Remote Desktop Services troubleshooting

Administrator tools

Connection management tools

• Remote Desktop Connection Manager
• Remote Desktop Manager 5.5. - freeware remote connections tool, supports Remote Desktop / Terminal Services / Hyper-V / Virtual PC / VMware and more
• Royal TS - Freeware multi-tab remote connections tool
• visionapp Remote Desktop (vRD) - Freeware multi-tab remote connections tool
• Terminals - by CodePlex. Freeware, open-source RDP, VNC, VMRC, Telnet, SSH1, SSH2, ICA Citrix, RAS and HTTP client
• iShadow Desktop - by Teknica. Universal rdp, ica and vnc client
• Remote Desktop - by Frameworkx. Freeware Windows Vista's sidebar gadget to collect and organize your remote connections
• Remote Desktops snap-in from the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Administration Tools Pack

(Remote) Administration and management tools

Windows 7

• Download the Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows 7 - manage roles and features that are installed on computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2003, from a remote computer that is running Windows 7. This includes the Hyper-V management tools.

Windows Server 2008

• Remote Desktop Services Scripts
• Terminal Services Command Reference
• 947723 - Changes to remote administration in Windows Server 2008
• 970911 - The "Terminal Services" service cannot protect a console session from being disconnected in Windows Server 2008
• 941314 - Description of Windows Server 2008 Remote Server Administration Tools for Windows Vista Service Pack 1
• 967531 - Error message when installing Windows Server 2008 Remote Server Administration Tools on Windows Vista SP1: "The update does not apply to your system"
• 954370 - Error message when you try to connect to a domain controller for remote administration from a Windows Vista SP1-based computer that has Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed: "The RPC server is unavailable"
• Installing RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools) components unattended - by Kurt Roggen
• RSAT (Remote Server Administration Tools): what's included and what's NOT!! - by Kurt Roggen
• RSAT and ADUC: Getting the Terminal Services Tabs to Appear in AD Users and Computers
• WS2008: Terminal Server Management and Administration - an overview of available tools and methods
• WS2008: RDC Enhancements and Administrative Sessions
• Managing Terminal Services attributes with PowerShell - by Dmitry Sotnikov
• Remotely managing your Server Core using RDP - by Sander Berkouwer
• Introducing Terminal Services Server Drain Mode
• 947729 - Error message when you try to use the Active Directory Service Interfaces extension for Terminal Services to read the properties for a user on a Windows Server 2008-based computer: "The directory property cannot be found in the cache"



• Core Configurator 2.0
• Managing Remote Desktop Services (aka Terminal Services) using Windows PowerShell 2008 R2 only
• XenApp cmdlets for Windows Powershell

Windows Server 2003 / W2K

• 961151 - When you start the Terminal Services Manager tool in Windows Server 2003, the tool crashes, and event ID 1000 is logged on a computer that has multiple processors
• Terminal Services Tools and Settings
• Remote Administration of Windows Servers Using Remote Desktop for Administration White Paper - 2003
• 814590 - How to enable and to configure Remote Desktop for Administration in Windows Server 2003
• 256588 - Using Terminal Services for remote administration of Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 domain controllers in Directory Service Restore mode
• 281307 - Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Are Not Advertised as Terminal Services Servers
• 839941 - You cannot enter a password that has more than 14 characters when you try to connect to a session from Task Manager or from Terminal Services Manager in Windows Server 2003


• 306624 - HOW TO: Install Terminal Services in Remote Administration Mode in Windows 2000
• 243202 - Windows 2000 Terminal Services Session Management Tools
• 302801 - The Use of Tscon.exe Can Leave a Previously-Locked Console Unlocked
• 277689 - You May Not Be Able to Switch Back and Use the Terminal Services Manager
• 255591 - Internal Error 2755 Installing Windows 2000 Resource Kit on a Terminal Server
• CTX108104 - Error: Could not Contact any Web Interface Configuration Servers ..or the (Create Site) option is not available - ASC on PS4
• The realities of the new admin interface in Citrix Presentation Server 4.5 - by Brian Madden

Citrix

• CTX124644 - Error: A later version of the Citrix Access Management Console - Framework Snap-in is already installed

Remote Control, Shadowing, Remote Assistance

• Introducing Live Mesh Remote Desktop: Part 1
• 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
• 970907 - Error message when you try to offer Remote Assistance from an expert computer that is running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista: "Windows Remote Assistance is closing"
• 976110 - A terminal server session that is shadowed is incorrectly disconnected when the terminal server session that is shadowing stops shadowing on a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008
• 979557 - Stop error on a terminal server that is running a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 when a user remotely controls another terminal server session: "STOP: 0x0000007E"

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.

• Remote Desktop Services : Partners
• CitrixTools.Net - lots of free Citrix management tools
• Ctrl-Alt-Del IT Consultancy - lots of free Citrix / TS utilities, like GETTSCIP and DEFSET
• ERICOM's PowerTerm WebConnect - a freeware extension to Windows 2008 TS Web Access to filter out applications based on user's group membership
  TechNet WebCast: Extending Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services with Ericom's Free PowerTerm WebConnect Add-On
• Citrix Published Applications Utility (PAU) - change properties of multiple published applications
• Process Monitor - monitors all registry and file access for running processes
• 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
• Virtual IP - session-based IP addresses, from Provision Networks
• ReconnAct! - utility which runs a script when client IP or name changes or on session disconnect or reconnect
• ObserveIT - Window Session auditing and recording of all Terminal Server sessions