Remote Desktop Services troubleshooting

Applications

Planning and testing

• Testing Citrix - Effective testing strategies to ensure Thin Client, Citrix & Terminal Server projects are delivered successfully
• RDS Application Analyzer
• Citrix Ready. Community Verified - check if your application can run on Citrix
• Terminal Services Part 11: Apps to Host. Apps Not to Host. - by Greg Shields

Installation

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

Tools and How-To articles

• the TS Application Compatibility Connect website hosts a number of tools, articles and whitepapers, like:
• Terminal Service Application Compatibility - Overview
• Application Readiness for Terminal Service WhitePaper
• And here's a good starter: How to detect RDS-specific application compatibility issues by using the RDS Application Compatibility Analyzer

• Download Hosting Applications with Terminal Server - 2003
• 2002357 - MSI (Microsoft Windows Installer) Behavior based on Terminal Server Versions 2003 and 2008
• 223300 - How to Enable Windows Installer Logging
• Terminal Services Part 15: Installing your First Application - by Greg Shields
• 195950 - How and why ROOTDRIVE is used on Windows Terminal Server
• How Applications use the Registry in Terminal Server Environments - by Brian Madden
• 186498 - Terminal Server Application Integration Information
• Program compatibility flags
• CTX106100 - Application Isolation Environment Supported Applications

Troubleshooting application issues

General & installation issues

• CTX101709 - How to Effectively Troubleshoot Application Integration Issues by Citrix, but most methods apply to rdp as well
• My application runs fine for Administrators, but not for normal users
• My application runs only for the Administrator who installed the application, but not for normal users or other accounts with Administrator rights
• 2020855 - Applications using Chained MSIs fail to Install on Window 2003 Server through a Remote Session with error - Setup wizard ended prematurely
• 969523 - Installers running in Terminal Server may not copy all per-user Default settings to each user's HKCU hive
• 972604 - An application crashes in a terminal server session when the application passes a registry key name that is longer than 255 characters on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003
• 252330 - Toggling Terminal Services to Application Server Mode May Cause Programs Not to Work
• 297379 - Programs Can Revert to the Default Settings on Terminal Server
• 255582 - BUG: An error occurs running Windows Installer installation on Terminal Server or Remote Desktop connection
• 311727 - An Assigned Program Is Not Installed in Terminal Services Remote Administration Mode
• CTX109254 - Application Isolation Environments - Compatibility Issues
• CTX121629 - List of Tested Applications Incompatible with Citrix Application Streaming
• CTX124546 - Passing Variables with Spaces to Streamed Applications Fails from Access Management Console

Specific application issues

• Office issues
• Internet Explorer issues
• QuickBooks issues
• Other applications: Exchange, SQL and MSDE, SMS, Lotus Notes, Adobe, COM and DCOM, Host Integration Server, SoftGrid and more

Windows 2008 specific issues

• 951048 - An application does not start in a Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services RemoteApp session
• 2006855 - Windows Server 2008 in remote admin mode - Instead of the specified startup program, the whole desktop is started on a remote desktop connection
• 967471 - A legacy application may randomly encounter an access violation in a Windows Server 2008 terminal session when the application starts

Miscellaneous issues

• 816513 - Poor Program Performance Occurs in a Remote Terminal Services Session SPI_GETUIEFFECTS setting
• 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
• 959200 - Applications or services that use the NFS redirector may crash when a Linux-based client or a UNIX-based client disconnects from a Windows Server 2003 terminal server without logging off

Information for developers

• Remote Desktop Protocol Licensing – How To Get the IP Rights You Need
• Remote Desktop Protocol: Basic Connectivity and Graphics Remoting Specification
• Remote Desktop Protocol: Remote Programs Virtual Channel Extension
• Terminal Server Plug and Play Device Redirection Framework in Vista and Longhorn - part 3
• Windows Desktop Sharing API - on Vista
• Dynamic Virtual Channels
• 950118 - You cannot reuse a virtual channel handle after you disconnect and then reconnect a Terminal Services session that is established on a Windows Server 2008-based terminal server
• 970910 - A memory leak issue occurs if you call the WTSQuerySessionInformation function to query the published applications information or the initial program information for session ID 0



• Terminal Services Programming Guidelines
• CTX111705 - A Guide for Application Developers, by Citrix
• Terminal Services Reference
• Wrapping the Terminal Services API for Visual Basic - by Alex Angelopoulos, MVP
• Windows Logo Program Requirements V. 3.0
• Device Driver INF Changes for Plug and Play Device Redirection on Terminal Server
• Application Compatibility Toolkit - for W2K
• Detecting If Terminal Services is Installed
• Optimizing Applications for Windows 2000 Terminal Services and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
• 923741 - Formatted text is inserted as a picture in the "Rich TextBox" control on a Windows 2000-based terminal server
• 841700 - BUG: You receive an "error reading comm device" error message when you try to read from a COM port that is on a remote computer by using the MSComm control in Visual Basic 6.0

• Local Administrator/Power User Hall of Shame