Connect to a L2TP/IPSEC VPN in Windows 7

This article will show you how to configure your Windows 7 to connect to a VPN based on L2TP/IPSEC.

Configure the VPN

Steps:

1-Click on Start, select Control Panel, “View network status and tasks”. This will open the “Network and Sharing Center” window.

2-Select “Set up a new connection or network”.

3-Select the connection type “Connect to a workplace”.

4-If there are other networks listed, select “No, create a new connection”. If there are no other networks listed, skip this step.

5-Select “Use my Internet connection (VPN)”.

6a-For “Internet address”, enter the IP address or hostname of the VPN you are connecting to.
6b-For “Destination name”, enter a friendly name such as “VPN to example office”.
6c-Place a check in “Don’t connect now, just set it up so I can connect later” box.
6d-Select Next.

7-Enter the provided username and password. Click Create.

8-Select Close to close this window.

9-Click on Start, select Control Panel, “View network status and tasks”. This will open the “Network and Sharing Center” window. Select “Change adapter settings”.

10-Find the adapter with the friendly name you specified in step 6b. Right-click this adapter and select Properties.

11-Select the Options tab. Uncheck the “Include Windows domain name” option.

12a-Select the Security tab. Change the “Type of VPN” dropdown to “Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol with IPsec (L2TP/IPSec)”.
12b-Under the “Allow these protocols” section, uncheck everything but “Microsoft CHAP Version 2 (MS-CHAP v2)”.

13-While still on the security tab, click the “Advanced settings” button.

14-In the “Advanced Properties” window, choose the first option of “Use preshared key for authentication”. Enter the provided Key in the “Key:” field. It is recommend that you copy and paste this key.

Connect to the VPN

1-Click on Start, select Control Panel, “View network status and tasks”. This will open the “Network and Sharing Center” window. Select “Connect to a network”. NOTE: If you can locate the Network icon on the taskbar (at the bottom right of your screen, near your clock), you can click the Network icon to quickly move to step 2.

2-Find the VPN you configured and select “Connect”.

3-Enter your provided username and password. Leave the domain field blank if applicable.

You are now connected to the VPN.

Disconnect from the VPN

1-Click on Start, select Control Panel, “View network status and tasks”. This will open the “Network and Sharing Center” window. Select “Connect to a network”. NOTE: If you can locate the Network icon on the taskbar (at the bottom right of your screen, near your clock), you can click the Network icon to quickly move to step 2.

2-Find the VPN you configured and select “Disconnect”.