In Windows 2000 or XP Professional, why is the option to create a VPN connection unavailable?
IU Secure is the wireless network for students, faculty, and staff to access when on campus. IU Secure uses WPA2 Enterprise (Wi-Fi Protected Access) for authentication; no VPN is needed. IU Northwest will have IU Secure by spring semester 2010; it is available at all other campuses except IPFW.Note: When connecting from off campus, SSL VPN is the replacement for IU's IPsec- and PPTP-based VPN services, and UITS recommends using it now if your campus supports it. PPTP is retired at IU Bloomington and IUPUI, and IPsec VPN service at those campuses will be retired by fall 2010.
In Windows 2000 or XP Professional, if the option to create a virtual private network (VPN) connection is not available, you may not have the Remote Access Connection Manager service running. (Typically the option appears grayed out when it's not available.)
Additionally, in Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 1 (SP1) can sometimes conflict with the Remote Access Connection Manager. If you encounter problems (such as "Access denied" or "...failed to start" errors), either remove and reinstall SP1, or upgrade to the latest service pack; see What is Windows XP Service Pack 3, and how do I install it?
To determine if the Remote Access Connection Manager service is running on your computer:
- From the
Startmenu, select eitherControl Panel, orSettingsand thenControl Panel.
- Double-click
Administrative Tools, and then double-clickServices.
- Locate "Remote Access Connection Manager" in the list of
services. In the "Status" column, if the word "Started" does not
appear, the service is not running, and you will need to follow the
steps below to enable it.
Note: The Remote Access Connection Manager service depends on the Telephony service to also be running. Locate "Telephony" in the list, and see if it also shows the word "Started" under "Status". If not, you must follow these steps for that service as well.
To enable the Remote Access Connection Manager (or Telephony):
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 above to open the
Servicescontrol panel.
- Double-click
Remote Access Connection Manager(orTelephony).
- In the resulting dialog box, in the drop-down list next to
"Startup type:", choose
Automatic. (This will make the service automatically start whenever you turn on your computer.)
- In the "Service status:" section, click
Start.
- Click
OK, and then close theServicescontrol panel.
The option to create a VPN connection should now be available.
Last modified on October 12, 2009.







