Norton VPN and Nvidia Geforce Experience

For some time I have had an issue with the VPN failing to connect - since last year really (2020). Just said, Unable to connect, try again later. As I didn't really need a VPN service at that time, I forgot about it and used the computer without VPN. Recently I wanted to do some research that 'might' require an internet connection outside the US to access those sites. After installing the latest build of Windows 10 pro, {Edition: Windows 10 Pro, Version: 21H1, Installed on: 5/‎28/‎2021, OS build: 19043.1055, Experience: Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0} everything seemed to be put back in order with the OS - i.e. some startup programs/apps that had been removed by Norton Security were reinstalled and reactivated to start with Windows. As a result the Norton VPN service actually worked for the first time; almost. While I was able to start the VPN service, it would also lock the internet connection (showing no connection) thus not allowing me to connect to any websites. I couldn't understand what the problem might be as no errors or codes appeared to show any issue. However, there was another problem that had happened last year also. I wanted to upgrade the Video Card. I chose the NVidia1660 RTX with networking capability build into the card which actually killed my onboard NIC connection (no I don't know how or why, just removed it from the hardware configuration as if it wasn't there, probably something to do with a component resource conflict - unknown). I had to purchase a new generic PCI-E NIC to get back online, opting to get a USB wireless NIC from ASUS until the new generic NIC arrived. Once back online with the new NIC, I again tried to turn on the VPN. To my surprise it worked, connecting right away; with one major issue. Once connected to the VPN, my internet connection would fail - or lock out internet access altogether. Very frustrating.

Still wanting a VPN service to finish my research, I tried several options, alternate regions, delayed starts for other services, etc., but nothing worked. So I opted to start uninstalling programs that 'might' be interfering with the VPN service or in some way could be killing my connection once established. It was the Geforge Experience program that did it. No matter the delay time or 'do not start' options, it would always allow me to connect to the VPN service but also not allow any websites or internet connections. So I uninstalled this part of the NVidia software and things worked just fine; mostly. Yes I can connect to the VPN service 'in some regions', i.e. Germany, Ireland, UK, Japan, and several others, I won't list them all, but I believe my ISP (TimeWarner/Spectrum/AT&T -whatever they're calling themselves today) is blocking certain other regions. So in conclusion, it might be possible to get the Norton VPN service to work properly if you uninstall the Geforge Experience Program from the drive. This software is useful if you plan to use 3D/VR hardware, or live stream, or game ready drivers (that's game specific drivers or setting compiled by NVidia and preset for your particular game), and some other connection related 'features' of the Geforce software. While not necessary for the video card to function properly, you might have to sacrifice some features for better security. Hope this helps others with similar issues connecting the VPN service.