IMPORTANT UPDATE: as of October 2009 I don't use this method anymore as I've switched over to free Shrew Soft VPN Client v2.1.5 running directly on my Windows 7 64-bit. Just install it and use File/Import to import your Cisco VPN Client .pcf file (from C:\Program Files\Cisco Systems\VPN Client\Profiles). If that doesn't work, see this tutorial for detailed configuration instructions. If you don't have a spare 32-bit system to temporarily install Cisco VPN client in order to get the .pcf file, read on for Windows XP Mode instructions.
As you know, Cisco VPN Client only exists in 32-bit version. As Cisco itself says on its web site, the 64-bit support is implemented only in the brand-new Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client. However, despite its name, AnyConnect will not work with old VPN-Client-compatible VPN servers! Is there any way to run good old 32-bit VPN Client on 64-bit Windows 7?
Luckily for us all, in Windows 7 Microsoft came up with this clever idea of Windows XP mode, which is nothing else but Microsoft Virtual PC prepackaged with image of Windows XP 32-bit SP3. The nicest thing about it is seamless integration between the guest and the host OSes, sort of like VMWare Fusion first pioneered. Thanks to this integration you can install Cisco VPN Client inside the virtual XP machine, and use XP's Remote Desktop Client directly from Windows 7 to access your remote workstation.
- Then, you'll need the Cisco VPN Client (can't download from Cisco site, for security reasons, so if you didn't get this from your NOC department, just google around). Once installed inside the VM, it will magically appear in your Windows 7 Start menu, under Start \ All Programs \ Windows Virtual PC \ Windows XP Mode Applications.
- Finally, in order to run XP's RDP client you'll need to manually publish its shortcut from XP to Windows 7. Normally, for a virtual shortcut to appear in Windows 7 you would simply copy it to XP's C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs but that won't work for the RDP Client shortcut, because the auto-publishing feature only works for shortcuts pointing to files in C:\Program Files. To work around this limitation all you need is to copy mstsc.exe from C:\Windows\System32\ to C:\Program Files\CopyOfRdpClient\ (we talking about virtual XP C: drive here). You'll also have to copy RDP Client's dependencies at C:\Windows\System32\En-us\ to C:\Program Files\CopyOfRdpClient\En-us. Once that is done, simply create a shortcut to the C:\Program Files\CopyOfRdpClient\mstsc.exe in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs
- You may want to further optimize your workflow by saving RDP Client connection to an .rdp file and publishing that to Windows 7 as well
Of course, this is a very simplistic technique. Ideally, you would want to have mstsc.exe running directly on Windows 7 while using XP's VPN connection. Do let me know if you figure that out.
NOTE: Since Windows XP SP3 includes the new version of the Terminal Services Client, you can use all 6.0 new features, particularly Mstsc.exe /span to enable multi-monitor support!
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