Audio device only works if login occurs locally prior to RDC...

[Greg Clark]

I'm hoping someone has a solution to my problem. Here are some details of
the problem that I'm experiencing...

I have a Shuttle SV25 that I want to use as a "headless" media server, for
audio file streaming/storage accessable by other computers in my home, and
audio devices.

The problem I encounter is that the audio device is not loading properly
unless I connect locally to the machine prior to a RDC. If I login via RDC
prior to logging in locally, the audio control panel shows all options
grayed out, even though the device drivers say they are loaded correctly.
No audio devices appear in the control panel. If I connect locally, then
without logging out locally, connect via RDC, the sound works fine. This
defeats the purpose of wanting the machine to be "headless", as I need it to
live in a location where a monitor/keyboard/mouse is not feasable to attach
every time I reboot the box.

I've noticed on a few other groups online that other people have experienced
this issue, though most just make sure they log onto the remote box locally
first as a workaround. For me, this is an unworkable solution.

Can anyone point me to a better explanation of the cause of this issue, and
how I might work around it? I've tried using both onboard sound and a
SBLive card, both with the same result.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

-Greg

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Jeffrey is our expert on this one, but I don't think there's an easy
workaround. This may be fixed in SP2 for XP, but that is some ways off, I'm
afraid. Q1 2004 is the last date I heard for it.

 

[Jeffrey Randow (MVP)]

The problem involves the virutalization of hardware. If you have not
established some sort of link to your audio device (by starting media
player - but not necessarily playing media), when you connect to a
Remote Desktop session, it will use a virtual audio driver in lieu of
your actual one. This virtual audio driver optimizes the audio stream
for transport over the Remote Desktop session. By locking into your
original audio device, Remote Desktop will continue to use your
original audio device in lieu of using the virtual one...

Its supposed to be a Service Pack 2 fix, but like Bill said, that is
some ways off from now...

Jeffrey Randow (Windows MVP - Networking & Smart Display)
(e-mail address removed)

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Remote Networking Technology Wiki -
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Smart Display Support - http://www.smartdisplays.net
Windows XP Expert Zone - http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone