Minecraft 1.8.8 fails when connecting via Direct Connect
Solution 1:
Response
There are multiple complicated reasons for this, so, let me give you a few likely solutions instead of explaining.
1. Completely disable any other Firewalls you may have installed (Norton, Avira, Bitdefender, etc.).
2. This one requires a bit of trial and error. Check Windows Firewall, and make sure Javaw.exe, Java.exe, is allowed through. First, enable home, test it, disable home, test it, enable public, test it, and enable both, test it.
3. If your network reads
Public, or shows a image of a bench, change your network to Home network. If it reads Home, or shows a picture of a house, do the opposite. After this, repeat step 2.
I hope I helped.