Article ID: 977848 - Last Review: November 20, 2009 - Revision: 1.0

Games for Windows LIVE: Troubleshoot sign-in and connection problems for LIVE Marketplace

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SYMPTOMS

When you try to sign in to the Games for Windows - LIVE Marketplace, you receive an error message or you have problems signing in.

THINGS TO TRY

Try the following steps to resolve the problem:
  • Check the status of Windows - Live ID (sign-in) and LIVE services.

    A service may be down. This will prevent you from accessing the LIVE services or signing in. To check the status of the service, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
    http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Support/Pages/liveserverstatus.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Support/Pages/liveserverstatus.aspx)
    Note If you cannot connect to any Internet sites, please contact your Internet service provider (ISP) for help.
  • Verify sign-in.

    Make sure that you can successfully sign in to Windows LIVE. To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site and try to sign in by using your current e-mail address and password:
    http://www.live.com (http://www.live.com)
    Note If you cannot sign in, please contact Windows Live ID support for help. To contact Windows Live ID support, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
    https://support.live.com (https://support.live.com)
  • Check the Internet Options settings.

    This issue may occur if cookies are not enabled or if a setting in Internet Options is preventing you from signing in. To try to resolve the problem, follow these steps.
    Note These steps assume that you have Windows Internet Explorer 8 installed
    .
    1. Close all Internet browser windows that are open.
    2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

      Note If the Control Panel window is empty, click View all Control Panel Options in the navigation pane to display all the icons.
    3. Open Internet Options. You may have to click Network and Internet Connections before you can click Internet Options.
    4. In the Browsing history section on the General tab, click Delete.
      Collapse this imageExpand this image
      Internet Options graphic
    5. In the Delete Browsing History dialog box, click to select the Cookies check box. Also, click to clear all the other check boxes in the dialog box. Click Delete.
    6. On the General tab, click Settings in the Browsing history section.
    7. Under Check for newer versions of stored pages, click Every time I visit the webpage, and then click OK.
    8. On the Privacy tab, click Advanced.
    9. Click to clear the Override automatic cookie handling check box, and then click OK.
    10. On the Privacy tab, move the Internet Zone slider to Medium or to a reduced setting, and then click Apply.
    11. On the Security tab, click Internet under Select a zone to view or change security settings.
    12. In the Security level for this zone section, click Custom Level.
    13. In the Security Settings - Internet Zone dialog box, click Medium in the Reset to box under Reset custom setting.
    14. Click Reset.
    15. Click OK to close the Security Settings - Internet Zone dialog box.
    16. On the Advanced tab, scroll down the Settings list to the Security section, and then click to select the Use SSL 2.0 check box and the Use SSL 3.0 check box. Click Apply.
    17. Click OK, and then restart your computer. After your computer restarts, again try to sign in.

Troubleshoot connection error messages and disconnect problems

Sign-in issues can also be caused by network connectivity problems. For more information about how to resolve these problems, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Support/Pages/internetConnectionIssues.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Support/Pages/internetConnectionIssues.aspx)

APPLIES TO
  • Games for Windows - LIVE
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