I would like to use Windows Remote Desktop to perform maintenance tasks
(mostly installing software for users) on the computers that I support at our
organization. The problem is that I need to arrange a time with the users
when no one will be using the computer so I can connect to it with Remote
Desktop.

Is there a utility which I can use to find out when the currently logged on
user logs off of a computer on our domain? The best scenario would be that I
could provide the NetBIOS/DNS name of the computer to the utility and the
utility would display a message on my screen and/or play an audible alert
when the currently logged on user logs off of the computer. BTW, the
computers are all members of our Active Directory domain.

Of course the real dream utility would be if Remote Desktop would warn me
that another user is logged on to the computer and I could choose an option
to wait for the user to log off, then Remote Desktop would automatically ask
me to log on, with perhaps an audible alert.

On Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:52:02 -0700, Don Anderson
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I would like to use Windows Remote Desktop to perform maintenance tasks
>(mostly installing software for users) on the computers that I support at our
>organization. The problem is that I need to arrange a time with the users
>when no one will be using the computer so I can connect to it with Remote
>Desktop.
>
>Is there a utility which I can use to find out when the currently logged on
>user logs off of a computer on our domain? The best scenario would be that I
>could provide the NetBIOS/DNS name of the computer to the utility and the
>utility would display a message on my screen and/or play an audible alert
>when the currently logged on user logs off of the computer. BTW, the
>computers are all members of our Active Directory domain.
>
>Of course the real dream utility would be if Remote Desktop would warn me
>that another user is logged on to the computer and I could choose an option
>to wait for the user to log off, then Remote Desktop would automatically ask
>me to log on, with perhaps an audible alert.


Most administrators do the maintenance tasks during the night when
users are less likely to need PCs. We used to schedule updates Sunday
morning (at a hospital) but found that there is more activity on
weekends than Thursdays at 3AM. Here, there are well over 8,000 PC
users. In a less critical environment, you might tell users that
network maintenance tasks will be done at lunchtime, every Wednesday.