FortiClient VPN - Stuck on "Connecting"

[JPL-Safari]

Installing 7.4.0.1658 on two different Windows 11 (Dell Vostro and Dell Inspiron) Laptops.  Both laptops were Wiped and Prepped with the same Windows 11 23H2 Pro OS and are set up using very basic Intune Profiles (Intune barely does anything).

The VPN Client, when launched, only goes as far as "Connecting".  It never times out and appears as if its stuck.  

Are there any Windows Settings I should be looking at which would impact the clients ability to establish a connection?  Logs dont appear to show anything indicating the VPN is even attempting to connect.

[tdrake2406]

When connecting the vpn you may be missing a window from forticlient.  It is usually somewhere in the background where you have to accept a cert warning.  If there is not one, what percentage of the forticlient completion are you stuck at?

[JPL-Safari]

I never get to a percent at all.  It just shows "Connecting"

[sudheepnbr]

is it resolved? we are also facing same problem

[tdrake2406]

If that doesnt work I just saw another user post the below which may be helpful to you.

misraa

Visitor

Created on‎06-17-202405:30 AM

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Forticlient VPN issue with Lenovo PCs

Just a heads up if anyone comes across it, just spent a very long time working out why Forticlient VPN (using current live download version, i think tis 7.4.x) would not function on two separate Lenovo PCs (one old one brand new) when the same details and version work across our HP fleet. Current VPN client version would sit at Connecting and never go anywhere, IPSEC L2TP and SSL. This error would be in GUI_1_error.log - "guimessenger 238 error failed to open shared memory. GLE=2"

Installing Forticlient VPN 7.0.x fixed the issue immediately for all VPN types. No idea what it is about the Lenovos that causes this, we removed all bloatware on both and as they are outside our fully supported fleet we're not looking any further. Hope this helps someone though.

[ladinaladin]

Our customer just encountered the same problem with FortiClient 7.4.0.1658. They are using Lenovo notebooks. I tried the same version of FortiClient on my Dell, and everything works properly. It looks like a problem between FortiClient and specific NICs. 

Everything was resolved by installing FortiClient in version 7.0.12.0572 on their Lenovo notebooks. 

Thanks for help...

[Bella_s]

It may seem strange to write a reply to a post from a while ago that has already been resolved, but I'll leave it for those who, like me, have been asking for a solution.

I had the same symptoms on a Lenovo laptop used by several people in my company.
I was using FortiClientVPN ver 7.0.5.0238, but after logging in, it stayed "connecting" and froze without showing any percentages and the usual "-7200" error.
After comparing the service with a non-Lenovo computer using Task Manager, it was discovered that the service "FortiClient System Tray Controller" was not working on the Lenovo laptop.
That service was an exe file.
The path to the location of the file is listed below.
"C:\Program Files\Fortinet\FortiClient\FortiTray.exe".
After running this "FortiTray.exe", the VPN connection was successfully established on the Lenovo laptop.
I hope this answer helps as many people as possible.
It's a machine translation, so there may be a few oddities, sorry.
Lenovo... : (

[RafaelGomes]

Thanks Bella_s, works for me.
Just adding: "FortiTray.exe" did not work here and reported missing "mfc140u.dll" file. After following this solution on the Microsoft forum(https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/dll-files-missing-after-windows-11-update/d9b03703-4c1b-48b1-9707-22eddfc2c637), it was possible to start "FortiTray.exe" and the software started working correctly again.

[Novex]

Had the same Problem here on an HP EliteBook. Your solution worked flawlessly!

[Wahlgreen]

Same here. Installing the x64 version of the Visual C++ runtime fixed it for me:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170

Direct download from MS: https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe