- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager
- Expand the Network adapters menu
- Look for any TAP drivers, right-click and select Uninstall device
- Open the Action menu and select Scan for hardware changes
The OpenVPN client requires a TAP driver to work properly. If its functionality is broken, it could be the reason why OpenVPN is not working on your Windows 10 PC.
However, you can easily fix this by uninstalling the TAP driver from Device Manager – it should get automatically reinstalled.
If you’re using Private Internet Access (buy here), you can effortlessly reinstall the associated TAP drives from the Help menu.
As a general rule, it’s essential to keep Windows drivers updated to the latest version.
- Press the Win key, type services, and open Services
- Right-click DHCP Client and select Properties
- Set Startup type to Automatic
- Click OK
Many OpenVPN users report seeing the Initialization Sequence Completed with errors message on Windows 10.
It signals a problem with the DHCP client, which you can restart using the instructions above.
- Run Command Prompt as admin: press Ctrl + R, type cmd, hold Ctrl + Shift and press Enter
- Copy and paste the next lines (press Enter between each line)
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /registerdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
NETSH winsock reset catalog
NETSH int ipv4 reset reset.log
NETSH int ipv6 reset reset.log
exitRestart your PC to apply the new changes.
The DNS cache and Winsock configuration are responsible for your computer connectivity.
If they’re not initialized properly, it could be the reason why OpenVPN isn’t working on Windows 10.
Conclusion
To recap, if your OpenVPN configuration fails to work on Windows 10, you can fix this issue by adding an exception to the firewall and whitelisting OpenVPN in your antivirus.
You can also reset the TAP adapter, check if the DHCP service is running, as well as flush your DNS and reset Winsock.
But we suggest opting for a trustworthy VPN like Private Internet Access (buy here). It has built-in support for the OpenVPN protocol, which means that you shouldn’t see any errors anymore.
This post was written by Elena Constantinescu and was first posted to WindowsReport
