Remote Desktop Connection Issue

[teknix1]

Hi,

I'm currently using remote desktop to connect to my XP box at home, all is well until I get back home and go to the PC. It looks like it's frozen; can't use the mouse or keyboard and I'm forced to reboot. Strange thing is that I can still remote desktop into it.

Occasionally the first remote desktop connection fails. I get the usual screen window that opens up in black, stays there until it times out. If I wait a bit more, I can try connecting to it and it finally works. Maybe this is a clue as to what the problem is.

I've read on the net about "Lock Down" mode. This mode locks the machine during remoting sessions to prevent other users from interfering locally on the machine. This is exactly the behavior that I am seeing. Are there any configuration that can be done to RDC other than what is specified at connection time?

My machine is a Windows XP Pro SP3 (I upgraded to SP 3 hoping it might solve this).

Thanks in advance!
Nic

 

[KSoD]

Hello,

Are you sure you have terminatied the Remote Connection?

It seems that the first time you connect and fail is when this is happening. Maybe using soemthing like UltraVNC would be a better solution.

Cheers,
Mak

 

[teknix1]

I agree I could definately go with some other technology but I would rather stick with this since pretty much everybody has that installed on their windows box.

As for the connection being terminated, I tried everything; disconnect, log off, etc. In the end it should not make a difference because I should be able to go locally on the box and kick off whoever is connected remotely.

One more piece of information; my machine is on a workgroup, not a domain. Does this make any difference?

I'm gonna try playing with fast user switching tonight.

Thanks

 

[KSoD]

Hello,

WActually i can not think of many people that have Remote Desktop isntalled. I have never isntalled it on any machine i have worked on and have made sure that the service is off. Remote Desktop is basic.

It doesnt make any difference if it is a domain or workgroup. Most machines are workgroups not domains now anyways.

Then the PC is freezing from something else. Have you tried to jsut use the machine and get it to lock up without Remote Desktop? Have you tried to troubleshoot the desktop at all? To see if you can find something wrong with it? Have you checked the event Viewer?

Cheers,
Mak

 

[teknix1]

Thanks for the reply Mak,

I use that machine extensively and it never locks that way. There are no events related to remote desktop or anything related (as far as I can see). Whatever shows up red in the events is not related.

As for debugging, I tried stopping as many services as I could, uninstalled applications I didn't need anymore... no luck.

I'm thinking it's more of a setting that's wrong somehow like a setting that prevents local usage of the machine during remote sessions. Is there such a thing? How about this "Lock Down" mode have you ever heard of that?

If I can find some time, I will reload a backup of my machine with just the OS installed, if that works I know something went wrong along the way.

Thanks
Nic

 

[teknix1]

Well I finally got to the bottom of this. I got tired of it all so I made a backup of my system, reinstalled and older backup and the problem was still there. So since it was only a backup, I decided to uninstall one program at a time until the problem disappeared. For some reason the configuration program for the XFX PC DUAL REFLEX CONTROLLER doesn't comply with remote desktop connection. I'm not using the thing anymore so out the door it goes.

Everything is fixed now and I am happy.

Nic