Quick tip: Enable Windows Identity Foundation (Windows 8)

Our regular readers are probably aware that we’ve been experimenting with Windows 8 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online (read our post from last week where we test the Microsoft Dynamics CRM for Microsoft Office Outlook plugin with Windows 8). Occasionally when using the plugin on Windows 8, we’re greeted with a familiar error, “Cannot connect to Microsoft Dynamics CRM server because we cannot authenticate your credentials…” (see below).

We’ve seen this error before on Windows XP and Windows 7, and we know that it can be tricky to resolve. We immediately started to tinker around under the hood of Windows 8. Luckily, we were able to fix the error with a few quick steps. We’ve detailed them for you below.

You will need to have an Administrator account in Windows 8 to turn Windows Features on or off.

From Metro (see below), right-click anywhere in the background and a tab appears in the bottom. Click the icon labeled All apps in the bottom-right corner.

The Apps menu opens (see below). Scroll to the right and click Control Panel.

The Control Panel opens (see below). Click Uninstall a Program.

The Programs and Features window opens (see below). Click Turn Windows features on or off.

The Windows Features window opens (see below). Check the box labeled Windows Identity Foundation 3.5 and then click Ok.

You are notified that Windows completed the requested changes (see below). Click Close, and then restart your computer.

 Congratulations, you’ve enabled Windows Identity Foundation, which should resolve any CRM Online authentication! If you run into any other errors or bugs with CRM Online and Windows 8, we recommend installing Update Rollup 11 for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. UR11 contains several critical fixes and improvements intended for users of Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2013.