Thursday, March 4, 2010

FAQ

Q.How do I turn on Remote Desktop?
A.

Right-click My Computer, click Properties, and then click the Remote tab. Turn on Remote Desktop by selecting the check box Allow users to remotely connect to this computer. Designate users by clicking the Select Remote Users... button.


Q.Is there a tutorial for using Remote Desktop?
A.

Yes. See Using Remote Desktop.


Q.Is Remote Desktop available on Windows XP Home Edition?
A.

No, however you can upgrade from Windows XP Home Edition to Windows XP Professional to get Remote Desktop. You can use Windows XP Home Edition as the client for accessing your Windows XP Professional computer running Remote Desktop.


Q.Where can I get the latest Remote Desktop Connection Client?
A.

The Remote Desktop Client software is available for 32-bit Windows platforms: Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, and Windows 2000. There are several ways to get it:

•

You can download it.

•

Microsoft Update will host new versions of the client software, when available.

•

Get it off any Windows XP CD. Let the autorun program start and then select Perform additional tasks. Choose the option to install the Remote Desktop Connection.


Q.Does Remote Desktop work with Windows Firewall?
A.

If you're running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and you enable Remote Desktop, Windows Firewall will be automatically configured to allow Remote Desktop connections to your computer.

Tip If you or someone else has configured Windows Firewall to allow no exceptions, Remote Desktop will not work. To allow exceptions in Windows Firewall, in the control panel open the Security Center, click Windows Firewall and clear the check box next to Don't allow exceptions.

If you're using the Internet Connection Firewall on Windows XP SP 1 or earlier, in the Network Connections window, right-click the connection through which you will use Remote Desktop, and then click Properties. Click the Advanced tab, and then select the checkbox for Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet. Click the Settings button. In the Services list, select the checkbox for Remote Desktop.


Q.Is Remote Assistance the same thing as Remote Desktop?
A.

No, it isn't. Remote Assistance uses Remote Desktop technology to allow an expert to provide assistance to a novice user on a computer running Windows XP. Get more information about Remote Assistance.


Q.The local computer screen locks when a user is connected remotely. How can I get more than one connection to a computer running Windows XP Professional?
A.

If you want to have more than one person simultaneously use a computer running Windows XP Professional, you could try Remote Assistance for collaboration and support scenarios. Windows 2000 Server with Terminal Services allows multiple users, as will Windows Server 2003, when it becomes available.


Q. Do I need a terminal server license server for Remote Desktop?
A.

No, a terminal server license server is not required for Remote Desktop. Remote Desktop is designed for a single user, local or remote.


Q.What protocol does Remote Desktop in Windows XP support?
A.

Remote Desktop in Windows XP Professional uses Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 5.1. Some of the new features added to RDP 5.1 are support for 24-bit color, audio redirection, smart card redirection, COM port redirection, local network printer redirection and disk drive redirection. Additionally, RDP 5.1 has better compression, improved performance, and virtual channel compression.


Q.Is the Remote Desktop Connection client compatible with Windows 2000 Terminal Services and Windows NT® 4.0 Terminal Server Edition?
A.

Yes, the Remote Desktop Connection client supports Remote Desktop Protocol 5.1. The client is backwards compatible with Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition. When using the client against older servers, you will get the features of the older protocol.


Q.Can I get a Remote Desktop Client for other platforms?
A.

The Remote Desktop Connection software can not be run on Windows for Workgroups or Windows 3.11. The last terminal server clients for these versions of Windows shipped on the Windows 2000 Server CD. To connect to a Windows Terminal Server from other platforms, you will need a third-party solution.


Q.Why don't MIDI files play over Remote Desktop?
A.

This is a known issue. MIDI files are not currently supported over Remote Desktop.


Q.What port does Remote Desktop use? Does everything go over port 3389?
A.

Port 3389 is the only port you need to open. Windows will attempt to stream sound through User Datagram Protocol (UDP) first. If no port is available for UDP, sound will stream through a virtual channel in Remote Desktop Protocol, which uses port 3389.


Q.How do I connect Windows Desktop Client to a remote port other than 3389?
A.

In the Computer field in the Remote Desktop Client connection dialog, specify the port in either of the following ways:

•

Computer name, colon, port number

Example: TSComputer: 22229

•

IP address, colon, port number

Example: 192.168.1.1: 22229


Q.What is the Remote Desktop Web Connection? What is it for?
A.

The Remote Desktop Web Connection is the Remote Desktop Connection client packaged as an ActiveX® control that can be embedded in a Web page to provide access to a Terminal Server or a computer running Windows XP Professional with Remote Desktop enabled.


Q.What are the requirements for Remote Desktop Web Connection?
A.
•

On the server side, you need Internet Information Server 4.0 or later. Windows XP Professional comes with Internet Information Server 5.1 out of the box.

•

On the client side, it will only run on the Windows 9x, Windows Millenium Edition (Windows Me), Windows NT (Intel only), and Windows 2000 operating systems using Internet Explorer 4 or later. It is not supported on any other platform.


Q. Does the Remote Desktop Web Connection support audio and drive redirection?
A.

Yes. The Remote Desktop Web Connection supports the same features that the Remote Desktop Connection supports.

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Links and eBooks

Links & eBooks

General links

Here are some of my favorite links, by fellow-MVPs and other Terminal Services and Citrix specialists. If you can't find the solution to your problem here, then chances are that you have a very unusual problem. In that case, post a question in one of the newsgroups listed below.

eBooks

Newsgroups

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Troubleshooting

General trouble shooting

Since you've come to this page, you probably have some sort of problem with your Terminal Server. Without knowing any details, it's still possible to give some general advice:

  1. check the EventLog on your server.
    More often then not, there is useful information to be found there
  2. search one or more of the databases mentioned below for the EventID and Source of the events you found
  3. if at all possible, create a test system which demonstrates the same problem and do all of your troubleshooting there
  4. document the problem
  5. enable verbose logging of relevant services, if possible (see links below)
  6. if the server reboots, configure it to not automatically restart after a system failure. Document the STOP error code and all parameters when the system crashes
  7. try to narrow down the problem: does it happen all the time? to all users? with all workstations / applications / printers?
    You will need to provide this information if you are going to post your problem to a newsgroup or phone a vendor's support
  8. document all changes that you make while troubleshooting
  9. make only one change at a time, evaluate the results, and reverse the change if it doesn't solve the problem

Troubleshooting tools

KnowledgeBase

Event Logging

Debugging tools


General TS related issues

  • 278657 - Terminal Services Cannot Be Manipulated - applies to W2K and 2003, not 2008
  • 238162 - Change Between Remote Administration and Application Server Mode - W2K
  • 252330 - Toggling Terminal Services to Application Server Mode May Cause Programs Not to Work - W2K
  • 828056 - A terminal server no longer runs in application mode after you upgrade the terminal server to Windows Small Business Server 2003

Windows 2008 specific issues

  • 952610 - You cannot investigate a Stop error that occurs on an x64-based version of Windows Server 2008
  • 953341 - A dump file may not be generated on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista if the dump file and the paging file reside on the same volume
  • 952664 - The Event Log service may stop responding because of a deadlock on a Windows Server 2008-based computer
  • 946399 - The Terminal Services service may be unable to start on a server that is running Windows Server 2008
  • 951954 - Error message when you run an application on a terminal server that is running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista with Service Pack 1: "Stop 0x0000008E"
  • 950086 - A memory leak may occur in the nonpaged pool memory on the Windows Server 2008-based terminal server when you log on to and log off from a Windows Server 2008-based terminal server through an RDP connection
  • 949914 - Citrix ICA clients may crash when they are connecting to a Windows Server 2008-based terminal server that has Citrix Presentation Server installed

Windows 2003 specific issues

  • 824721 - Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 list of updates
  • 914962 - List of updates in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2

STOP errors

  • 909445 - Error message when you start a Terminal Services session on a Windows Server 2003-based computer: "STOP: 0x00000050 (0xffffffe8, 0x00000001, 0x8083fb88, 0x00000000)"
  • 926128 - You receive a "STOP 0x50" error message that is related to win32k!HmgDecrementShareReferenceCount+0xb on a Windows Server 2003-based terminal server
  • 951749 - Stop error message on a terminal server that is running Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2: "Stop 0x000000AB (SESSION_HAS_VALID_POOL_ON_EXIT)" replaces all previous STOP 0xAB hotfixes

Misc. problems

  • 883670 - FIX: The Terminal Services service stops responding in Windows Server 2003 and you receive an "The RPC service is unavailable" error message when you try to connect to the terminal server by using the Remote Desktop Connection program
  • 930045 - A Windows Server 2003-based computer stops responding when you shut down the computer in a remote console session
  • 906510 - The logon screen turns black after you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to log on to a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer
  • 932039 - Two taskbars are displayed, or the Language bar is displayed two or more times on the taskbar, on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP
  • 914052 - Event ID 10000 is logged in the Application log on a Windows Server 2003-based computer that has Terminal Server enabled
  • 932813 - Event ID number 2003 is logged in the Application log after you install Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2
  • 891315 - You cannot see all the screen element text if you use the large size (120 DPI) display DPI setting on a Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server
  • 942490 - When you connect to a Windows Server 2003-based computer in a terminal server session, the remote computer may stop responding if it has East Asian languages installed

Windows 2000 specific issues

STOP errors

  • 839429 - You receive a "STOP: 0x0000001E" error message on a Windows 2000-based computer that is running Terminal Services
  • 899268 - You may receive error messages and you may receive frequent Stop error messages that indicate that the Srv.sys or the Netbt.sys driver has failed when you use Terminal Services to connect to a computer that is running Windows 2000 Server
  • 901198 - Error message when you use the Terminal Server application on a computer that is running Windows 2000: “Stop 1E, {c0000005, a0109ba0, 0, a0cd3584}”
  • 894388 - Error message on a Windows 2000 Server-based computer that has Terminal Services enabled: "Stop 0x0000001E"
  • 820767 - Your computer automatically restarts or a stop error or another error occurs when you have Terminal Services enabled

Misc. problems

  • 817446 - Terminal Services Stops Responding
  • 323148 - Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Advanced Server Computer That Is Running Terminal Services Stops Responding Immediately After You Start the Computer
  • 899330 - A Windows 2000-based terminal server stops responding under a heavy load, and all users lose their terminal server sessions
  • 823747 - Windows 2000 Terminal Server Stops Responding and a Black Screen Appears
  • 837439 - Windows 2000 Terminal Server stops responding after you experience access violations in a Terminal Server session
  • 832821 - Error 161 occurs when you use the runas command in a Terminal Services session
  • 830268 - NUM LOCK and CAPS LOCK keys are out of sync when you shadow another RDP session in Windows 2000
  • 893368 - Terminal services and remote desktop session events are not logged in Windows 2000 Server
  • 891503 - FIX: You may receive a "Permission Denied" error message when you try to use the ls or cd command from a Terminal Services session
  • 837810 - When you use Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) to connect to a Windows 2000-based terminal server, you cannot minimize a program that has stopped responding in the RDC window

Citrix specific issues

  • CTX106727 - Brief Troubleshooting Guide
  • CTX113035 - Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Known Issues
  • CTX104982 - Issues Resolved in Service Pack 4 for Citrix MetaFrame XP 1.0
  • CTX102026 - STOP 0x1E in Ntkrnlmp.exe when running the Citrix Management Console from FR3 with an ATI display driver
  • CTX103253 - IMA service failed to start with error 2147483649 and failed to load plug-ins MF XP 1.0
  • 816134 - Citrix Terminal Server Sessions Are Not Disconnected and Cause the Server to Stop Responding
  • CTX106802 - Presentation Server 4.0 and Service Pack 2005.04 for MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0 Cannot Be Installed on a Domain Controller
  • 951032 - You may receive an error message on a Windows Server 2003-based computer that has Citrix Presentation Server 4.0 installed with Windows Installer
  • 951033 - Stop error message on a Windows Server 2003-based computer that has Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 installed: "0x00000076" or "0x000000CB"
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Thin clients Computing

Thin clients

Using thin clients in stead of full-fledged PCs can minimize your Total Cost of Ownership considerably. If you are planning a thin client solution, don't forget to pay attention to the following:

  • do you want to convert existing PCs into thin clients, or do you want to buy thin client hardware?

  • the type and version of the operating system on the thin client: Linux, Windows CE or Windows XP embedded

  • do you need to interact with hardware like a scanner or a microphone, connected to the thin client?

    • If the hardware device needs a locally installed driver, you'll probably need Windows XP embedded
  • the version of the RDP and ICA client software on the thin client
  • do you need Internet Explorer on the thin client?
  • how easy is it to update the firmware, the OS and the Terminal Server client software?

  • the management program that usually comes with the hardware

    • Check for easy and centralized management of your (thin) clients. Is the management software vendor specific or not?
For more tips, download Choosing the right thin client devices, OS & management software from 2X

Software thin clients and management systems

Thin client manufacturers

Useful information

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Administrator tools

Administrator tools

Connection management tools

(Remote) Administration and management tools

Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2003 / W2K

Remote Control, Shadowing, Remote Assistance

  • 232792 - HOW TO: Use the Terminal Services Remote Control Feature - W2K
  • 320191 - HOW TO: Use the SHADOW Command to Remotely Monitor an Active Session of Another User in Windows 2000 Terminal Services
  • 278845 - How to Connect to and Shadow the Console Session with Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services
  • 292190 - How to Shadow a Terminal Server Session Without Prompt for Approval
  • 233365 - Err Msg: Session ID [Session Number] Remote Control Failed
  • 281156 - Cannot Remotely Control a Disconnected Session
  • 281909 - Terminal Services: You Receive No Warning When Shadowed Session Ends
  • 301527 - How to configure a computer to receive Remote Assistance offers in Windows Server 2003 and in Windows XP

Utilities

If you have a very specific need, then chances are that there is a very specific tool for it! Here is the 10+-most-wanted list of Terminal Server utilities.

  • RemoteApp Filter - a freeware extension to Windows 2008 TS Web Access to filter out applications based on user's group membership
  • Citrix Published Applications Utility (PAU) - change properties of multiple published applications
  • Process Monitor - FileMon and Regmon combined, for W2K SP4 anf higher, from SysInternals
  • DumpSec, DumpReg & DumpEvt - dump NTFS permissions, registry information and EventLogs. From SystemTools.Com
  • RegTimeStamp - set the time stamp of shadow keys, by Donald Fens
  • RegToADM - create custom ADM from exported REG file, by Yizhar Hurwitz
  • TSRemoteExec - freeware utility to execute any command on the local client from within a remote session, by Thomas Tran
  • Bandwidth Analysis Tool - for monitoring ICA and RDP traffic patterns, from WBISoft.com
  • ThreadMaster - application based CPU Quota management tool. Freeware utility, by Soren M. Pedersen
  • Performance Guard - application monitoring tool, from PremiTech
  • TSDropCopy - Server to client file transfer utility. Requires latest RDP client
  • Virtual IP - session-based IP addresses, from Provision Networks
  • GETTSCIP - a freeware command-line tool to obtain the current session's client IP address, by Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy
  • ReconnAct! - utility which runs a script when client IP or name changes or on session disconnect or reconnect
  • SetLocale - Set the input-locale and keyboard-layout. By Spectro Display
  • TimeMachine - Set the timezone on a per-user basis. By Solution-Soft
  • RecordTS - record everything your users are doing on your Terminal Servers, by Cláudio Rodrigues
  • ObserveIT - Window Session auditing and recording of all Terminal Server sessions
  • AppScape Lockdown Utility - turn off the X button
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Applications

Applications

Installation

Checklist: Install applications

Before installing applications on a Terminal Server, you must put the server into "install mode". In this mode, all changes made to the registry and to ini-files will be monitored and copied to the shadow area in the registry. This process ensures that all users will receive their personal copy of those registry keys and ini-files. You can put a Terminal Server in Install mode by using the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel, but this method does not work when you install applications directly from the web.

A method which gives you more control over the process is to put the server into install mode from the command prompt:

  1. Open a command window (Start - Run - cmd)
  2. Type "change logon /disable" (without the quotes) to disallow new connections to the server
  3. Use Terminal Services Manager to verify that there are no user sessions; send a message to connected users, requesting them to log off
  4. Type "change user /install" (without the quotes) to put the server into install mode
  5. Install your application
  6. When the installation is completely finished, type "change user /execute" to put the server back into it's normal execute mode
  7. Type "change logon /enable" to allow users to connect again

Troubleshooting application issues

If a program doesn't execute as expected after installation, check the following articles and troubleshooting tools:

Specific application issues

Client / server application issues

  • 272582 - Windows 2000 Terminal Services Incorrectly Closes Files on Remote Shares
  • 818528 - Problems When More Than One User Accesses the Same File Through Terminal Services
  • 830265 - Out of memory error messages when you try to save files
  • 299603 - PRB: "Error reading file" Error Message on Windows 2000 Terminal Services
  • 219956 - PRB: Too Many Files Open Running VFP on Windows Terminal Server
  • 294816 - Programs that are run from a network share on Terminal Services close or generate errors

Miscellaneous issues

  • 816513 - Poor Program Performance Occurs in a Remote Terminal Services Session
  • 80863 - Limiting Simultaneous Users of an Application
  • 840342 - Applications may not run correctly in a Terminal Services environment
  • 924893 - An application window may not be drawn correctly when you run the application in a remote desktop session to a Windows XP-based computer

Application streaming / launching / publishing

Information for developers

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LB/Scaling

Windows Network Load Balancing

Windows 2008 - Session Broker Load Balancing

Windows 2003 - Session Directory

Citrix Load Management

Other 3rd party Load Balancing products

Scaling

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