Calling all Windows XP users: How many times have you had to restore your system and go through the hassle of reconfiguring all of your VPN connections? If you are like me and have quite a number of them, you know how hard it is to keep track of all the info. Well, here's a shortcut that might make next time a bit more painless.
Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom, have a nice little database created to store all you VPN information. Its called rasphone.pbk. Depending on how you save your VPNs, will tell you where it exists.
If you save your VPN to be available to you only (My Use Only), then the location is
Documents and Settings\your login name\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Connections\Pbk. If you save it for use for anyone who logs into your system, then it is
Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Network\Connections\Pbk. If you do a mix, then it will exist in both places.
Set up your backups (you are doing backups aren't you?
) to include these paths at least, or to be really safe, the entire Documents and Settings folder. Then, if your system crashes and you have to restore it, you can copy your backed up rasphone.pbk(s) over the new ones created upon the reinstall.
"Wait!" you say. "I've done exactly what you said and Windows doesn't show my VPNs!" No problem. All you have to do to get Windows to recognize them is just double click on the rasphone.pbk in the folder and select one of your defined VPNs. Once its open, Windows will recognize it as the location to look and you are off and running. Of course, if you store them in multiple places (as described above) you will have to do it for each pbk.
Hope this helps!
Steve Long
