All,I'm trying to do this:Vista Laptop> PPTP VPN, ICS to Desktop Through Wireless Router> Win7 Desktop> Wireless Router> Internet.I plan on using PPTP VPN and ICS to do this but I can't seem to be able to ICS. I've played around with all the settings with no luck.I have read this article already that states I need to connect my laptop to the desktop in order to ICShttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Using-ICS-Internet-Connection-Sharing#section_4My question is what I am trying to do possible and how?Thanks,Commentator2Is the only possible way of PPTP VPN ICS to install a wireless USB/card onto my desktop? I really want the security of PPTP on my wireless network.

Do you mean that you want to share the PPTP VPN connection? It is not impossible. Arthur Xie - MSFT

I mean I want to route my current wireless connection to my desktop via a pptp vpn connection and then out again so that the wireless connection is "secure".so I wantwireless laptop> pptp vpn> wireless router> desktop> internetI don't know how, I have tired ics but that doesn't seem to work in my situaiton.Any suggestions?Commentator2

You are not making any sense.You need to tell us a little more as to why you are not using the wifi secure settings.by creating a PPTP to the router you are not getting anything more than if you used WPA2 or above.the desktop would never come into play.

So there is little difference between a pptp connection and wpa2 on my router? Which I'm using.I thought VPNs "encypt" the information between two points?Thats y I am trying to "encypt" the information betwen my laptop and my desktop with the pptp vpn connection and then trying to share my internet connection on that pptp connection.Thanks,Commentator2

It does between your PC and the router (if in fact the router is a VPN end point, but as stated above you can notshare the VPN connection.If you secure the router using the hihest level (wpa2 or above) then the only folks who could gain access are those on your network.NOW if you had a proxy server running on the desktop, it would be possible to use a VPN to connect to it and then browse that way.Hamachi is used this way all over the world.

Yes, but to my understanding WPA2 is only an encryption scheme to protect the access point. In this case a wireless router and does not encrypt the traffic in between after the authentication phase.Instead a VPN offers both authentication and literally point to point encryption, therefore I planned on deploying this on my wireless connection I have here.I know about Hamachi and I dislike the setup they have for it.Now if I had a proxy server on my desktop, how?I do know a few free proxy programs.Thanks,Commentator2Special thanks to Bubbapcguy for all your advice and help.

Is there a way to route all my traffic or perhaps only http over this vpn tunnel, how? I'd like to know how.I am having trouble connecting a proxy to the vpn.Thanks,commentator2

You still have not given any real info to work with.IF you have a PC setup with a proxy server running and you have a VPN setup.you would use the IP of the box running the proxy server in the browser settings.BUT you are missing the bigger picture here. VPN are not for local networks they are to connect to DIFFERENT networks.Why do you think going thru a VPN over your own network is needed???If you lock down the router with wpa2 or above the chances of some hacking in is slim to none. change key every week or so if you really want to be tight.People use a VPN over wireless when they are at an OPEN hotspot where someone could capture the data (a real hospot uses TLS so folks can not capture the traffic of others.If you lock down the AP then you lock out those folks who would be sniffing.I am sure there is way to create a VPN on a LAN but I have never done it nor would there be any reason to.you route traffic over a VPN by selecting "use remote gateway" in the VPN connection settings.

I have a pc with privoxy and incoming pptp connection.I know VPNs are to connect two different networks across the internet.That is why I'm trying to set it up at home first before I implement it outside at a coffee shop.Ok, I'll trying looking for "use remote gateway".Thanks,Commentator2

If you really want to set it up.install a remote access program on the desktop.You can use microsoft mesh (free works great plus gives secure file share / sync) if you like or any of the others logmein / teamviewer / VNC...then go to the "coffee shop" where you will coming in from the outside.Loopback thru many routers does not work, so you could be spinning your wheels for nothing.You need to come in from the outside to really see if it works so setup from outside.now you can setup the VPN and point the browser to the proxy running on the desktop.You can trouble shoot any issue which may popup easier this way.

Thanks, Just what I needed.Commentator2