How I Fixed a Microsoft Store Crash on Windows (And What Python Has to Do With It)

In the spring of 2022, it suddenly stopped working for me Microsoft StoreInstead of loading a list of applications (at least free ones), a message was simply displayed about the impossibility of loading the page and an error code: 0x80131500.

Screenshot of Microsoft Store window when it crashes. The page does not load, only the error code is available.

Along with the app store, all the classic Microsoft apps on my Windows PC (Skype and Teams) stopped working, as well as the APPX apps that received updates through it. And I was left without my beloved Gardenscapes.

Unsuccessful search for the cause

At first, I didn't contact anyone and didn't try to solve the problem. The first half of 2022 was accompanied by the introduction of sanctions and restrictions, including from Microsoft, and I thought that the company had disabled the entire store – intentionally or accidentally. And due to the dependence on it, all other Microsoft applications and applications installed from this store were disabled.

However, a year later, it became clear to me that the sanctions were not the issue. Other Windows 10 users literally next door to me reported that their Microsoft Store was working fine, only paid apps were unavailable. It became clear that I was the only one with the problem.

This prompted me to write to the official Microsoft group on the VK social network — “Microsoft for everyone” There they first offered a solution in the “Linux” spirit – to go into PowerShell and enter the command:

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

It didn't help.

Next I was asked to use the standard system utility “Troubleshooter” — with the same result. As a backup method, it was recommended reset application settings – He didn't help either.

All this correspondence took place while I and my computer were busy with work tasks (I am a freelancer). Therefore, in total it lasted for more than one month, and I simply forgot to report on the repeated failure.

Almost two years have passed without Skype and Gardenscapes. It's 2024…

Unexpected twist: pip gives a hint

I work in bioinformatics, and I have it installed on that very computer. Python. It was installed from the same Microsoft Store, so there is no conda package manager, only the one included in the basic package pip. But there were few bioinformatics tasks in Python at that time: I was only running my own small project with minimal programming and almost no need to install libraries. And at the university I taught biochemistry in general – what libraries are there…

At the beginning of 2024, I faced the need to leave academia and began looking for a job, including in data science. One of the companies agreed to check me and sent a test task.

I expected that I would need to be fully equipped with libraries to do this, and I didn’t even have an interactive notepad. I went to the command line and typed as usual

pip install notebook

Instead of installing the package, pip output a long error message ending with:

ValueError: check_hostname requires server_hostname

The same error was reproduced when trying to install other libraries in the same way.

It immediately became clear to me that a mysterious failure had disabled all the package managers living in the system – for some reason they could no longer contact their servers, and these were links in the same chain.

But the error description in pip is – “check_hostname requires server_hostname” it was more informative… and of course, there is more written on the Internet about free software.

A simple Google search for this phrase led me to recommendations to check the system proxy settings. And yes, it was enabled. At the same time, at the time of launching pip, all VPNs were disabled.

Turning off the system proxy immediately solved the problem – Microsoft Store, other Microsoft apps and APPX apps came to life. The problem was solved.

We are looking for and punishing the culprit

True, the next day, when I turned on the computer again, the system proxy turned on again, causing the same error. For several days in a row, I simply turned it off immediately every time I started the computer, bringing my favorite applications back to life. But I decided to find the culprit as planned. What if it was a virus?

First, I checked the applications in the system startup. At that moment, VPN was living in the startup Lantern. It was not the only and not my favorite VPN, but that's how it happened – in the spring of 20 222 it was installed (for obvious reasons) and then immediately registered itself in the startup. I did not unregister it from there, and in vain.

After checking the settings in the Lantern application itself, I found that it had permission to manage the system proxy. Now everything became clear: it was the cause of the breakdowns. Every time it started with the system, it set its own system proxy settings, which spoiled the work of all package managers, even when the VPN connection itself was broken.

Lantern was severely punished for its antics. Its permission to manage the system proxy was taken away (in Lantern's settings), despite its complaints and warnings that it could not work correctly without it. It was also excluded from startup and no longer runs for me. As I already said, it is not my favorite application in its class, and replacements have long been found for it. Which ones – I will not advertise (Roskomnadzor will not approve)there are many similar applications.

After such a “reprisal” with Lantern, the problem was completely eliminated. It became clear why the problem appeared in the first half of 2022. That's when I got new VPNs (including Lantern) – like many other users. The reason, I think, is clear without comment.

Recommendations

The moral of this story is:

If you see errors from the Microsoft Store, pip, or another package manager when connecting to the server, check not only that the VPN connection is enabled/disabled, but also system proxy settingsWhen turned on, it may interfere.
Proxy problems are especially likely if the Microsoft Store error code is 0×80 131 500and pip complains about “check_hostname requires server_hostname”.
In such cases, disabling the system proxy in the system network settings will help immediately (without rebooting the computer!) restore the operation of package managers. But after rebooting or re-enabling, check whether the proxy settings have been reset again and whether the problem has returned.
If the problem returns, do not rush to look for viruses. If you have a VPN (any), check its settings and permissions. You need to check if it can manage the system proxy. If yes, check if the problem is solved by revoking the permission.
If not, you should consider other hypotheses, including malware/spyware. In Windows 10, you can check your computer with Windows Defender, in Linux – any antivirus for Linux;
As a preventative measure: When installing any VPN (no matter what you use it for), carefully check its settings and permissions. Monitor and remember thatO your VPNs can do to your system and what glitches it can cause. Even if the solution is recommended and reliable.

A report on fixing the issue was sent to Microsoft technical support on VK, but as of 2024, it was no longer available. It didn't respond to me, didn't read the messages, and it's unlikely that it updated its recommendations. That's why I'm writing about it here – maybe someone else has similar problems? We'll have to help each other here, I guess.

My article did not cover the question of whether such an error can occur under Linux and what are the codes for similar errors in common Linux distribution package managers. If anyone has encountered a similar situation on Linux, please write in the comments what it looked like from your side.

Epilogue

This detective story might not have happened if I had been able to immediately “google” the correct solution using the Microsoft Store error code and understand what the problem was. But this post is a reminder of the indirect way in which the source of the failure is sometimes found in a situation when even technical support is having trouble.

The test assignment at the IT company was a failure. I solved business analytics tasks to confirm the marketers' hypotheses in Excel without writing code, while the company wanted a sample of Python or R code. I didn't find a job then, but now I can play Gardenscapes again. In general, do test assignments at the IT company. It's useful. Even if they don't hire you.

This summer I got an invitation to do remote project work in Python and bioinformatics. I am creating educational materials on data analysis for the company – and I hope that in the process more interesting “clinical cases” will appear.

There will also be publications here about my hobby – digital art – and about science. Subscribe and stay tuned!

Have a trouble-free software installation!