computer to see if the problem can be solved.

Reset network

1. Search for CMD, open it and find the command prompt (, run it in administrator) mode.
2. Enter the following commands into the pop-up command box (enter the next command after each line).

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /registerdns

netsh int ip reset

netsh winsock reset

netsh winhttp reset proxy

3. Restart the computer to see if the problem can be solved.

Reset Proxy Server Settings

1. Click windows+R and type inetcpl.cpl.
2. Open the Internet option, click Connect, click LAN Settings.
3. Check whether the Proxy Server column is checked, if so, please uncheck it and click OK.
4. Reboot your computer after applying the program to see if the problem can be solved.

You can try these programs.

I will look forward to your progress.

Best Regards.

Leo.L - Microsoft Community Support Specialist