KB

VPN Connection Issues in Windows Vista when using Wireless

Problem

When attempting to connect to a VPN in Windows Vista, by going to the Start menu and then "Connect To", you get the message: "This connection requires an active Internet connection". This problem seems to occur mostly when connected to a wireless network.

Cause

Do you have Adobe Photoshop CS3 (or some other Adobe product, eg. Photoshop Elements)? The Apple "Bonjour" printing service may fix the issue.

Resolution

  1. Look for "Bonjour" in Add/Remove programs, it may not be there though.
  2. Look for "C:\Program Files\Bonjour" - if you have this folder then it's a good chance that this is your problem.
  3. In regedit, look for "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\Bonjour Service" (or search for "mdnsresponder.exe") and take note of the "Display Name" entry - mine was "##Id_String1.6844F930_1628_4223_B5CC_5BB94B879762##"
  4. Look for this display name in services.msc - disable it and your VPN issues should be fixed.