Archive for February 21st, 2014

Tip: Windows Store and “Region Codes”

Friday, February 21st, 2014

Hi Folks,

today is my day of bashing the Microsoft Windows Store…

As in my last post there are still a lot of curious issues with the Microsoft Store.. One really curious issue are these funny “Region Codes”! Oh.. You didn’t know it? Me too.. No App or the Store will tell you! First of all not all Apps will deal with it but a few of them do and the error messages or better “Points to blame” are really confusing.

I will take a private Sample, i bought a Game “Grand Theft Auto-San Andreas” thru my Swiss Surface Tablet, installed it without any issues and it works fine: everything is good. Now i got my German Laptop to install GTA.. Guess what happen: The app is shown in my Apps (and the Laptop also suggest to install it!!!), so i select the App and click on install… Now the Funny Message: “App is not available for download“. Ok?!?! So i’ve searched in the regular “German” Store Interface again.. App is shown and the Store ask if i would like to buy it, confirmed and now guess.. Message: “App is not available for download“.

I still remember an issue with “regional” Payment Methods (other strange Windows Store issue where you can’t add payment methods to your account in the Windows Store 🙁 ), so i go to the System Control->Region and change the Location to Switzerland and without any more reboots or messages the App can be installed. Ups! Why not a message “App is not available for your current region“? To simple?

So i really like the Surface or other Microsoft Products but for the Store Microsoft still has a lot of lessons to learn! Why do the Store shows an App which is not for my Region? Why always these nonsense Error Message for a Store that should be simple at all and point a none IT customer to a solution? Iam a IT Guy, my wife will take it and throw it  against the Wall because it’s cryptic nonsense and in this case she is right. I do also now that this is a favorite issue for people travel/working between the US and Canada.. So it’s not only a Swiss/German issue.

Cheers

Michael

P.S.: All these lame developers that really thing that a customer stays in one country for there whole live should leave there hole and go outside in the world. This is my personal opinion and regional codes in any product are digital stone age beyond any reality, this is even more important if nothing is mentioned that they do exist (Hello Windows Store!) So.. Now iam feeling better. 🙂

 

Tip: Windows Store Error 0x80240017 vs. Hyper-V

Friday, February 21st, 2014

Hi Folks,

i really could kill some Microsoft developers tonight… Just kidding but this has taken three hours of time to fix a really stupid issue.

Maybe you provide your User a Microsoft based Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 VDI thru Microsoft Remote Desktop Services incl. the Windows Store to download own or company based Apps. By default this should be now big deal but it could… Normally your User browse to the Store and download / buy a new app, depending on the system a App will be shown in the store or not; simple right? …but what happens if this app is already available for the User and he got the App already running on an other device? It will be shown in his Apps and he can select it, now a funny error comes up: “App can not be installed BlaBlaBla… Error 0x80240017”. This error 0x80240017 for Microsoft seams to mean: “Could be everything and we have no clue where it coming from.

There are several Tips and Clues available and i’ve tried everything more than one time (!): Store Reset (wsreset.exe), installing Updates, deleting the Software Distribution Folder, Regional Settings, Time Zone and much more but finally it means: Your System doesn’t fit the requirements for this App! Great.. Why not direct translating it for humans and maybe for the Microsoft Support too (which have also no clue what it could mean)!?!

Ok… Enough blaming, let’s come to my solution for Hyper-V based VDI’s: To fix it just disable the Dynamic Memory Feature for the Windows 8.x based Desktops or/and increase it to min. 1024 or better 2048 (or more) MB of RAM. After this small fix everything works like a charm, it seams to be that the Windows Store can not deal with the Dynamic Memory and the result will be this nonsense error message.

Have Fun!

Michael

P.S.: I checked it also with Windows Server 2012 R2, similar behavior… If you got the issue for a physical device try it on an other “better” hardware.