composer update fails with "...target machine actively refuses connection..."

Question

I'm trying to do a simple composer action (install laravel), and getting stopped at the gates.

The complete error message is

C:\.....\Composer>composer install
Loading composer repositories with package information

  [Composer\Downloader\TransportException]
  The "https://packagist.org/packages.json" file could not be downloaded: failed to open stream: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.

install [--prefer-source] [--prefer-dist] [--dry-run] [--dev] [--no-dev] [--no-plugins] [--no-custom-installers] [--no-autoloader] [--no-scripts] [--no-progress
] [-v|vv|vvv|--verbose] [-o|--optimize-autoloader] [-a|--classmap-authoritative] [--ignore-platform-reqs] [--] [<packages>]...

C:\.....\Composer>

Win7 / PHP5.5.8

I'm using Chrome and IE, both use the same automatic configuration script (pointing to a "wpad.dat" file).

I've tried the following:

• PHP Variables in a diagnostic (php -i)

  Variable => Value ...

  _SERVER["https_proxy"] => http://172.26.3.10:8080

  _SERVER["http_proxy"] => http://172.26.3.10:8080

What am I missing? I've been following all sorts of threads, but I seem to be missing something pretty basic.

• pinging the proxy server produces a response from the same ip address as above.

• Put https://getcomposer.org/installer into the browser, and I get a file called installer downloaded (on Chrome).

• Composer is not getting installed windows 7

• How to enable PHP's openssl extension to install Composer?

• verbose diagnostics

`C:\xampp\htdocs>composer -v global require "laravel/installer"

Changed current directory to C:/Users/.../AppData/Roaming/Composer

[Composer\Downloader\TransportException]
  The "https://packagist.org/packages.json" file could not be downloaded: failed to open stream: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.

Exception trace:
 () at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Util/RemoteFilesystem.php:297
 Composer\Util\RemoteFilesystem->get() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Util/RemoteFilesystem.php:84
 Composer\Util\RemoteFilesystem->getContents() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Repository/ComposerRepository.php:601
 Composer\Repository\ComposerRepository->fetchFile() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Repository/ComposerRepository.php:415
 Composer\Repository\ComposerRepository->loadRootServerFile() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Repository/ComposerRepository.php:246
 Composer\Repository\ComposerRepository->hasProviders() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/DependencyResolver/Pool.php:99
 Composer\DependencyResolver\Pool->addRepository() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Command/InitCommand.php:565
 Composer\Command\InitCommand->getPool() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Command/InitCommand.php:601
 Composer\Command\InitCommand->findBestVersionForPackage() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Command/InitCommand.php:334
 Composer\Command\InitCommand->determineRequirements() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Command/RequireCommand.php:107
 Composer\Command\RequireCommand->execute() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Command/Command.php:256
 Symfony\Component\Console\Command\Command->run() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:838
 Symfony\Component\Console\Application->doRunCommand() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:189
 Symfony\Component\Console\Application->doRun() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Console/Application.php:147
 Composer\Console\Application->doRun() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:120
 Symfony\Component\Console\Application->run() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Console/Application.php:82
 Composer\Console\Application->run() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Command/GlobalCommand.php:80
 Composer\Command\GlobalCommand->run() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:838
 Symfony\Component\Console\Application->doRunCommand() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:189
 Symfony\Component\Console\Application->doRun() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Console/Application.php:147
 Composer\Console\Application->doRun() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Application.php:120
 Symfony\Component\Console\Application->run() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/src/Composer/Console/Application.php:82
 Composer\Console\Application->run() at phar://C:/xampp/htdocs/composer.phar/bin/composer:43
 require() at C:\xampp\htdocs\composer.phar:24`


require [--dev] [--prefer-source] [--prefer-dist] [--no-progress] [--no-update] [--update-no-dev] [--update-with-dependencies] [--ignore-platform-reqs] [--sort
packages] [-o|--optimize-autoloader] [-a|--classmap-authoritative] [--] [<packages>]...

C:\xampp\htdocs>

Answer 1

I'd start with enabling verbose output of composer, like

composer -v install

might shed some light, though not guaranteed