Solved XBOX Apps stopped working and in app access account fail

Several XBOX apps were working fine until 4/4/15. Since then I am unable to download new packs Ii.e. jigsaws). Resolved that MS Account is now logging entries into my history log as Security Challenge events from Internet Explorer.
The following explanation for Security Challenge is:
“We detected an unusual sign-in attempt with the correct password. (This might have been you, but we weren’t sure—for example, this might have happened on a new device we didn’t recognize.) To help protect your account, we required an extra security challenge.”

I have checked my MS account, and it is not set up for 2 Step security. I seem to be unable to set my device as a Trusted Device, and many of my Apps do not support additional security parameters.

I think the problem was triggered by Microsoft asking for verification of my account, where they sent me an email with a code to be entered manually into the menu. It verified, but now seems to be acting as a 2 Step verification even though I did not request that.

XBOX Apps stopped working - additional info

I have tracked the fault down to two MS System library routines that are called by the Apps, but time out due to exceptions. I can see that these routines are triggering a response in Microsoft Account, so the problem is NOT due to corruption in my PC. I am convinced now that the problem is at the MS server end. For some reason, my PC is sending the correct request with a valid LIVE_ID password, but for some reason Microsoft Account handler is demanding extra verification data which my Apps are not set up to deal with. I think this is connected to the new 2Step verification process. I cannot turn that off since MS menu shows it is not enabled, and thus the menu 'button' to turn it off is not displayed. One possible solution may be to set up myDevice as a trusted device, but again the procedure described in the help screen does not describe the options displayed on the MS menu, so I cannot do that either.

All these problems seem to be related to the Microsoft Server end, so any suggestions to re install windows or do registry scans / fixes will not work. The path to provide the extra data that MS requires does not exist in theService libraries. These files that I have so far identified are: combase.dll and windows.networking.BackgroundTransfer.dll

Have you phoned or contacted Microsoft to have them check or reset your account?

Contacting Microsoft.

This is in hand. It is Bank Holiday weekend here in UK, and Memorial Weekend in USA, so I would not expect a telecon to succeed. I have posted another thread on the Microsoft Forum for WIN 8, and they do seem to be more alert and active than on this forum, It is possible they can do things that I cannot, such as reset back to standard login or turn off my 'non existant' 2 Step verification, but I fear that this new process is coming regardless, and that the Apps designers will have to update their Apps to accommodate the new security arrangement. I have found one such design team who I have been working with to isolate the cause of the hangup, and it is in their interest to resolve this asap. They have been very helpful so far, and as an App supplier, I suspect their contacts with Microsoft will provide the technical info they need, and which I could not be privvy to. It will also probably need a change to the Server end to identify in the protocol that a 2 step process is active or not. These things will not happen overnight.

Of course I could be wrong in my diagnosis, but I am satisfied the PC end and Internet connection are not to blame. I hope that there is a workaround we can employ while we await a full solution. There must be a reason why MS have taken off those options for App Assignment and turning off 2 Step from the My Account menus. They need to update their Help screen too.

Seeing as this isn't an official Microsoft forum then I understand the official one being more active.

Also being bank holiday or otherwise I'm pretty sure Microsoft offer 24x7x365 support.

The issue with apps and 2-step auto isn't a problem - you would simply generate an app password for each app that requires access via your account.

Reply to Gary

Hi Gary
You were right about MS Support being 24/7 365. I have spent a large portion of today on the support chatline with 4 advisors, The upshot of it all is that the App Password and TrustedDevice options are no longer available, and the menus have changed recently so no longer agree with the Help screens. There is no quick fix, and I have now raised a formal Service Request to the Accounts Admin team to get this resolved. Will report back here if resolution occurs PC is still . . None of the advisors could tell me what the extra security steps are so still in the dark as to status of 2 Step on my PC

Where are the app password and trusted device options no longer available? Do you mean in your account settings on account.live.com ?

Hi Gary,
I am using a direct entry into the Microsoft My Account portal (www.account.microsoft.com) which controls my PC security. It is linked to Sign In as LIVE ID, and I have used live.com in the past for validating my MS password. At the moment Sign In takes me straight to Outlook.com email program, which I do not use. I see that live.com now appears to be redirected via an unknown google advertising website which I cannot trust, so would no longer use. The menu I have been using is the Security & Privacy/ Manage advanced security tab. Under Two Step link there is a Help Menu that refers to App Passwords and also Trusted devices, but the help menu makes reference to menu options that no longer exist on this suite. The MS agents have also emailed this same info to me as being the latest, and it is clear it is referencing a different variant of the My account software I am accessing online. Discussions on MS chat verified that these options no longer exist, which is why the MS agent opened the SR.

Live.com does not redirect anywhere for me - just straight to the expected MS site.

I have checked my main outlook.com account and another one that doesn't have 2-step setup and it all looks as it should and the help links point and show the correct options.

Reply to Gary

iIHi Gary,
my www,account.live.com redirects via 'atozadvertizing.com/google-ads, so I don't trust the link at all. My Sign In takes me directly into Outlook, but I do not have an account there, so can see no details or login menu for it either. The login you gave me previously is the one that redirects I have tried logging in via the MS GB portal, but it redirects to the US site, which opens up the same account screens I have been having problems with. I have tried verifying my account several times now. I get the code in email or text, I type it into the menu as detailed in the Help screen instructions for Trusted Device, but there is no tickbox for 'I use this device often' as described in the help menu. So I cannot set a trusted device. I have no Apps Password option showing on any of the menus I have access to. The MS Agent trying to help me also found the same. My XBOX account also points the the US site so my LIVE ID is set to that site too. Interesting that your login gives a different set of menus. Can you try using the login link I placed in my previous response and see if you still get a workable set of menus. I.E could you, if you wanted to, set an App Password? Does the menu show an option to turn off 2 Step? Does it show an option to Edit Security Settings? I wonder if this is browser dependant? I use Firefox, but the App uses IExplore.

This is what I see on my Account page in terms of the security options:

Thanks Gary

Thanks for your screenshot. I understand now that the 'missing options' do exist, but are suppressed until 2 step has been fully activated. At present my PC is acting as if 2 step has been activated, but this is not reflected by my MS Account. So either this is only a partial activation by stealth, or my problem has absolutely no connection with 2 Step. I now have 4 Apps that used to work, but don't now, when they request validation of my LIVE ID. The first (password) part of the transaction is accepted, but a second verification is now necessary.
Since my Apps and the MS library routines they are using time out and crash then I seem to have a new step being inserted at the server end that is not handled by the calling routines at my end.
I have not heard back from MS helpdesk today, so presume it is a holiday there. I need them to identify why this extra step is being triggered, and then I need to let the App designers know why it is happening so they can trap it properly and handle the exception in an orderly manner. If nothing else they can display a FAQ response on their website if it is too much to change their App now. There are many others on this forum that appear to be suffering from this type of problem.
Act

Resolution Found

Apparently the problem is in IE, and occurs as a result of the upgrade fromWIN 8 to 8.1. The cure is to make sure that the Options page in IE Temporary files link is pointing to a valid folder on your PC. I used User/nnn/AppData/Local/Microsoft/windows/caches. Let the PC sort out moving the cache to the changed folder location, then it should clear things.