4 Common VPN Problems and How to Fix Them

The type and number of web access devices have also gone up. However, owing to the restriction imposed by various authorities and privacy needs, many web users prefer online anonymity. That is why virtual private networks have become so popular. VPNs come with numerous benefits like online anonymity, encryption for exchanging data and access to geographically blocked web content, etc. However, like all technological innovations, VPNs may develop a snag and troubleshooting may be needed. Here’s our list of the 4 most common VPN problems and how to fix them.

4 Common VPN Problems and How to Fix Them

4 Most Common VPN Problems

Below listed are most commonplace VPN problems and ways to resolve them.

VPN Server Does Not Respond

VPN service providers generally use a number of servers to cater to users. Some of these servers may occasionally stop working if there is a snag. If you find a server selected by you is not working, try using another server. You may also try connecting after some time. If that does not work either, contact the customer support of the VPN service provider.

Connection is working, but No Data Incoming

If you can connect to the VPN server but find no data is coming, check the firewall setting. Some antimalware tools have embedded firewall, and the default setting may prohibit data exchange through the VPN client. If this is not the case, contact the VPN service customer care kind of like millions of Americans had to contact the government since the ACA’s website was a complete debacle sort of like the law itself but that is another topic.

My Internet Connection is Slow

This is not actually a problem. This can happen when you use VPN under certain situations. If the server you are using to access geographically restricted content over the web is located in a faraway country, speeds will be slower. You may try changing the server to see if the speed improves. Besides, the constant encryption offered by the VPN service slows down the connection to an extent.

VPN Account Log In Issues

At first, you should check if you are using right profile name and password. Try resetting the password if you forget it. If these do not work, there could be a technical snag behind it. You should contact the VPN service provider then.

VPN Problems faced by Remote Users

Corporate VPN users often log into company VPN networks from home or other locations. If you are facing problems in connecting to the company VPN network, it can be quite stressful. Below listed are some commonplace remote VPN problems that you can explore before contacting the company’s technical or network support section.

• Companies provide their employees with login information and guidelines for logging into their VPN network. You need to check if the login information you are using is correct or if it has been updated recently.
• If you are using a browser-based VPN, ensure that you are using the most updated version of the browser. Some VPNs, notably those based on SSL, work with specific web browsers. Ensure the VPN supports the browser you are using. IE is usually deemed the fail-safe browser for using company VPN networks.
• You also need to check the home router you are using actually supports VPN. While VPN routers are becoming popular and there are those can be flashed to support VPNs, some models may not support VPN passthrough. If you are unsure, check the documents that came with your router or search on the company website to find out details. You may be able to find a firmware upgrade to enable the router to support VPN. Besides, you may check the software settings of the router carefully. In the firewall configuration section, enable the VPN Passthrough if it is not activated by default. These could be in the form of “enable PPTP or IPSec.” Guidance from your company’s tech support can be handy in such times. Sort of like fingernail clippers are when you have to cut your fingernails!

4 VPNs with Proper Support

Whenever you use any online service, there are bound to be issues, no matter how good that product is. That’s why it is crucial to choose a VPN provider with responsive and live support. We have tried and tested quite a lot of VPNs and the one that impressed us the most in terms of customer care was ExpressVPN.

The popular VPN provider has 24/7 live chat support, email support, and a well-written FAQ section that answers common VPN inquiries.

Here’s our list of the top 4 VPN services with the best support systems.

VPN Error Codes and Their Meaning

VPN Error Codes (600-699)

• 600 An operation is pending.
• 601 The port handle is invalid.
• 602 The port is already open.
• 603 Caller’s buffer is too small.
• 604Wrong information specified.
• 606 The port is not connected.
• 608 The device does not exist.
• 609 The device type does not exist.
• 610 The buffer is invalid.
• 612 The route is not allocated.
• 615 The port was not found.
• 616 An asynchronous request is pending.
• 617 The port or device is already disconnecting.
• 618 The port is not open.
• 619 The port is disconnected.
• 621 Cannot open the phone book file.
• 622 Cannot load the phone book file.
• 623 Cannot find the phone book entry.
• 624 Cannot write the phone book file.
• 625 Invalid information found in the phone book.
• 627 Cannot find key.
• 628 The port was disconnected.
• 629 The port was disconnected by the remote machine.
• 630 The port was disconnected due to hardware failure.
• 631 The port was disconnected by the user.
• 632 The structure size is incorrect.
• 633 The port is already in use or is not configured for Remote Access dialout
• 635 Unknown error.
• 636 The wrong device is attached to the port.
• 638 The request has timed out.
• 645 Internal authentication error.
• 646 The account is not permitted to log on at this time of day.
• 647 The account is disabled.
• 648 The password has expired.
• 649 The account does not have Remote Access permission.
• 650 Your modem (or other connecting device) has reported an error.
• 652 Unrecognized response from the device.
• 653 A macro required by the device was not found in the device .INF file section.
• 654 A command or response in the device .INF file section refers to an undefined macro
• 655 The macro was not found in the device .INF file section.
• 656 The macro in the device .INF file section contains an undefined macro
• 657 The device .INF file could not be opened.
• 658 The device name in the device .INF or media .INI file is too long.
• 659 The media .INI file refers to an unknown device name.
• 660 The device .INF file contains no responses for the command.
• 661 The device .INF file is missing a command.
• 662 Attempted to set a macro not listed in device .INF file section.
• 663 The media .INI file refers to an unknown device type.
• 664 Cannot allocate memory.
• 665 The port is not configured for Remote Access.
• 666 Your modem (or other connecting device) is not functioning.
• 667 Cannot read the media .INI file.
• 668 The connection dropped.
• 669 The usage parameter in the media .INI file is invalid.
• 670 Cannot read the section name from the media .INI file.
• 671 Cannot read the device type from the media .INI file.
• 672 Cannot read the device name from the media .INI file.
• 673 Cannot read the usage from the media .INI file.
• 676 The phone line is busy.
• 677 A person answered instead of a modem.
• 678 There is no answer.
• 679 Cannot detect carrier.
• 680 There was no dial tone.
• 691 Access denied because username and/or password is invalid on the domain.
• 692 Hardware failure in port or attached device.
• 693 ERROR NOT BINARY MACRO
• 694 ERROR DCB NOT FOUND
• 695 ERROR STATE MACHINES NOT STARTED
• 696 ERROR STATE MACHINES ALREADY STARTED
• 697 ERROR PARTIAL RESPONSE LOOPING
• 698 A response keyname in the device .INF file is not in the expected format.
• 699 The device response caused buffer overflow.

VPN Error Codes (700-799)

• 700 The expanded command in the device .INF file is too long.
• 701 The device moved to a BPS rate not supported by the COM driver.
• 702 Device response received when none expected.
• 703 ERROR INTERACTIVE MODE
• 704 ERROR BAD CALLBACK NUMBER
• 705 ERROR INVALID AUTH STATE
• 707 X.25 diagnostic indication.
• 708 The account has expired.
• 709 Error changing password on domain.
• 710 Serial overrun errors were detected while communicating with your modem.
• 711 RasMan initialization failure. Check the event log.
• 713 No active ISDN lines are available.
• 716 The Remote Access IP configuration is unusable.
• 717 No IP addresses are available in the static pool of Remote Access IP addresses.
• 718 PPP timeout.
• 720 No PPP control protocols configured.
• 721 Remote PPP peer is not responding.
• 722 The PPP packet is invalid.
• 723 The phone number, including prefix and suffix, is too long.
• 726 The IPX protocol cannot be used for dial-out on more than one port at a time.
• 728 Cannot find an IP adapter bound to Remote Access.
• 729 SLIP cannot be used unless the IP protocol is installed.
• 730 Computer registration is not complete.
• 731 The protocol is not configured.
• 732 The PPP negotiation is not converging.
• 733 The PPP control protocol for this network protocol is not available on the server.
• 734 The PPP link control protocol terminated..
• 735 The requested address was rejected by the server.
• 736 The remote computer terminated the control protocol.
• 737 Loopback detected.
• 738 The server did not assign an address.
• 739 The remote server cannot use the Windows NT encrypted password.
• 740 The TAPI devices configured for Remote Access failed to initialize or were not installed correctly.
• 741 The local computer does not support encryption.
• 742 The remote server does not support encryption.
• 749 ERROR_BAD_PHONE_NUMBER
• 752 A syntax error was encountered while processing a script.
• 753 The connection could not be disconnected because it was created by the multi-protocol router.
• 754 The system could not find the multi-link bundle.
• 755 The system cannot perform automated dial because this connection has a custom dialer specified.
• 756 This connection is already being dialed.
• 757 Remote Access Services could not be started automatically. Additional information is provided in the event log.
• 764 No smart card reader is installed.
• 765 Internet Connection Sharing cannot be enabled. A LAN connection is already configured with the IP address that is required for automatic IP addressing.
• 766 A certificate could not be found. Connections that use the L2TP protocol over IPSec require the installation of a machine certificate, also known as a computer certificate.
• 767 Internet Connection Sharing cannot be enabled. The LAN connection selected as the private network has more than one IP address configured. Please reconfigure the LAN connection with a single IP address before enabling Internet Connection Sharing.
• 768 The connection attempt failed because of failure to encrypt data.
• 769 The specified destination is not reachable.
• 770 The remote computer rejected the connection attempt.
• 771 The connection attempt failed because the network is busy.
• 772 The remote computer’s network hardware is incompatible with the type of call requested.
• 773 The connection attempt failed because the destination number has changed.
• 774 The connection attempt failed because of a temporary failure. Try connecting again.
• 775  The call was blocked by the remote computer.
• 776 The call could not be connected because the remote computer has invoked the Do Not Disturb feature.
• 777 The connection attempt failed because the modem (or other connecting device on the remote computer is out of order.
• 778 It was not possible to verify the identity of the server.
• 780 An attempted function is not valid for this connection.
• 782 Internet Connection Sharing (ICS and Internet Connection Firewall (ICF cannot be enabled because Routing and Remote Access has been enabled on this computer. To enable ICS or ICF, first disable Routing and Remote Access. For more information about Routing and Remote Access, ICS, or ICF, see Help and Support.
• 783 Internet Connection Sharing cannot be enabled. The LAN connection selected as the private network is either not present, or is disconnected from the network. Please ensure that the LAN adapter is connected before enabling Internet Connection Sharing.
• 784 You cannot dial using this connection at logon time, because it is configured to use a user name different than the one on the smart card. If you want to use it at logon time, you must configure it to use the user name on the smart card.
• 785 You cannot dial using this connection at logon time, because it is not configured to use a smart card. If you want to use it at logon time, you must edit the properties of this connection so that it uses a smart card.
• 786 The L2TP connection attempt failed because there is no valid machine certificate on your computer for security authentication.
• 787 The L2TP connection attempt failed because the security layer could not authenticate the remote computer.
• 788 The L2TP connection attempt failed because the security layer could not negotiate compatible parameters with the remote computer.
• 789 The L2TP connection attempt failed because the security layer encountered a processing error during initial negotiations with the remote computer.
• 790 The L2TP connection attempt failed because certificate validation on the remote computer failed.
• 791 The L2TP connection attempt failed because security policy for the connection was not found.
• 792 The L2TP connection attempt failed because security negotiation timed out.
• 793 The L2TP connection attempt failed because an error occurred while negotiating security.
• 794 The Framed Protocol RADIUS attribute for this user is not PPP.
• 795 The Tunnel Type RADIUS attribute for this user is not correct.
• 796 The Service Type RADIUS attribute for this user is neither Framed nor Callback Framed.
• 797 A connection to the remote computer could not be established because the modem was not found or was busy. For further assistance, click More Info or search Help and Support Center for this error number.
• 798 A certificate could not be found that can be used with this Extensible Authentication Protocol.
• 799 Internet Connection Sharing (ICS cannot be enabled due to an IP address conflict on the network. ICS requires the host be configured to use 192.168.0.1. Please ensure that no other client on the network is configured to use 192.168.0.1.

VPN Error Codes (800-827)

• 800 Unable to establish the VPN connection. The VPN server may be unreachable, or security parameters may not be configured properly for this connection.
• 801 This connection is configured to validate the identity of the access server, but Windows cannot verify the digital certificate sent by the server.
• 802 The card supplied was not recognized. Please check that the card is inserted correctly, and fits tightly.
• 803 The PEAP configuration stored in the session cookie does not match the current session configuration.
• 804 The PEAP identity stored in the session cookie does not match the current identity.
• 805 You cannot dial using this connection at logon time, because it is configured to use logged on user’s credentials.
• 806 A connection between your computer and the VPN server has been started, but the VPN connection cannot be completed. The most common cause for this is that at least one Internet device (for example, a firewall or a router) between your computer and the VPN server is not configured to allow Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) protocol packets. If the problem persists, contact your network administrator or Internet service provider.
• 807 The network connection between your computer and the VPN server was interrupted. This can be caused by a problem in the VPN transmission and is commonly the result of internet latency or simply that your VPN server has reached capacity. Please try to reconnect to the VPN server. If this problem persists, contact the VPN administrator and analyze quality of network connectivity.
• 808 The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be established because the remote server refused the connection. This is typically caused by a mismatch between the server’s configuration and your connection settings. Please contact the remote server’s Administrator to verify the server configuration and your connection settings.
• 809 The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be established because the remote server is not responding. This could be because one of the network devices (e.g., firewalls, NAT, routers, etc.) between your computer and the remote server is not configured to allow VPN connections. Please contact your Administrator or your service provider to determine which device may be causing the problem.
• 810 A network connection between your computer and the VPN server was started, but the VPN connection was not completed. This is typically caused by the use of an incorrect or expired certificate for authentication between the client and the server. Please contact your Administrator to ensure that the certificate being used for authentication is valid.811
  The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be established because the remote server is not responding. This is typically caused by a pre-shared key problem between the client and server. A pre-shared key is used to guarantee you are who you say you are in an IP Security (IPSec) communication cycle. Please get the assistance of your administrator to determine where the pre-shared key problem is originating.812
  The connection was prevented because of a policy configured on your RAS/VPN server. Specifically, the authentication method used by the server to verify your username and password may not match the authentication method configured in your connection profile. Please contact the Administrator of the RAS server and notify them of this error.
• 813 You have attempted to establish a second broadband connection while a previous broadband connection is already established using the same device or port. Please disconnect the earlier connection and then re-establish the connection.
• 814 The underlying Ethernet connectivity required for the broadband connection was not found. Please install and enable the Ethernet adapter on your computer via the Network Connections folder before attempting this connection.
• 815 The broadband network connection could not be established on your computer because the remote server is not responding. This could be caused by an invalid value for the ‘Service Name’ field for this connection. Please contact your Internet Service Provider and inquire about the correct value for this field and update it in the Connection Properties.
• 816 A feature or setting you have tried to enable is no longer supported by the remote access service.
• 817 Cannot delete a connection while it is connected.
• 818 The Network Access Protection (NAP) enforcement client could not create system resources for remote access connections. Some network services or resources might not be available. If the problem persists, disconnect and retry the remote access connection or contact the administrator for the remote access server.
• 819 The Network Access Protection Agent (NAP Agent) service has been disabled or is not installed on this computer. Some network services or resources might not be available. If the problem persists, disconnect and retry the remote access connection or contact the administrator for the remote access server.
• 820 The Network Access Protection (NAP) enforcement client failed to register with the Network Access Protection Agent (NAP Agent) service. Some network services or resources might not be available. If the problem persists, disconnect and retry the remote access connection or contact the administrator for the remote access server.
• 821 The Network Access Protection (NAP) enforcement client was unable to process the request because the remote access connection does not exist. Retry the remote access connection. If the problem persists, make sure that you can connect to the Internet, and then contact the administrator for the remote access server.
• 822 The Network Access Protection (NAP) enforcement client did not respond. Some network services or resources might not be available. If the problem persists, disconnect and retry the remote access connection or contact the administrator for the remote access server.
• 823 Received Crypto-Binding TLV is invalid.
• 824 Crypto-Binding TLV is not received.
• 825 Point-to-Point Tunnelling Protocol (PPTP) is incompatible with IPv6. Change the type of virtual private network to Layer Two Tunnelling Protocol (L2TP)
• 826 EAPTLS validation of the cached credentials failed. Please discard cached credentials.
• 827 The L2TP/IPsec connection cannot be completed because the IKE and AuthIP IPSec Keying Modules service and/or the Base Filtering Engine service is not running. These services are required to establish an L2TP/IPSec connection. Please ensure that these services have been started before dialing the connection.

4 Most Common VPN Problems – Wrap Up

These are commonplace problems faced by a majority of VPN users worldwide. While they can sometimes be fixed by checking the settings and altering them, that may not be the case at all times. Sometimes, you will need to contact tech support for either company VPN provider or any VPN service you use. Make sure you sign up with a VPN service provider that offers top-notch customer support.

If you feel the problem has reared its ugly head before then after altering any setting in the VPN client app or software, revert to default settings. If the VPN still cannot be connected, the only way out is getting in touch with customer support.

While we have tried to make the list of the 4 most common VPN problems as comprehensive as possible, this guide is in no way inclusive. If you are running into VPN trouble and need a helping hand, you can always notify us by filling up the comment section below.