my windows update and itunes seem to be getting blocked from connecting to the internet.

Hi Hockeyvalley
 
Welcome to the Community Forums.
 
In terms of a blockage of WIndows Updates this is a rarity but has been known to happen; please review the following previous threads here & here to see if they can provide any assistance. If that does not help then please post back with infromation relating to why you feel or believe that WSA may be causing the WIndows Update issue.
 
With regards to iTunes-related issues, may I ask if this is the only application (other than WIndows Update already mentioned) that yo are having issues with re. connectiing to the internet?  If so then it may be worth you carrying out an uninstall/clean install of WSA.  Let us know if you want to try that I we can provide information on how to do that.
 
Otherwise, if you are running under WIndows 7, then we can check to see if the iTunes executable is being blocked from accessing the internet; make sure that iTunes is launched first, then:
 
1. click on the gear/cog symbol to the right of the PC Security tab,
2. in the main application window, and on the new panel displayed click on 'View Active Connections'
3. in the top half of the new panel, under 'Process' check down the list of process looking for itunes.exe.
4. if found then check what the status is flagged as, i.e., 'Allow' or Block'
5. if showing as 'Block' switch it to 'Allow' and then try to connect iTunes to the internet once more.
6. if showing as 'Allow' or the .exe is not present in the list then we need to think again or try the uninstall/clean install option to see if that helps.
 
Finally, just to check that iTunes is not being blocked from starting?  You do get the application main window displayed and it is such things as access to the iTunes Store and the like that are the issue?  Because if not then it may be an issue closer to home that we need to investigate for you.
 
We await your update.
 
Regards, Baldrick