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How to restart LogMeIn Hamachi on a remote machine

Russell Kidson

Russell Kidson

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LogMeIn Hamachi is an easy-to-use hosted VPN service by LogMeIn that takes the work out of securely extending LAN-like networks for personal or professional use. Hamachi markets itself as a full–service VPN utility offering an impressive range of features and functions. Included in these are On-demand networking capabilities, letting you create virtual networks as you need them, and easier management of your networks from anywhere via the internet. 

But what if Hamachi suddenly stops working? What if you’re trying to establish a secure connection or access another device on your virtual private network, and all that you see is the dreaded yellow triangle of death? Below, we’ll take you through a few ways to rectify the issue. If you need to fix the issue on a remote machine, all you need to do first is ensure you have access to the machine through either LogMeIn’s dedicated remote access service or a free-to-use alternative such as TeamViewer.

How to restart LogMeIn Hamachi on a remote machine

Restart LogMeIn Hamachi on a remote machine

  1. Verify any issue with your VPN

    How to restart LogMeIn Hamachi on a remote machine

    Before we can recommend a solution to your VPN woes, we must first ensure that it is indeed what is faulty. Here’s how:

    Step 1: Diagnose

    The first thing you’ll want to do is verify what the issue is. For this, all you need to do is open up your LogMeIn Hamachi dashboard and check your networks. If a network is faulty, you’ll see a yellow triangle, aptly named the yellow triangle of death

    Step 2: Check Details

    Click on the place you see the yellow triangle of death. This should be one level deeper than your network’s main directory entry. From here, click Details, and you should see an interface giving you an overview of your network’s status. Next to the option VPN Status, you should see the word Error. You now know that your VPN is out of order. 

    If you see no such triangle or error message, the problem does not lie with your VPN. If you do, however, you’re reading the right article. Now we can spring into action and sort your Hamachi VPN troubles out. 

  2. Restart Hamachi’s tunneling engine service

    How to restart LogMeIn Hamachi on a remote machine

    You’ll need some basic familiarity with your computer’s more out-of-the-way features for this, but we’ll explain everything in detail. 

    Step 1: Start a Dialog

    The first thing you need to do is hit the Windows key + R and then type services.msc into the Run dialog box. Now press Ok. All you’re really doing here is using your computer’s built-in directory tool to get to a specific interface. 

    Step 2: Where’s Hamachi?

    Now, you’ll be whisked away to a new interface with a rather long list of programs and functions, most of them bearing the name Microsoft. Search amongst the many shameless plugs, and look for the Hamachi Tunneling Engine. It should simply say LogMeIn Hamachi Tunneling Engine. Click on it. 

    Step 3: Stop!

    Head down to the lower portion of the new window that presents itself and hit the Stop button. Just above the Stop button, you’ll see a label that says Service Running. The issue here is that the service isn’t running correctly. Therefore we must stop it and restart it later. 

    Step 4: Start

    You’ll see a green progress bar flash across the screen momentarily; depending on your computer’s speed, it might take a few seconds to reach completion. Just above where you clicked Stop, you’ll see Start Type and a drop-down menu. Drop the menu down and select Automatic. And then hit Start, next to where Stop was. 

    Step 5: Done!

    All that’s left to do is to click Ok, head back to the LogMeIn dashboard, and make sure that the yellow triangle of death is a thing of the past. You’ve just successfully repaired your Hamachi VPN utility! If you did all this with remote access using LogMeIn or TeamViewer, you deserve even more brownie points.

A quick note

The average internet user doesn’t really know much about VPNs. Even those who use them are often sadly misled by VPN providers promising total security, which essentially makes it sound like you’ll be able to browse anything and be invisible. This simply isn’t the case. Depending on how your State, Nation, or Sovereign territory is organized, your IP address most commonly applies to either your street, block, or in some cases, even suburb. This means your web activity isn’t recorded as separate entities for each person in your neighborhood but rather as one packet for all the users in the area currently accessing the internet. 

Your research is traveling through the world wide web in the same packet as your neighbor’s cat videos or social media updates. All a VPN does is make it look like this packet you’re bundled into is coming from somewhere far, far away. You’re still not completely secure, especially if your VPN provider is shady. All you’re doing is taking direct access to your web activity away from your service provider and putting it directly into the hands of a third-party utility

Here are the basics of a VPN:

If you connect two computers with a cable, you have a network (N). Take the cable away and connect those two devices to each other over the internet, and you have a virtual network (VN). Add some encryption and passwords to the mix, and you have a virtual private network (VPN). Once you connect those dots, it’s easy to see the flaws in the promises. 

Make sure your device is secure

Make sure your VPN provider is trustworthy; you’re handing them your entire internet-based life. Do your research on acronyms marketed to you; VPN is nothing more than a secure connection between two or more devices or systems. Any added security promises or total anonymity are likely unfounded. Lastly, yes, end-to-end encryption is a very real concept in digital security; Just make sure you know where the other end is and whether it can be trusted.

Russell Kidson

Russell Kidson

I hail from the awe-inspiring beauty of South Africa. Born and raised in Pretoria, I've always had a deep interest in local history, particularly conflicts, architecture, and our country's rich past of being a plaything for European aristocracy. 'Tis an attempt at humor. My interest in history has since translated into hours at a time researching everything from the many reasons the Titanic sank (really, it's a wonder she ever left Belfast) to why Minecraft is such a feat of human technological accomplishment. I am an avid video gamer (Sims 4 definitely counts as video gaming, I checked) and particularly enjoy playing the part of a relatively benign overlord in Minecraft. I enjoy the diverse experiences gaming offers the player. Within the space of a few hours, a player can go from having a career as an interior decorator in Sims, to training as an archer under Niruin in Skyrim. I believe video games have so much more to teach humanity about community, kindness, and loyalty, and I enjoy the opportunity to bring concepts of the like into literary pieces.

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