Fixing Cisco VPN Client BSOD on Windows XP
Recently, after working some time without any problems, my Cisco VPN Client started again to cause bluescreens when connecting to a VPN server. This hiccup was already present when my mobile computer was brand new and I tried a lot of stuff but in the end the problem went away when I had to re-setup my computer for another reason.
But now it had reappeared. The only thing I could think of which could have caused this was that I had installed a lot of updates for my HP mobile workstation and a lot of Windows updates.
I then started again into the world wide web to find a solution while hoping that someone found a solution to my problem in the meantime. And indeed, this posting solved my problem. It works by disabling the (hidden) vsdatant device in the device manager.
- open the device manager
- select devices by connection from the view menu
- select show hidden devices, again from the view menu
- now in the devices list scroll down to the bottom until you find the vsdatant entry
- right-click and disable the device
- you'll be presented with a reboot-request, which you should accept before trying to connect to a VPN now
I do not know exactly what this vsdatant device is for but from hints in the internet it seems to be connected to the TrueVector (or stateful) firewall, which is included in the Cisco VPN Client. As I do not need this (or know someone who does) and furthermore found no articles in the net indicating further problems with a deactivated vsdatant I consider the case solved for me now.