Problems Connecting to Games for Windows Live? Read this.

I've talked about the problems I had getting Games for Windows Live--the version of Xbox Live for games that run on Windows--working. After spending a few hours on the phone with the fine folks at Microsoft who built Games for Windows Live, we were actually able to troubleshoot and fix the problem that was preventing me from logging into or downloading content from Live on my gaming PC.

The culprit? A beta version of the Cisco VPN client. However, removing the offending application isn't as easy as just using Add/Remove programs. I had to go through a series of processes. If you're having problems connecting (and from reading tons of message boards, I know some of you are having problems). So, here's what we did to solve my problem.

First, I followed these instructions, disabling any extra network adapters, and putting the adapter that I'm using at the top of the priority list. That didn't help, but it may work for you.

Second, I fired up my BIOS and disabled the second onboard NIC, so that Windows wouldn't even know it's there. That didn't work either, but it did make me feel like I was doing something useful, which is really all I was looking for by this time.

Finally, I uninstalled the Cisco VPN software, and manually removed the offending part of the app, the Deterministic Networks driver using these instructions. After a reboot, I was in business, and able to log into Live and play Shadowrun and Halo 2 online at home.