I set up an L2TP VPN connection. Sometimes it works for a while, until a reboot. Sometimes it does not work at all. What happens when it fails is that it seems to reset to a dial-up connection with the VPN IP address as the telephone number, and the 'Connect using' indicates 'Modem Removed - Unavailable device()'. Following a number of suggestions on the web, I have 1) Deleted all modems (I had a bluetooth modem connection and a broadband dongle connection set up - both now deleted). 2) Confirmed that I had an active Internet connection when setting up the VPN connection. 3) Confirmed that the L2TP driver is shown in Device Manager (having select 'show hidden devices') Any more detailed suggestions I have found relate to XP or Vista. Any ideas? I'm running Windows 7 Pro (64-bit)

Hi, Is there any error code when VPN connection cannot work fine? At this stage, I suggest you temporarily turn off firewall and recreate a new VPN connection via following steps. 1.Click Start button --> Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Share Center --> Click "Set up a new connection or network" under the "Change your networking settings". 2.Select " Connect to a workplace" and click Next --> Use my internet connection (VPN) --> Type the internet address and destination name in the box --> Check 'Don't connect now; just set it up so I can connect later' and click Next --> Enter your VPN username and password --> Then click the 'Create' button --> Click the 'Close' button to finish. If the issue persists, please capture the error message and upload it for research. Also, please upload the Event log. Collect Event log ========================= a. Click "Start", input "eventvwr" (without quotation marks) in the Start Search bar and press Enter. b. Right click on "Application" on the left frame, choose "Save Log file As"; in the pop-up window, click to choose the Desktop icon on the left frame, input "app" in the "File name" blank, and then click save. c. Right click on "System", with the same method, save it as "sys". d. Locate the two saved log files on the Desktop and upload them. Thanks, Novak

I am experiencing a similar problem with several laptop at the company I work for. We have a VPN connection set up for use when we need to connect remotely. This connection is supposed to be through the WAN Miniport, but at times the connection will switch to modem dial-up and set the IP address as the phone number. I have set up a second VPN identical to the first and have become further confused. Sometime both will be set up use the WAN Miniport, sometime both are Modem Dial-Up, and sometime ONE will be Modem and the other will be WAN. I have been unable to find a common cause or solution. What I have tried to re-create the problem using the following methods: I have turned off the wireless card and re-enabled it (via both command prompt and the physical switch); this works on occasion. I have restarted the computer with the physical switch on; this works on occasion. I have restarted the computer with the physical switch off; this works on occasion. I have also tried using the above methods to fix the problem...with the same results. Sometime the VPN will switch back to WAN Miniport; sometimes it will not.

Apologies for not replying earlier. For some reason I only received an alert when Lawrence_S posted. Once I have successfully configured the connection, it seems to stay OK until I reboot, and as I rarely reboot - just use 'Sleep' - the problem has not manifested itself for a while. The symptoms are as Lawrence_S describes, i.e. it seems to be completely random. Next time it happens, I'll see if anything is reported in the event log, and/or run the connection diagnostics and upload. Similar problems are reported in several places on the web, but no-one seems to have any explanation or solution. JohnH

I had this same issue, and I solved it by determining that I had an outdated credssp.dll file (I was occasionally receiving an error relating to that file). I applied the hotfix recommended in Knowledgebase article 2203302, and then recreated the connection. I have had no problems since. I know your post is old, but I'm really posting this answer so other people can try out my solution and see if it works for them. I found it on my own.