Windows API error 5 Access denied

I have MikTex 2.9 and Windows 8 running on a HP laptop.  When I try to use
"package manager" or "update MikteX" I get the above error message.  Both
require MikTeX to go to the MikTeX website, so I conclude I am being frozen
out of the site.  Does anyone have any ideas as to what to try first?  (I
am a registered MikTeX user, so that is not the problem.)
      Manually download?   I must be unpacking in the wrong root directory,
because I get (different) error messages when I try that.  In any case
package manager and update sound like "Downloading for Idiots", so maybe I
should try to get that to work first.
     Thanks
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