VPN can connect but cannot VNC or RDP?

Question

I am running Windows XP Professional SP3 on my Dell laptop.

I use a VPN to connect to my work network to work remotely and control the computers and servers etc. I am connecting at home from an O2 Broadband router (Thompson) which I have access to the admin panel.

I can sucessfully connect to the VPN and get an IP address on the work network. However, I cannot RDP or VNC any of the computers.

I have made sure that the ports are pointing to my laptop using the routers application sharing options, I have turned the laptop and router firewall off aswell. Still no luck.

Pointing the ports at a Win7 laptop allows the VPN to work as expected straight away. Just not on the Windows XP machine for some reason.

I am connecting via WiFi on both laptops.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

It sounds like the machines which you are experiencing difficulties connecting to (the hosts) are on the internal network via wireless connections.

If so, wireless connections can be difficult for hosts, possibly due to the wireless timing. They are typically expected to be utilized as clients requesting information/data instead of hosts serving as such.

You might be able to "better" their performance by setting up continuous traffic from those wireless end-points to the border (NAT) router (e.g. ping). That may help the situation, but there is also a chance that it simply will not work reliably.

Answer 2

if I understand what you say, the problem gives you in Windows XP and not Windows 7, you have any antivirus on your computer with Windows XP? If you, look if have's a personal firewall, and I can suggest too to check the firewall log on you remote office, meaby it's blocking the connection from your windows xp for some reason, I need more information about your configuration, regards.