Cisco VPN client on Vista
Cisco VPN Client (5.0.01.0600) does work on Vista x86.
It only seems to have problems on localized versions of the OS.
I know this because I installed it on a native english version of Vista and had no problems.
However, my localized (Dutch) version of Viste does throw out some errors during the installation process.
The problem comes from the translations of the user groups in Windows. The installer searches for the "Users" and "INTERACTIVE" usergroups, but is unable to find them because they exist under a different (localized) name. So the solution is to manually make these groups in Vista.
Not a single problem, but Vista Home Premium (the localized version I’m testing on) doesn’t have the GUI components to manage usergroups.
Luckily, we still have the good old "net" command which can do lots of things.
Right before the installation, enter these commands in the command prompt:
net localgroup Users /add
net localgroup INTERACTIVE /add
This will create the needed usergroups for the installer.
Now install you VPN client and after installation enter the following commands to remove the groups again. (The client itself works perfectly without these groups.)
net localgroup Users /delete
net localgroup INTERACTIVE /delete
The VPN client shouldn’t have any problems running on Vista x86 (tested on Business and Home Premium).
On to the next hurdle! x86_64
(But I’ve heared some rumors on the internet saying I’ll need AnyConnect for that…)
