Any Way to Save User Context When RDP Login Occurs?

[Will]

Is there any way we can have a Windows XP login context saved when another
user comes into the box by RDP?

Fast Switching must be turned off because we are in a domain environment.

It's very very shortsighted of Microsoft to have the current behavior that
doesn't allow at least two concurrent logins by one user and one admin, but
it's just whacky that they didn't at least give us a way to preserve the
primary user's work while a second user comes in. Locking out the first
user's session and saving context might be acceptable, but just logging off
the original user is hideous.

 

[VanguardLH]

Is there any way we can have a Windows XP login context saved when
another user comes into the box by RDP?

Fast Switching must be turned off because we are in a domain
environment.

It's very very shortsighted of Microsoft to have the current
behavior that doesn't allow at least two concurrent logins by one
user and one admin, but it's just whacky that they didn't at least
give us a way to preserve the primary user's work while a second
user comes in. Locking out the first user's session and saving
context might be acceptable, but just logging off the original user
is hideous.

Nope, RDP logs off any current session on the remote host so it can
start the remote session as requested.

Use some version of VNC, like RealVNC or TightVNC.

 

[Will]

...

Nope, RDP logs off any current session on the remote host so it can start
the remote session as requested.

It doesn't work that way with Windows 2003 Server RDP, and since the
underlying code and OS is the same (save for presentation issues), it could
have been made to work in a similar way with XP.

 

[VanguardLH]

It doesn't work that way with Windows 2003 Server RDP, and since the
underlying code and OS is the same (save for presentation issues),
it could have been made to work in a similar way with XP.

Windows XP includes a *restricted* version of Terminal Services (2
sessions max, 3 if you learn about the admin session via "mstsc
/console"). Windows XP is not a server so don't expect it to behave
like a terminal server.

I have had to use the admin session on occasion when users left for
the day but also left their RDP session active. Rather than having to
walk over to the host, I could use the admin session to get on the
remote host to then use Task Manager to kill them off (and send a
nasty-mail to them and their supervisor). It's been awhile since I
used "mstsc /console" so I don't know if it does what you want. I
seem to recall it started another Windows session on the remote host.

If you are the only one that needs to connect remotely to that host
(or you and just one other person for the 2-session max for RDP) then
don't logoff when you are done with your current RDP session. Don't
logoff from your remote session. Just disconnect the RDP client on
your end.

 

[Will]

Windows XP includes a *restricted* version of Terminal Services (2
sessions max, 3 if you learn about the admin session via "mstsc
/console"). Windows XP is not a server so don't expect it to behave like
a terminal server.

I have had to use the admin session on occasion when users left for the
day but also left their RDP session active. Rather than having to walk
over to the host, I could use the admin session to get on the remote host
to then use Task Manager to kill them off (and send a nasty-mail to them
and their supervisor). It's been awhile since I used "mstsc /console" so
I don't know if it does what you want. I seem to recall it started
another Windows session on the remote host.

If you are the only one that needs to connect remotely to that host (or
you and just one other person for the 2-session max for RDP) then don't
logoff when you are done with your current RDP session. Don't logoff from
your remote session. Just disconnect the RDP client on your end.

When you say that Windows XP includes a restricted version of Terminal
Services that supports two sessions, how do you get two sessions
concurrently? I can only get it to support a single session, and any new
session kills the prior one.

I will try /console, although that's not the preferred behavior to steal the
console. We have three admins who all have reasons to get in that box a
few times each week. When they forgot to logoff, or when they simply
cancel their session without logoff, we would like the next admin in to not
kill the prior sessions.