VPN error 12

My VPN keeps showing up with error 12 and won't connect, does anyone know what this means?

Comments

  • Hello @EJHinkson

    I am writing to you to see if you got a solution to your problem. If so, would you mind sharing?

  • Alex_A
    Alex_A ✭✭✭

    I can't say whether it will help or not, but you should try

    1.run Internet Options (inetcpl.cpl)

    2. select the "Advanced" tab

    3. Click the "Reset ..." button,

    checkbox "Delete personal settings" (can be set - but I will not say whether it is necessary not)

    4. Click "Reset"

    5. Restart your computer

  • Thanks for your input, unfortunately it didn't help.

    I am not getting Error 12 but Error 2. I know this is some connection issue but can't figure out what is causing it.

    This is what I tried:

    1. Setting private network instead of public network
    2. Changing DNS
    3. Connecting to Wi-Fi instead of using Ethernet connection
    4. Disabled Windows built-in security and am only using Bitdefender's firewall

    Nothing seems to work.

  • Alex_A
    Alex_A ✭✭✭

    You could take a screenshot of the error window you are getting

  • Alex_A
    Alex_A ✭✭✭

    @dzapasnik

    solution to help (Reinstalling Bitdefender VPN software)

    1. Close the main Bitdefender VPN window

    2. On the taskbar, right-click the "Bitdefender VPN" icon -> click "exit"

    3. Uninstall the "Bitdefender VPN" program (you can uninstall "Revo Uninstaller Pro" cleans up various leftovers) or (Win + R icon) insert "appwiz.cpl" (without quotes)

    remove "Bitdefender VPN"

    4. Restart your computer in safe mode (this is in order to delete the remnants of the "Bitdefender VPN" folders), it may not be very important.

    in safe mode delete folders named Bitdefender VPN, do as follows

    1. When the desktop opens, provided that your Windows drive is C, set the following commands in Run mode (Win + R icon) in turn:

    C: \ Program Files \ bitdefender (delete the folder named bitdefender vpn)

    C: \ ProgramData (delete the folder named bitdefender vpn)

    C: \ Users \ {your computer name} \ AppData \ Local (delete the folder named bitdefender vpn)

    2. Set the command to execute again (Win + R icon) and make the following commands below:

    temp, delete all files in the folder

    % temp%, delete all files in the folder

    prefetch, delete all files in the folder

    3. Restart your computer normally, unchecking the option you selected to start the system in Safe Mode, and then click Apply.

    4. Open the main window of the "Bitdefender" antivirus -> protection -> firewall -> settings -> default application behavior -> change the default rules -> allow -> OK (this is to prevent the firewall from asking permission questions)

    5. Open the main window of the "Bitdefender" antivirus -> privacy -> install VPN

    note that the folders "AppData" and "ProgramData" are hidden

    Enjoy your work.

  • Thanks @Alex_A for the instructions.

    Unfortunately, the same error persists.

    I contacted Bitdefender Support and they wanted me to replicate the issue and collect some logs and send it to them. So I did. When I'll hear from them with a solution (hopefully), I'll update the solution here.

  • Sorry for my (translated) English.

    If it can be helpful, I had a similar error (code: 9) and couldn't resolve with the proposed solutions.

    Instead I solved it by going to this \ Program Files \ Bitdefender \ Bitdefender VPN \ installer folder and clicked installer.exe and it worked.

  • I have error 12, which I think is because I use corporate Bitdefender (VPN Bitdefender is for personal use). Not sure about that.


  • Regarding VPN Error 12 -- Having read the previous comments, applying the KISS system (as I may have to talk a user through this over the phone one day), I tried the following with unfettered success:

    • Right-click the Bitdefender VPN icon and select Exit to close the program.
    • Right-click the 'Start button', select Apps and Features.
    • Select Bitdefender VPN and click Uninstall to remove from the system.
    • After the uninstall is complete, open the File Explorer and select This PC from the navigation pane.
    • Right-click on the drive and select Properties. In the pop-up window select Disk Cleanup.
    • Select Clean up system files. Make sure the Temporary files checkbox is ticked. Click Okay to start the file cleanup.
    • When this is done navigate to the ~\Program Files\Bitdefender\folder and delete the folder Bitdefender VPN.
    • Restart the computer.
    • When finished initializing, open the Bitdefender Antivirus Dashboard and Install Bitdefender VPN from there.

    I had no issues whatsoever following this method, and might even be able to talk by In-laws through this in a pinch.

    Enjoy your day.

  • Regarding VPNError 12 -- Having read the previous comments and applied the KISS system (as I may have to talk a user through this over the phone one day), I tried the following with unfettered success:

    • Right-click the Bitdefender VPN icon and select Exit to close the program.
    • Right-click the 'Start button', select Apps and Features.
    • Select Bitdefender VPN and click Uninstall to remove from the system.
    • After the uninstall is complete, open the File Explorer and select This PC from the navigation pane.
    • Right-click on the drive and select Properties. In the pop-up window select Disk Cleanup.
    • Select Clean up system files. Make sure the Temporary files checkbox is ticked. Click Okay to start the file cleanup.
    • When this is done navigate to the ~\Program Files\Bitdefender\folder and delete the folder Bitdefender VPN.
    • Restart the computer.
    • When finished initializing, open the Bitdefender Antivirus Dashboard and Install Bitdefender VPN from there.

    I had no issues whatsoever following this method, and might even be able to talk by In-laws through this in a pinch.

    Enjoy your day.

  • Just tried the above solution for Error 12,

    Followed it to the word and now, Error 9.

    I had no problems yesterday (15 Nov 21) and now today cannot connect. No updates on Windows, nothing.

    What is going on ???

    Windows 10 20H2, Build 19042.1348