One of the most common problems affecting a Microsoft Windows-based virtual private network is VPN error 619: “A connection to the remote computer could not be established.” On some older VPN servers, the error message says “port was offline”.
What causes VPN error 619?
When the computer tries to establish a new connection to a VPN server or when it is suddenly disconnected from an active VPN session, this error message appears. The Windows VPN client starts the connection process and then pauses at the “verify username and password” step for several seconds before the 619 message appears.
Different types of VPN clients can experience this error, including those that use Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol.
How to fix VPN error 619
To remove the error, try one of the three solutions:
- If there are two or more VPN clients installed on the computer, make sure only one is running. Check if there are applications running and also Windows services. Restart your computer if necessary to make sure all other applications are stopped.
- Firewalls and antivirus programs may be running that block access to the VPN ports. Temporarily disable these programs to fix problems.
- Try other standard repair and troubleshooting steps. Reboot the client computer. Delete and reinstall the VPN client configuration settings. Find another computer that has a working configuration to compare the network settings to the computer that is working correctly, looking for any differences.
Intermittent network connectivity can cause 619 errors that do not reappear when you restart the client.
Other related VPN error codes
Other types of VPN failures can occur that appear similar to VPN error 619:
- VPN Error 645 : “There was an internal authentication error” occurs on older versions of Windows (including Windows XP) when username or password issues prevent login. People often cause this error by entering the wrong password on the client or by turning on password encryption.
- VPN error 800: “Unable to establish VPN connection.” The VPN 800 error indicates that the client cannot reach the destination VPN server through the network, but it does not indicate why or when. In contrast, the 619 error only occurs after the client reaches the server and tries to complete the connection process. Users can trigger this error by specifying an invalid VPN server name, for example.
- VPN error 809 : “The network connection between your computer and the VPN server could not be established because the remote server is not responding.” Clients report VPN error 809 if their attempts to communicate with the server are unsuccessful and exceed the time limit for setting up a Windows VPN connection.