How can I configure proxy settings for all apps, system, IE etc?

Question

I am using Windows 8 Enterprise (MSDN), behind a proxy.

I configured the proxy in IE network settings (actually, not a proxy, but a .pac file with config), and when trying to connect to the internet, everything works fine in IE - however, the rest of the system seems not to use those settings.

So.. concrete case: add and remove features (like Hyper-V or .Net Framework 3.5) seems to go online for every single feature. This constantly fails. I cannot add any features.

Another concrete example: inside a Hyper-V guest, I cannot get internet access.

It would also be nice, if (on top of that) everything would work correctly (all apps and everything else, like the system, using the same proxy settings).

How can I configure proxy settings for all apps, system, IE etc?

Answer 1

The proxy settings for WinHTTP are not the proxy settings for Microsoft Internet Explorer.
You cannot configure the proxy settings for WinHTTP in the Microsoft Windows Control Panel.
Using the WinHTTP proxy configuration utility does not alter the settings you use for Internet Explorer.

To configure a system wide proxy do

netsh winhttp set proxy myproxy

source: http://technet.microsoft.com/pt-br/library/cc731131(v=ws.10).aspx#BKMK_5

if you want to use IE proxy settings for all programs, try

netsh winhttp import proxy source =ie

source: http://technet.microsoft.com/pt-br/library/cc731131(v=ws.10).aspx#BKMK_2

more information here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa384069(v=vs.85).aspx

Answer 2

Is IE set as the default browser? If not, set it and check again.

If it still doesn't work, in Windows 7 at least the following command helps:

netsh winhttp import proxy source=ie

You can also use netsh winhttp show proxy and netsh winhttp reset proxy (purpose should be evident).

Answer 3

• For XP or Windows 2003 versions, you must use the command: proxycfg.exe

• For versions Vista, Windows Server 2008 or higher, you have to use: netsh winhttp set proxy

Example:

Configure a proxy server (proxy.sysadmit.com), port 8011, indicating an exclusion network, for example: 172.17. *

netsh winhttp set proxy "proxy.sysadmit.com:8011" "; 172.17. *"

The configuration is saved in this key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Internet Settings \ Connections

Key Name: WinHttpSettings

Extracted from: https://www.sysadmit.com/2018/10/windows-update-con-proxy.html

Answer 4

You shoud configure both PAC file for IE and proxy server ip address in IE settings for other application in your system except IE. IE will use PAC file, and others in system will use configured proxy server.

Answer 5

Most desktop apps integrated in windows 8.1 share the same proxy setting with IE.

- For a system wide proxy you need first manually set IE proxy.
- You can also use 'PAC' proxy settings instead.

For the metro apps which live in a closed container, they do NOT use any proxy to connect by default.

- Because they are forbidden to send network traffic to the local computer in case of improper connection.
- This defies the use of loopback method, hence the proxy.

There is a 'loopback exempt' mechnism though in Windows 8.1 to avoid this dilemma.

- You can use the command-line tool called 'checknetisolation' to add certain app to the exempt list.
- The exempted metro app uses IE proxy to connect by default.
- There are third-party tools to do this job at ease.
- The tool 'fiddler' for example is recommened for this purpose.

You can download fiddler here: http://fiddler2.com/get-fiddler

- Install and open it
- click 'win8 config'
- check the box behind which is the app you want to exempt.
- save config.
- If you want to set another proxy than IE, you can also fill the proxy address in the same page.