Microsoft won't connect to cloud with VPN on

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levseltzer

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Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:23 pm

Post by levseltzer » Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:30 am
When I have Viscosity connected to the VPN, various Microsoft services won't connect to cloud.

For example, when I edit a file in Word that is stored on OneDrive, it won't save the file, giving me the error that it is unable to connect to the internet...

When I try to insert an image into word, it will try to connect to the internet and fail.

The moment I disconnect the VPN, these tasks work perfectly.

Has anyone experienced this and come up with a solution?

Thank you.

Eric

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Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:27 am

Post by Eric » Thu Oct 25, 2018 9:37 am
Hi levseltzer,

Please try the latest beta, this sounds like it may be related to an issue we resolved recently - https://sparklabs.com/support/kb/articl ... -versions/

Regards,
Eric
Eric Thorpe
Viscosity Developer

Web: http://www.sparklabs.com
Support: http://www.sparklabs.com/support
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sparklabs

levseltzer

Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:23 pm

Post by levseltzer » Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:55 pm
It did not help.
At the top it says in a yellow bar:
UPLOAD FAILED: You are required to sign in to upload your changes to this location.
When I click on the "sign in" button, I get a larger box with the error:

We are unable to connect right now. Please check your network and try again later.

I disconnected from the VPN (leaving viscosity running in the background), exited word, then opened it right away. The file opened without an error. Changes I made were saved immediately without error.

Any other ideas?

Thank you.

Eric

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Posts: 1146
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:27 am

Post by Eric » Thu Oct 25, 2018 6:26 pm
Hi levseltzer,

In this case Microsoft has most likely blacklisted the IP Address you are receiving from your VPN Provider. You could try a different server otherwise we'd recommend contact your VPN Provider for assistance - https://sparklabs.com/support/kb/articl ... ovider-is/

Regards,
Eric
Eric Thorpe
Viscosity Developer

Web: http://www.sparklabs.com
Support: http://www.sparklabs.com/support
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sparklabs

levseltzer

Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:23 pm

Post by levseltzer » Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:23 pm
It seems that this might be a Microsoft error:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/hel ... s-7-sp1-or

However, I have now found a solution for Windows 10.

levseltzer

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Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:23 pm

Post by levseltzer » Tue Oct 30, 2018 12:37 am
The technicians who gave me the VPN had me download the file openvpn-connect-2.5.0.136_signed.msi. I installed this on my computer, turned off Viscosity, and office works perfectly, connecting directly to the cloud.

This leads me to believe that there is something different in viscosity that causes an error. I don't know what that might be, but perhaps you can figure it out? I would rather use viscosity because it logs me in automatically - I have to manually login and enter my password each time I want to use this free product.

Thank you.

Eric

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Posts: 1146
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:27 am

Post by Eric » Tue Oct 30, 2018 10:05 am
Hi levseltzer,

Most likely the other product is using a different server where the IP address is not blocked. Did you try on different servers?

Regards,
Eric
Eric Thorpe
Viscosity Developer

Web: http://www.sparklabs.com
Support: http://www.sparklabs.com/support
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sparklabs

levseltzer

Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:23 pm

Post by levseltzer » Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:56 pm
Both products appear to be using the address 67.22.138.215.
Viscosity definitely works in nearly all situations on my windows 10 computer - just not this one situation.
As I said, I was able to find at least one article that described an error in Windows 7 when using a 3rd party VPN, as well as a fix. I have not yet found a solution that works for Windows 10.

I will also be honest and admit I am not an expert at VPN. I understand why I have it, but I do not understand all the protocols that are working behind the scenes, nor how Windows interacts.

I only understand that as a consumer when I connect to the VPN with viscosity, Office fails to connect to the cloud.

Thank you.

Eric

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Posts: 1146
Joined: Sun Jan 03, 2010 3:27 am

Post by Eric » Wed Oct 31, 2018 9:37 am
Hi levseltzer,

As a test, disconnect your connection, then go to Preferences -> Advanced and tick User Windows DNS System for Full DNS, then reconnect. This will cause DNS leaks (as was the OpenVPN-Connect package you were using) however would be interested to know if this helps with your cloud issues.

Regards,
Eric
Eric Thorpe
Viscosity Developer

Web: http://www.sparklabs.com
Support: http://www.sparklabs.com/support
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sparklabs

levseltzer

Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:23 pm

Post by levseltzer » Wed Oct 31, 2018 10:37 pm
Thank you for your suggestions, but this did not help.
I created a blank word document and saved it to "test" on my personal onedrive account. Word stated the status was "pending upload" because there was no internet connection. I then disconnected from the VPN and a few moments later Word was able to upload and save the file.
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