Migrating to a new operating system can be tricky, with some special “gotchas” for various applications. While Microsoft has done a great job in minimizing driver changes that can impact application and hardware compatibility, there are always some exceptions. One particularly problematic piece of software for me has always been Cisco’s AnyConnect VPN client. I rely on it for connecting to my clients’ networks and, for the most part, it works well on Windows 7.
The Problem
While testing the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, though, I ran into some problems. While the standard x64 installer for the client seemed to work properly, the client would automatically disconnect after authenticating with the VPN server. I’d receive the following error message:
Secure VPN Connection terminated locally by the Client.
Reason 442: failed to enable Virtual Adapter
The Solution
Thanks to some really helpful posts online (references below), I found that the solution was to make a minor change to the Registry. First, using RegEdit, find the following Registry path:
KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CVirtA
You should see a key called “DisplayName”. Simply change its value by removing the unnecessary characters at the beginning of the name. In my case, I was left with “Cisco Systems VPN Adapter for 64-bit Windows”, and everything worked fine when I tried to connect again. It’s a strange bug (and one that I wish was better documented), but I have been up and running after this change on three different computers.
If you’re unfamiliar with editing the Registry (and the inherent dangers therein), the below links will provide more details).
Update for Windows 8 Release Preview:
The above Registry path on my most recent installation seems to have changed; on my primary computer, the correct path is:
KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vpnva
Fortunately, the DisplayName key change worked fine for me.
Other Options
The Cisco AnyConnect VPN client seems to be aging, and support is difficult to come by unless you have a Cisco support account. Fortunately, there are other third-party commercial and freeware alternatives. It has been a while since I’ve used any of them, but one that I see mentioned often is the VPN Client for Windows from Shrew.net. Feel free to post a comment if you’ve had any experiences (good or bad) with VPN alternatives.
#1 by Mahendar on July 23, 2012 - 9:30 am
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Thanks a lot man. It really worked perfectly.
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#2 by Arun Guggilam on August 23, 2012 - 2:16 pm
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It worked, thank you so much.
#3 by Roman D. Boiko on August 25, 2012 - 5:10 am
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On RTM it is CVirtA again.
#4 by ws on September 12, 2012 - 6:57 am
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Its worked, thank you so much!
#5 by Rajesh on October 27, 2012 - 7:09 am
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Thanks a lot. perfect solution,i hv been struggling to resolve this issue…
Thx
#6 by Nathan on October 31, 2012 - 9:46 am
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This issue does not resolve attempting to connect with anyconnect wirelessly.
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/security/vpn_client/anyconnect/anyconnect31/release/notes/anyconnect31rn.html#wp1095456
AnyConnect 3.0.10055 and later versions (including the latest version of AnyConnect, version 3.1.01065), function on Windows 8 32-bit and Windows 8 64-bit operating systems, though there are some limitations.
Limitations to AnyConnect Support for Windows 8
•Windows 8 Professional prevents VPN tunnels from being established over a wireless network connection by ignoring the route established from AnyConnect to the secure gateway. Microsoft is tracking this issue with case number 112100365408913. Cisco is tracking this issue with defect number CSCuc00047. AnyConnect will not be able to create a VPN tunnel over a wireless network connection on Windows 8 Professional until Microsoft resolves its open case.
Workarounds:
–When using Windows 8 Professional, establish the VPN tunnel using a wired network connection.
–Upgrade to Windows 8 Enterprise.
•AnyConnect Web Security module is not supported on Windows 8.
•The VPN feature, Split-DNS, is not supported on Windows 8.
•AnyConnect is not integrated with the new UI framework, written in the Metro design language, that is deployed on Windows 8; however, AnyConnect does run on Windows 8 in desktop mode.
•You will not be able to write a Host Scan prelogin policy that tests for Windows 8 on the endpoint.
•You will not be able to write a dynamic access policy that tests for Windows 8 on the endpoint.
•Machine authentication using machine passwords or machine certificates is not working on Windows 8.
•AnyConnect is not supported on Windows RT. There are no APIs provided in the operating system to provide this functionality. Cisco has an open request with Microsoft on this topic. Customers who want this functionality should contact Microsoft to express their interest.
Guidance on Full AnyConnect Support for Windows 8
•We anticipate providing additional support for Windows 8 in AnyConnect 3.0.11 and AnyConnect 3.1.2 which are due to be released by the end of November 2012.
#7 by Fla on November 1, 2012 - 3:02 am
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Thank you so much i was getting crazy for this problem
#8 by Frans on December 12, 2012 - 2:38 pm
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Thanks, solution to change the name in KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vpnva works perfect. So simple 🙂
#9 by Tina on December 27, 2012 - 5:56 pm
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I can get to my registry but I don’t have vpnva or CVirta. I just got a brand new Samsung computer with Windows 8 64 bit. Is there another place in the registry it could be?
#10 by Anil Desai on December 27, 2012 - 6:13 pm
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Tina: In the various builds of Windows 8 that I’ve used (all x64, including pre-release), I’ve been able to find the value in either of those two keys. One guess is that this might be version-specific. I’m using “Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client Version 2.4.0202” (one of my client’s requires it and hasn’t upgraded), and it works fine on all of my O/S’s (Win7 and Win8 x64). You might have to search the Cisco KB with the version number to try to find some help. Good luck! – Anil
#11 by Don on March 18, 2014 - 10:10 am
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I am getting this “AnyConnect was not able to establish a connection to the specified secure gateway. Please try connecting again” error after clicking the “accept” button and about to initialize VPN. I am using VPN 2.5.1025 Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client. Windows 8. 64x. Does anybody knows or encounter this problem and solved it? Thanks for any response and solution.