Remote Desktop for Windows 8
Troubleshooting Windows 8 Remote Desktop
To troubleshoot a remote desktop connection you need to understand the
contrasting roles of the network host (victim) and the local client computer
(parasite).
Each factor in making a successful connection is easier if both the client and host are
running Microsoft's Windows 8. However, don't worry if one of the computers is
running Windows 7, Vista, XP, or even Windows Server,
you can still get a remote desktop connection to work.
Topics for Win 8 Remote Desktop Connection
♦
The key to configuring the host is thinking ahead. Realize that
one day you are going to leave your office with the Windows 8 machine running, and then visit a colleague in another
part of the building; the problem comes
when you need
a file which is on your Windows 8
computer back in the first office.
To save that long trek back to your machine, launch
Remote Desktop from a colleague's machine, and
then connect to your Windows 8 computer
back in the other office. Once you configure the logon credentials
make the connection
a LAN, or even over the internet via TCP port 3389. Working with a
Windows 8 remote desktop is almost indistinguishable from being there at
the physical host machine.
How to Enable Remote Desktop:
Here is where you think ahead, and configure your own Windows 8 machine, which
I call
the host in this scenario:
Assuming you are seeing the Metro UI: click on Control
Panel, or if you cannot find it type 'c o n t r o l' and select the
icon. Once the control panel is open head for: More Settings, System and Security, Remote Settings, Remote
Desktop and click the radio button next to 'Allow remote connections to
this computer'. For testing I would remove the tick in the box
below; see screenshot to the right.
Assuming you are at the Desktop:
Call for the 'Charms', Search, Control Panel. Now it's System and Security, System, Remote Settings
(Left menu), Allow Desktop (Section), Allow connections. 'Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network
Level Authentication' - This means only Microsoft's Windows 8 or Windows 7 machines.
For a modicum of security there is a button (not shown) to control which users can connect to your
machine.
Guy Recommends: A Free Trial of the Network Performance Monitor
(NPM)
SolarWinds'
Orion performance monitor
will help you discover what's happening on your network. This
utility will also guide you through troubleshooting; the dashboard will
indicate whether the root cause is a broken link, faulty equipment or
resource overload.
What I like best is the way NPM suggests solutions to network
problems. Its
also has the ability to monitor the health of individual VMware
virtual machines. If you are interested in troubleshooting, and creating
network maps, then I recommend that you try NPM now.
Download a free trial of Solarwinds' Network Performance Monitor
Windows 8 Remote Desktop Sleep Problem
Windows 8's remote desktop is smooth, responsive and provides a great
display, the one potential problem is that the host machine will fall into
deep sleep. The answer is to enable the Wake Timers.
Navigate to Power Options, click on the 'Change advanced power settings'
link.
Note: Change settings that are currently unavailable.
Sleep
Allow wake timers
On battery: What do you think?
Plugged in: Enable (See screenshot)
The benefit is that if the host machine sleeps, as is likely, you
can now awaken it using remote desktop, and thus create remote session.
Trust me it works like a charm, so much better than in Windows 7.
Evaluate Solarwinds Dameware MRC.
Remote Assistance
Talking of options, there is
related service called Remote Assistance. This allows
an invited friend, or a techie, to access your computer so that they can
troubleshoot your problem. Unlike Remote Desktop, in case of Remote Assistance
both of you can see the same computer screen. There is an option for
sharing control of the mouse pointer.
Recommended: Solarwinds' Permissions Analyzer - Free Active Directory Tool
I like the
Permissions Analyzer because it enables me to see WHO has permissions
to do WHAT at a glance. When you launch this tool it analyzes a users effective NTFS
permissions for a specific file or folder, and takes into account network share
access, then displays the results in a nifty desktop dashboard!
Think of all the frustration that this free SolarWinds utility saves when you are
troubleshooting authorization problems for user's access to a resource.
Give this permissions monitor a try - it's free!
Download
SolarWinds' Free Permissions Analyser - Active Directory Tool
A Backdoor Registry Hack - fDenyTSConnections
There is a 'backdoor' registry tweak which allows you to setup the
Remote Desktop Connection as above. This is useful if you forgot
to 'Allow connections' before you left your machine. My technique
involves using a registry setting called fDenyTSConnections to reverse
'Don't allow connections to this computer' on the target machine.
My idea relies on the ability of regedit to Connect to network registry,
for this you could take the time to start the Remote Registry Service on the target machine.
See here for a
PowerShell script to start services.
Our mission is to change the value of fDenyTSConnections from =1 to =0.
Launch Regedit and navigate along this path: File Menu, Connect Network Registry. Naturally, you
need the hostname of the computer. Next let us connect to the correct registry
hive on the target machine,
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server
Now find the Reg_DWord called fDenyTSConnections and set the value = 0 (zero)
Unfortunately, you have to reboot the target machine before the change
from 1 to 0 takes effect. To achieve this I use the following
PowerShell command:
Restart-Computer -computerName DistWin8 -force
See more
on fDenyTSConnections
The situation is that you have configured the remote host to 'Allow connections
...'. So now it's time to launch the Remote
Desktop Connection on the local client. To access this MSTSC executable
in Windows
7, click on the Start Orb, and in the Search dialog box, type
Remote Desktop.
Launch Remote Desktop Connection - See screenshot. If this fails
the underlying program is called mstcs.exe and is located at:
C:\Windows\System32\mstsc.exe.
Type the name of the computer that you want to gain remote access.
It's worth taking the time to examine the 'Options' before you click 'Connect'.
| 
