I got this problem too, It is really frustrating and all the solutions to this problem are completely useless to me.
I am running windows 8, java 7u25 64 bit
I have re installed, updated, uninstalled and installed java so i cannot see the problem there.
Also the previous launcher did work perfectly and the firewall that i use allows minecraft through(and the new one too).
All the stuff about proxy server stuff i do not understand and would not like to mess around with until i am absolutely certain that it will work.
If you know the solution, have just fixed this problem or can suggest something else to help then please help. Minecraft is one of my favorite games and I can't wait to ride horses 😃 so please help!
Without enchantments on the shield, repairing it in an anvil is completely pointless in my opinion. It is so much cheaper to make a new shield (really cheap) and combine it with a new banner (also really cheap since you duplicate banner designs). Personally I would like to be able to repair a shield in a crafting menu and keep the banner on it.