[78savette]

I'll try to make this short asp, last Sept I changed Insurance agencies and our IT guy (yea, we pay him $90 an hour, btw-I'm not impressed) hooked my Laptop up with a VPN so I can access our company files and programs through it remotedly (I office out of my house but realistcly do not use the VPN much, less than 5% of my useage), before that I use my computer alot (searching for parts, PY, Ta Country, Ebay, ect.) with no issues and never had a "Dial up box appear", "connect to the internet", and the "VPN box popping up wanting me to connect to the VPN when I'm not using the VPN (sometimes all 3 at the same time, others just one) quite a bit when I go to a website, never experience these issues prior and he summized it was my outdated HP, I recently purchase a fairly decent Campaq and went a month or so with no issues, then he installed the VPN connection and its doing it again, I am not using the VPN but when I connect to say PY (even though my two computer Icon in the corner says I have connection, both local and public), sometimes I can not connect to my website at all, BTW-I found that the work offline sometime when I've having the issuesand sometimes fixes it, why does this all of the sudden get checked?) I'll unmark it but few minutes lates when it says it can't connect again (keep in mind, I'm not trying to get on the VPN) the work offline is checked again. There's gotta be a solution to this, the guy we pay $90 and hour can't help me, anybody else have any siggestion, I'm not smart enough to figure out what is is but am figuring its a set up issue not marked correctly or not installed correctly.
I know its kinda technical, or maybe not, could be a simple setting. Thought I'd see if any knew about this or had any experience with this and could help. Thx for reading the long post, I've aske alot of pepole that can't fdigure out, its a hassle though!

[jal]

78savette,
I may be able to help but, with not being in front of the machine, in can be difficult.
1) what O/S is the system?
2) Is the VPN setup through the O/S or, is it a 3rd party app like Cisco?
3) Do you connect the VPN via the Internet or, does it want a phone line (shouldn't)?
4) Where did the consultant get his info for the VPN? I'm assuming someone at your company had to provide him IP addresses and such so he knows where the VPN is connecting to??

A VPN connection is just an encrypted secure tunnel to pass data through. It should be a connection that is available when needed. It should not prompt to be connected automatically.

If you can get me the info, we may be able to work through it, however, if you're paying this guy $90/hour, I would definitely make him earn his money and make the solution work properly. There are NO excuses here.
Hell, if he can't figure it out, he's not worth the cash. At a minimum, if he's exhausted all his knowledge, he should be opening a case with Microsoft (I'm assuming Windows O/S) on his dime, to have what HE implemented work to your satisfaction.

JMHO - Hope that helps.

joe

PS I'm not online all the time so, if you get me the info, please be patient... Thanks...

[78savette]

Thx for your reply jal,

1) Operating System is Vista (Compaq CQ60-224).

2) Not sure, I know I connect by clicking on my 2 computer icon in the corner and the VPN pops up as my first network, I can ask tomorrow or if there is another way to figure it out.

3) Via the internet (I have a cable connection with a Linksys w/less G router), always wireless.

4) yea, he takes care of our servers, ect. at work so he has the address, when we first did it with my prior lt he did it over the phone (took us a couple of hours), with this one he came to my house.

I aprreciate your help/info, don't spend alot of time on it though, if its something simple I'd love to be able to fix it, if not I can bug him some more and probably get it handled, but I have several times (I think he just doesn't think its a big deal, but it is a hassle for me to have the "connect to vpn" or the "dial up" and even to have to go unchecking the work offline when I'm on the net).

Thx again, David C.

BTW-I 100% agree with making him earn his money, my boss thinks he's OK but I'm not impressed, the guy acts like its my computer but its funny how it never happpened with either computer till he set the VPN up.

[jal]

78savette,
I looked into this on my laptop and, I'm not sure that I can do much without being in front of your system.
I set up a quick VPN from my laptop (Vista) to work and, it's pretty straight forward concerning the connection.
It should only connect if you instruct it to connect.
If you look at the attachment I included, make sure that the box labeled "Dial another connection first" is not checked. It may try to connect to the Internet if this is checked if it doesn't think there is a valid connection.
If you right click on the VPN connection and click on "Properties" you'll see the box in the attachment.

I'm not sure what you mean about your 2 Computer icon??
The VPN should really be quite simple and, should only connect when you tell it to.
Your IT guy should really get this right for you.

If you can send me a few screen shots of how it was set up, we may be able to sort it out.

joe

[bastard]

Originally Posted by jal

I'm not sure what you mean about your 2 Computer icon??

In XP there is an icon in the notification area (bottom right) for wired network connection that looks like 2 monitors, one in front of the other. When it's not connected there is a red X on the icon. Vista is the same by default unless someone has changed it, the icons just look a little different.

It sounds to me like your IT guy is overpaid and underqualified.
VPN should be on-demand only.
I've heard of a lot of IE users having this same issue without having a VPN.
The ones I have seen have a setting wrong in their "Internet Properties". For some reason there is a box checked for proxy server in their LAN settings but they have never set up a proxy server, or if they did they didn't know what they were doing.

I would open Control Panel > Internet Options > Connections tab > In the box check the settings for your VPN, make sure it doesn't say anything like "dial... (anything)". Same way with the setting below the box, it should have selected "Never dial a connection".
Check the LAN settings to see if there is a proxy server address listed. If there is no proxy address listed, you should uncheck the box (if it is checked) next to "Use a proxy server... ".

Like has been stated, it's tough to troubleshoot without looking at it to see how your VPN was (mis)configured. Maybe you would be interested in letting Joe do a remote assistance connection to look directly in your machine? I would offer to do it, but it sounds like Joe has a lot more networking experience than I do.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...t/viafile.mspx

Or,
you could simply delete the VPN, walk it over to IT, tell him to set it up correctly this time, and then watch how he does it to see where he goes astray.

[78savette]

Thx guys for the help, our IT guy (along with another IT guy who left the state) put our system together a few years ago and we use him on a subcontract basis when we need him, I think just cause he knows our system, but no one in the office is very impressed with him.
Anyway, jal, I right clicked on the VPN conn. and the "dial another conn." box isn't checked. But.... I also right clicked on my wireless conn. and it has 2 boxes checked under connection, "connect automaticly when this network is in range" and "connect to a more preferred network if available", which I'm thinking is why the VPN box keeps coming up, the VPN is listed first in my list of networks, so I unchecked the 2cd one.
I do not have anything in my LAN settings or boxes checked, but.... just as bastard (not a nice name to call someone after they helped you, lol) was thinking, in my connections tab, below the box, "dial whenever a network conn. is not present" is checked, I checked never dial so that should get rid of my dial up box as well.

email to boss "Bossman, please send the IT guys next check to jal and bastard."

Thx again guys, DC

[jal]

Alright,
Sounds like we made some decent progress here.
You know, I didn't even think about the Internet Options, connections tab

Bastard - Good call.

Generally, you're not going to use those type settings unless you're using a modem. Since you stated you're using cable for Internet connection, I gave you're IT guy too much credit. There is no need for those settings with a broadband connection that are used today.

I think you may be good to go now.
Give us an update after a couple of days to let us know if it works like it should.

joe

[78savette]

Havn't seen either box since I changed the settings, thx guys, makes things alot easier.