VPN blocked?

[vm1]

A bit of a long shot, but is it possible that router settings could affect VPN access?

A couple of days ago the latest Windows (10) updates were installed on my PC, and now after a restart, I am unable to log in to my VPN. I can't even get the login screen to load.

The question only came up because when I asked for help from the VPN provider, the stated that:

"It seems Login Api is being blocked on your network."

I don't have access to another network, or mobile data source, so have been unable see if that helps.

[用心棒]

Either:

• turn off Virgin Media's Essential Security service, read more here How to stay safe online with Essential Security | Virgin Media Help
• manually set device's to use an alternative DNS to bypass Essential Security service. For example Setup guides | Quad9

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[vm1]

Thanks for replying, however I've never used VM's Essential security.
A useful reminder on changing DNS servers though. Windows does like to keep these things well hidden.

[用心棒]

By default Essential Security (previously known as Web Safe) is on. 

Does the nslookup command show the same result for the VPN site? For example, following returns different IP Addresses for Proton's VPN site:

nslookup protonvpn.com
Server:		192.168.71.1
Address:	192.168.71.1#53

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:	protonvpn.com
Address: 81.99.162.48
Name:	protonvpn.com
Address: 2a02:8801:200:1::1

and:

nslookup protonvpn.com 9.9.9.9
Server:		9.9.9.9
Address:	9.9.9.9#53

Non-authoritative answer:
Name:	protonvpn.com
Address: 185.159.159.140

The latter is correct and the former is result of  Essential Security blocking access.

[vm1]

[用心棒]

Essential Security is misreporting its status if nslookup protonvpn.com is return an IP Address of 81.99.162.48 (lang-sspiprxy.network.virginmedia.net); misreporting has been flagged to the forum team who are best placed to help resolve this.

Did the issue persist after manually setting DNS to Quad9 on a device?

[Client62]

Given a failure occurs post a Windows 10 update, perhaps this is not a VM issue.

It would help to see a screen shot of the VPN error.

It would help to know if this is a website based VPN that can not be assessed via a web browser,
or if it is an installed VPN application that has been damaged by the Windows 10 update.

[vm1]

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@Client62 wrote:

Given a failure occurs post a Windows 10 update, perhaps this is not a VM issue.

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I thought the first few words of the OP made that clear. I haven't a clue, so am just asking around places that may be able to help.

@Client62 wrote:

It would help to see a screen shot of the VPN error.

The only error to show is that the login screen doesn't load

It just hangs, with the endless Windows cog rotating(the 4 dots in the centre of the image)

@Client62 wrote:

It would help to know if this is a website based VPN that can not be assessed via a web browser,
or if it is an installed VPN application that has been damaged by the Windows 10 update.

The VPN (purevpn) is a stand-alone app. There are also browser add-ons available, which still work, but it's not available on my preferred browser.

I still suspect the latest W10 updates are somehow connected to the issue, but if so, I'll just have to wait and hope they do something that fixes the issue. As it was a forced update, not giving me the usual 'out of hours update' option, the system may not have shut down normally, causing unknown issues.

As for the VPN itself, after posing the question to them, their tech team spent almost 2 hours on my pc (Teamviewer) testing the app & trying to find the cause. Unfortunately they couldn't find the issue.

I have now managed to update one of my old laptops, and successfully installed & run the VPN, so at least I know it's a local issue. I'm happy enough with the setup for now, but if the VPN doesn't start working again, I can still try re-installing Windows 10, or even moving on to Windows 11. That would hopefully 'dislodge' whatever is causing the blockage.

[newapollo]

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@vm1 wrote:

I still suspect the latest W10 updates are somehow connected to the issue, but if so, I'll just have to wait and hope they do something that fixes the issue. As it was a forced update, not giving me the usual 'out of hours update' option, the system may not have shut down normally, causing unknown issues.

I have now managed to update one of my old laptops, and successfully installed & run the VPN, so at least I know it's a local issue. I'm happy enough with the setup for now, but if the VPN doesn't start working again, I can still try re-installing Windows 10, or even moving on to Windows 11. That would hopefully 'dislodge' whatever is causing the blockage.

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Have you tried using the sfc /scannow command to check for and repair possible corrupt windows system files?

/howtogeek/repair-corrupted-windows-system-files-with-the-sfc-and-dism-commands/ 

[legacy1]

windows does go wrong sometimes so let rip and reinstall