Remote Desktop Problem

G

Guest

I have my home PC (Windows XP Home) set up to remotely access my work PC
(Windows XP Professional). I am connecting using a DSL modem, a VPN
connection, and Windows' Remote Desktop Connection feature. I have no
problems connecting.

However, if I'm sitting at my home machine and leave it idle for 60-90
seconds (no movement of the mouse or keyboard), the connection freezes. I
can't do anything while in the RDC window. Eventually, I get a little square
graphic in the upper-right corner of my screen that blinks (has the
double-computer screen icon with a red X). I click the little graphic a
couple of times, minimize my remote desktop connection and then maximize it
again. Eventually, it comes back. I don't
have to disconnect and reconnect. I can minimize RDC and work fine on
programs on my local machine, it's just the RDC that freezes.

Any idea why this is happening and what I can do about it?

Thanks.
 
K

Karl Strausser

Sounds like your VPN. I have found Remote Desktop extremely reliable
across an incredible variety of setups, OS's, and configurations, so I
doubt that is the problem. How is your VPN implemented ?

Before you answer that, that 60-90 seconds delay may be pointing to
something like Google Desktop (or MSN Search, or anything similar)
starting to index your home PC as soon as it thinks it is idle, and
then taking such amount of CPU that RDC thinks it has lost the
connection.

Check what you've got running in the background at the link below and
see if I am on the right lines or totally off base :

http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm


Karl


I have my home PC (Windows XP Home) set up to remotely access my work
PC
(Windows XP Professional). I am connecting using a DSL modem, a VPN
connection, and Windows' Remote Desktop Connection feature. I have no
problems connecting.

However, if I'm sitting at my home machine and leave it idle for 60-90
seconds (no movement of the mouse or keyboard), the connection
freezes. I
can't do anything while in the RDC window. Eventually, I get a little
square
graphic in the upper-right corner of my screen that blinks (has the
double-computer screen icon with a red X). I click the little graphic
a
couple of times, minimize my remote desktop connection and then
maximize it
again. Eventually, it comes back. I don't
have to disconnect and reconnect. I can minimize RDC and work fine on
programs on my local machine, it's just the RDC that freezes.

Any idea why this is happening and what I can do about it?

Thanks.
 
P

Pegasus \(MVP\)

pfhlad0 said:
I have my home PC (Windows XP Home) set up to remotely access my work PC
(Windows XP Professional). I am connecting using a DSL modem, a VPN
connection, and Windows' Remote Desktop Connection feature. I have no
problems connecting.

However, if I'm sitting at my home machine and leave it idle for 60-90
seconds (no movement of the mouse or keyboard), the connection freezes. I
can't do anything while in the RDC window. Eventually, I get a little square
graphic in the upper-right corner of my screen that blinks (has the
double-computer screen icon with a red X). I click the little graphic a
couple of times, minimize my remote desktop connection and then maximize it
again. Eventually, it comes back. I don't
have to disconnect and reconnect. I can minimize RDC and work fine on
programs on my local machine, it's just the RDC that freezes.

Any idea why this is happening and what I can do about it?

Thanks.

I have seen this phenomenon when the external network connection
was unreliable. Try a continuous ping and see what happens:

ping workpc -t
 

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