Remote Desktop

With Remote Desktop on Windows XP Professional, you can have access to a Windows session
that is running on your computer when you are at another computer. This means, for example, that
you can connect to your work computer from home and have access to all of your applications, files,
and network resources as though you were in front of your computer at work. You can leave programs
running at work and when you get home, you can see your desktop at work displayed on your home
computer, with the same programs running.

When you connect to your computer at work, Remote Desktop automatically locks that computer so no
one else can access your applications and files while you are gone. When you come back to your
computer at work, you can unlock it by typing CTRL+ALT+DEL.

Remote Desktop also allows more than one user to have active sessions on a single computer. This
means that multiple users can leave their applications running and preserve the state of their Windows
session even while others are logged on.

With Fast User Switching, you can easily switch from one user to another on the same computer. For
example, suppose you are working at home and have logged on to the computer at your office to
update an expense report. While you are working, a family member needs to use your home computer
to check for an important email message. You can disconnect Remote Desktop, allow the other user to
log on and check mail, and then reconnect to the computer at your office, where you see the expense
report exactly as you left it. Fast User Switching works on standalone computers and computers that
are members of workgroups.

Remote Desktop enables a variety of scenarios, including:

• Working at home - Access work in progress on your office computer from home, including full
access to all local and remote devices.
• Collaborating - Bring your desktop to a colleague's office to debug some code, update a
Microsoft PowerPoint slide presentation, or proofread a document.
• Sharing a console - Allow multiple users to maintain separate program and configuration
sessions on a single computer, such as at a teller station or a sales desk.

To use Remote Desktop, you need the following:

• A computer running Windows XP Professional ("remote" computer) with a connection to a

Local Area Network or the Internet.
• A second computer ("home" computer) with access to the Local Area Network via network
connection, modem, or Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection. This computer must have
Remote Desktop Connection, formerly called the Terminal Services client, installed.
• Appropriate user accounts and permissions.

To set up this computer to use Remote Desktop

1. Open System in Control Panel.

2. On the Remote tab, select the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check
box.

Ensure that you have the proper permissions to connect to your computer remotely, and click OK. You
must be an administrator or a member of the Remote Desktop Users group on your computer. For
more information, see To allow other users to connect to your computer.

Notes

• You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to enable

the Remote Desktop feature.
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• To open a Control Panel item, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate icon.

To disable Remote Desktop

1. Click System in Control Panel.

2. On the Remote tab, clear the Allow users to connect remotely to your computer check
box, and then click OK.

Notes

• You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to disable

the Remote Desktop feature.
• To open a Control Panel item, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate icon.

To allow other users to connect to your computer

1. Open System in Control Panel.

2. Click the Remote tab.
3. In the Remote Desktop area, click Select Remote Users....
4. On the Remote Desktop Users dialog box, click Add....
5. On the Select Users dialog box, click Locations... to specify the search location.
6. Click Object Types... to specify the types of objects you want to search for.
7. In the Enter the object names to select (examples): box, type the names of the objects
you want to search for.
8. Click Check Names.
9. When the name is located, click OK. The name now appears in the list of users on the
Remote Desktop Users dialog box.

Notes

• To open a Control Panel item, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate icon.
• You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to add a
user to the Remote Users Group.

To install Remote Desktop Connection (32-bit computers)

1. On the computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000, insert
the Windows XP Professional compact disc into your CD-ROM drive.
2. When the Welcome page appears, click Perform additional tasks, and then click Set up
Remote Desktop Connection.
3. Follow the directions that appear on your screen.

To install Terminal Services Client (16-bit computers)

1. On a computer that is running Windows 2000 Sever, share the client setup folder.
2. From the computer that is running Windows for Workgroups, connect to the Local Area
Network that contains the computer that is running one of the Whistler Server family operating
systems.
3. Connect to the shared folder called Tsclient.
4. In the Tsclient\Win16 folder, double-click Setup.exe.
5. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Note
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• To determine the network name of the computer that is running one of the Whistler Server

family operating systems, open System in Control Panel. On the Computer Name tab,
locate the Full computer name item. The computer name is the part of the text string to the
left of the first period.

To install Terminal Services Client (Windows NT 3.51 computers)

1. On a computer that is running Windows 2000 Server, share the client setup folder.
2. From the computer that is running Windows NT 3.51, connect to the Local Area Network that
contains the computer that is running one of the Whistler Server family operating systems.
3. Connect to the shared folder called Tsclient.
4. In the Tsclient\Win32\Acme351 folder, double-click Setup.exe.
5. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

Note

• To determine the network name of the computer that is running one of the Whistler Server

family operating systems, open System in Control Panel. On the Computer Name tab,
locate the Full computer name item. The computer name is the part of the text string to the
left of the first period.

To install Remote Desktop Web Connection

1. Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.

2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
3. Select Internet Information Services, and then click Details.
4. In the Subcomponents of Internet Information Services list, select World Wide Web
Service, and then click Details.
5. In the Subcomponents for World Wide Web Service list, click the Remote Desktop
Web Connection check box, and then click OK.
6. In the Windows Components Wizard, click Next.
7. Open Internet Services Manager.
8. Expand the folder hierarchy until you reach the local computer name\Web Sites\Default Web
Site\tsweb folder.
9. Right-click the tsweb folder and then click Properties.
10. Click the Directory Security tab on the Properties dialog box.
11. In Anonymous access and authentication control, click Edit....
12. Check the Anonymous access check box on the Authentication Methods dialog box, and
then click OK twice.

Notes

• To open Internet Services Manager, click Start, point to All Programs, point to
Administrative Tools, and then click Internet Services Manager.
• Internet Information Services is installed on Windows XP Professional by default.
• You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to
complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings
may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
• To open a Control Panel item, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click the
appropriate icon.
• For information on using Remote Desktop Web Connection from the client computer, see To
connect to another computer using Remote Desktop Web Connection.

To connect to another computer using Remote Desktop Web Connection

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1. Ensure that Remote Desktop Web Connection is installed and running on the Web server. For
more information, see Setting up Remote Desktop Web Connection.

Ensure that your client computer has an active network connection and that the WINS server service
(or other name resolution method) is functioning.

2. On your client computer, start Microsoft Internet Explorer.

3. In the Address box, type the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the home directory of the
Web server hosting Remote Desktop Web Connection.

The URL is "http://" followed by the Windows Networking name of your server, followed by the
path of the directory containing the Remote Desktop Web Connection files (default = /Tsweb/).
(Note the forward slash marks.) For example, if your Web server is registered with the WINS
server as "Admin1", in the Address box you type: http://admin1/tsweb/, and then press
ENTER. The Remote Desktop Web Connection page appears on the screen.

4. In Server, type the name of the remote computer to which you want to connect.
5. Optionally, specify the screen size and logon information for your connection.
6. Click Connect.

Notes

• Remote Desktop Web Connection requires Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.

Security best practices

• Add yourself to the Remote Desktop Users group for your computer. When you do this, you do
not have to log on as an administrator to access your computer remotely. You should not add
yourself to the Administrators group, and you should avoid running your computer while you
are logged on as an administrator unless you are doing tasks that require administrator-only
privileges. For most computer activity, log on as a member of the Users or Power Users group.
If you need to perform an administrator-only task, log on as an administrator, perform the
task, and then log off. For more information, see Why you should not run your computer as an
administrator.
• Require all Remote Desktop Users to log on with a strong password. This is especially
important if your computer is connected directly to the Internet by means of a cable modem or
DSL connection. For more information, see Creating strong passwords.

About Remote Desktop Web Connection

Remote Desktop Web Connection is a Web application that consists of an ActiveX control, sample ASP
pages, and other files. When deployed on a Web server, Remote Desktop Web Connection allows users
to create a connection with the remote desktop of another computer inside Internet Explorer, even if
the Remote Desktop Connection program, formerly known as the Terminal Server client, is not installed
on the user's computer.

Remote Desktop Web Connection offers the following:

• Simple, straightforward deployment of the client portion of Terminal Server or

Remote Desktop applications. With Remote Desktop Web Connection, deploying a terminal
server connection can be as easy as sending a URL.
• Support for roaming users. Users who are away from their computers can use Remote
Desktop Web Connection to gain secure access to their primary workstation or favorite terminal
server from any computer running Windows and Internet Explorer.
• A lowest common denominator cross-platform system. Remote Desktop Web
Connection may meet the needs of organizations that want identical clients on all platforms.

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• Delivery of extranet applications. Corporations that want to deploy terminal server or

Remote Desktop connections to vendors, suppliers, or customers can use Remote Desktop Web
Connection to distribute them easily, inexpensively, and efficiently over the Internet.

For information on using Remote Desktop Web Connection from the client computer, see To
connect to another computer using Remote Desktop Web Connection.

To connect to another computer using Remote Desktop Web Connection

1. Ensure that Remote Desktop Web Connection is installed and running on the Web server. For
more information, see Setting up Remote Desktop Web Connection.
2. Ensure that your client computer has an active network connection and that the WINS server
service (or other name resolution method) is functioning.
3. On your client computer, start Microsoft Internet Explorer.
4. In the Address box, type the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the home directory of the
Web server hosting Remote Desktop Web Connection.

The URL is "http://" followed by the Windows Networking name of your server, followed by the
path of the directory containing the Remote Desktop Web Connection files (default = /Tsweb/).
(Note the forward slash marks.) For example, if your Web server is registered with the WINS
server as "Admin1", in the Address box you type: http://admin1/tsweb/, and then press
ENTER. The Remote Desktop Web Connection page appears on the screen.

5. In Server, type the name of the remote computer to which you want to connect.
6. Optionally, specify the screen size and logon information for your connection.
7. Click Connect.

Notes

• Remote Desktop Web Connection requires Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.

Cutting and pasting to and from a remote session

Many Remote Desktop and Terminal Server connections provide clipboard sharing, allowing you to cut
and paste from programs running in your Remote Desktop session to programs running on your local
computer.

When you cut or copy information from a program, it is moved to the Clipboard and remains there until
you clear the Clipboard or until you cut or copy another piece of information. The Clipboard window in
ClipBook Viewer (Clipbrd.exe) shows the contents of the Clipboard. You can paste the information from
the Clipboard into any document as often as you like. However, the information is only stored on the
Clipboard temporarily.

The shared clipboard synchronizes its contents with the local clipboard. You can copy and paste text or
graphics from a document within the Remote Desktop Connection window, and paste it into a
document on your local computer. For information on copying, pasting, and using local files and folders
in a Remote Desktop session, see Accessing local files and folders in a remote session.

Notes

• Depending on the policies of your network and the version of Windows that is running on the
remote computer, clipboard sharing might not work for some Remote Desktop connections.

Accessing local files and folders in a remote session

With Remote Desktop Connection, your local drives are available automatically when you are connected
to a remote computer.

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Within a Remote Desktop session, your local drives appear in Windows Explorer with the following
designation:

<driveletter>\ on tsclient

To access local drives from a command line or a run line in a remote session, type:

\\tsclient\<driveletter>

where driveletter is the drive letter (without a colon) of the local drive.

Notes

• Depending on your network policies, automatic drive mapping might be disabled for some or all
computers on your network. To ensure that Remote Desktop Connection is configured to map
local drives, see To make local disk drives available in a session.
• Automatic drive mapping is not available when you are connecting to a terminal server running
Windows 2000 or earlier.

To make local disk drives available in a session

1. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Options.

2. On the Local Resources tab, Under Local devices, click Disk drives.
3. Click Connect.

Notes

• To open Remote Desktop Connection, click Start, point to Programs or All Programs,
point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop
Connection.
• Depending on the policies of your network, local drive mapping might be disabled for some or
all remote connections.
• You might see a Remote Desktop Connection Security Warning, which asks whether you want
to connect your local disk drives or smart card to the remote computer. To enable one or both
of these connections, check the appropriate check box. If you choose not to enable these
connections, a Remote Desktop Connection is still established, but the information on these
local drives is not available to the remote computer.
• When you click Connect, the information you enter in Options becomes the default setting
for all Remote Desktop connections and is saved in a file called Default.rdp. To create
connections with different or connection-specific options, see Save your connection settings to
a file.

Printing to your local printer from a remote session

Printer redirection routes printing jobs from the terminal server or Remote Desktop computer to a
printer attached to your local computer (also called the "client computer"). There are two ways to
provide access to local printers: automatic and manual printer redirection. Use manual redirection when
your local printer requires a driver that is not available on the version of Windows that is running on
the remote computer.

Automatic printer redirection

Printer redirection is automatic when the local printer uses a driver that is installed on the server. When
you log on to a session on a terminal server, or to a computer running Windows Professional or Server
and Remote Desktop, any local printers attached to LPT, COM and USB ports that are installed on the
client (local) computer are automatically detected and a local queue is created on the server. The client
computer printer settings for the default printer and some properties (such as printing on both sides of
the page) are used by the server.

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When you disconnect or end the session, the printer queue is deleted and any incomplete or pending
print jobs are lost. Information about the client's local printers and settings are saved on the client
computer. On subsequent logons, the printer queue is created using the information stored on the
client computer.

If a printer driver is not found on the server, an event is logged and the client printer is not created. To
make the printer available, the driver must be manually installed on the server.

Manual printer redirection

Printers attached to LPT and COM ports on the client (local) computer can be manually redirected,
although manual redirection of printers connected through USB ports is not supported.

To manually redirect a client printer, contact your administrator and provide the name of your
computer (or IP address for a Windows-based Terminal). The client must be connected to the remote
computer during manual redirection.

After the initial manual redirection, printers will be automatically redirected during subsequent logons.

Notes

• Redirected printers are available for use with applications running on the server. Redirected
printers appear in the Printers and Faxes folder in Control Panel and are named in this format:
Client Printer Name/Client Computer Name/Session Number.
• When you disconnect or log off from a session, the printer queue is deleted and incomplete or
pending print jobs are lost.

To make your local printer available in a session

1. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Options.

2. On the Local Resources tab, under Local devices, click Printers.
3. Click Connect.

Notes

• To open Remote Desktop Connection, click Start, point to Programs or All Programs,
point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop
Connection.
• Depending on the policies of your network, local printer mapping might be disabled for some or
all remote connections.
• When you click Connect, the information you have entered in Options becomes the default
setting for all Remote Desktop connections and is saved in a file called Default.rdp. To create
connections with different or connection-specific options, see Save your connection settings to
a file.

To log off and end the session

1. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Start, and then click Shut Down.

The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears.

2. Click Log Off <username>, and then click OK.

Note

• To open Remote Desktop Connection, click Start, point to Programs or All Programs,
point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop
Connection.
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To disconnect without ending a session

1. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Start, and then click Shut Down.

The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears.

2. Click Disconnect, and then click OK.

Notes

• To open Remote Desktop Connection, click Start, point to Programs or All Programs,
point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop
Connection.
• You can also disconnect from a session by closing the Remote Desktop Connection window.
• Remote Desktop Connection automatically reconnects to this session the next time you connect
to this computer (if the remote computer is configured to allow reconnection of disconnected
sessions).

To log off and end the session

1. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Start, and then click Shut Down.

The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears.

2. Click Log Off <username>, and then click OK.

Note

• To open Remote Desktop Connection, click Start, point to Programs or All Programs,
point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop
Connection.

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