Create VPN connection results in Dial-up connection

Running Windows Vista Ultimate, I create a VPN connection - 'Connect to a
workplace'. I choose to 'Use my Internet Connection (VPN), and I enter the
Internet address and assign a name to the connection. (I have used this
method of creating VPN connection on other Windows Vista machines with no
problems.)

Once the connection has been created, on going into Manage Network
Connections, the connection is visible in the list, but it says 'Unavailable
- device missing'. Under Properties - Connect Using, it reads, 'Modem Removed
- Unavailable device ()' and the IP address has been entered into the Phone
Number box.

Does anyone know of a workaround for this problem?

It seems that this problem could be to do with the fact that within this
Windows the connection to the Internet is 'Not conencted', even though it
works fine.

Can anyone suggest a way of convincing Windows Vista that the Internet
connection is actually working?

The case is finally 'solved'. After trying several measures including all the
suggestions above, I resolved to contact Microsoft Technical Support. After
recognising that this was due to a problem with Windows Vista, rather than a
configuration issue, they agreed to give us a 'grace call', meaning that the
technical assistance would be provided free of charge. It was observed by the
Microsoft engineers that our Windows Vista OS was suffering from multiple
failures and they advised us to reinstall the OS on the machine. This I have
now done, and the machine is behaving much better and I have created the VPN
connection in the usual way and it works fine now. A slightly disappointing
result in that we haven't learnt anything about Windows Vista, but good in
that we are now operation again.

For those of you who still have this issue, I hope this conclusion helps you.

Thanks for all your contributons and suggestions to this posting.

[naydencho]

I have the exact same problem with a Windows 7 Ultimate installation on a laptop. There was nothing new installed, it just started throwing the errors one day...

Here is what I have found so far, maybe someone else will have a lightbulb moment... I will start backwards:

It seems VPN connections fail with a 797 error
If I open the properties of the VPN connection I see a "Modem Removed- Unavailable device ()" in the Connect using: box. The FQDN/IP of the VPN server is in the Phone number: box for me as well.
At one point I was able to delete the connection and re-create it and the new, working connection was stable for a few hours, through a couple of reboots. Then it crapped out. Now I am not even able to do the "delete/recreate" thing anymore.

One other thing I noticed (and this may be key) - in Device Manager, if I choose "View --> Show hidden devices", under "Non-Plug and PLay Drivers" I have NDProxy with a yellow exclamation sign. NDProxy, according to MS is "a system-provided driver that interfaces NDISWAN and CoNDIS WAN drivers (WAN miniport drivers, call managers, and miniport call managers) to the TAPI services" - see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa938462.aspx

It has been linked to quite a few slow boot, BSOD and other issues with Vista. Nothing (so far) with W7.

So.... ANY ideas? I am a few frustrating hours away from setting up something else for VPN and just chucking RRAS... :(

[naydencho]

Interesting observation/progress (not sure if it is a solution, yet)...

As I stated before, the NDProxy Non-Plug and Play Driver in Device Manager shows as "This device is not started... because some if its drivers are missing..." or something to that effect (I can't tell you the exact text now, because I _THINK_ I fixed it, at least temporarily).

If you go to the second tab (Driver) and look at the Current Status section, it says it is Stopped. You have the option to start it. Do that and then reboot. After the reboot the device is no longer with an exclamation icon (i.e. it started OK) and it shows Started in the Current Status.

If you try to create a new VPN connection, it works fine - connects and everything... :) It seems to stay after a reboot too.

Now the thing is... It sort of did that before, although back then I simply deleted the old VPN connection (thinking it got corrupt somehow) and re-created it - no device starting, no reboots. So let's see if this sticks... Stand by...