switch screens between local and remote desktop

[hjw48823]

Hi,

I frequently use XP's remote desktop to work on my office computer from
home. Everytime I want to look at the opened remote desktop screen,
I'll have to click on the icon from the taskbar, and then click on the
button on the upper right concer to enlarge it to the full screen mode.
I am wondering whether it is possible to make a hotkey so that I can
swtich between the local and the remote desktop (both in the full
screen mode) easily. I don't have the know-how, and would appreciate if
someone can provide a solution. Thanks in advance!

HJW

 

[Robert L [MS-MVP]]

You may try CTRL+ALT+BREAK. If the remote desktop is too larger to block the local desktop, minimize the remote desktop when you are in the local desktop. This link have more shortcut key listed,

terminal service To initiate a Remote Control session: run a Terminal Server Client session to the Terminal ... When the session is running, start Terminal Services Manager. ...
www.howtonetworking.com/server/ts.htm


Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on http://www.HowToNetworking.com
Hi,

I frequently use XP's remote desktop to work on my office computer from
home. Everytime I want to look at the opened remote desktop screen,
I'll have to click on the icon from the taskbar, and then click on the
button on the upper right concer to enlarge it to the full screen mode.
I am wondering whether it is possible to make a hotkey so that I can
swtich between the local and the remote desktop (both in the full
screen mode) easily. I don't have the know-how, and would appreciate if
someone can provide a solution. Thanks in advance!

HJW

 

[hjw48823]

Thanks Robert for the quick reply. I am afraid, however, that I didn't
make my question clear. What I want to do is to switch back and forth
between my local desktop and my remote desktop using hotkeys. As far as
I know, this amounts to (assume I already log in to the remote
computer):

(1) to switch to the remote desktop: put Windows focus on the RDP
window, bring it to the foreground, and maximize it to the full screen
mode;
(2) to switch back to the local desktop: switch the full window mode to
local window mode, and then minimize the window.

Any lead will be appreciated.

HJW

 

[Robert L [MS-MVP]]

Let me try one more time.

When you are remote desktop with full screen, use CTRL+ALT+BREAK. you will have the full screen of the local desktop. However, the remote desktop is still too lager to block the local desktop screen. Now, you minimize the remote desktop to a small icon. try CTRL+ALT+BREAK, you should have full screen for remote desktop. Then use CTRL+ALT+BREAK, you will have the full screen of the local desktop with small remote desktop icon.

Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on http://www.HowToNetworking.com
Thanks Robert for the quick reply. I am afraid, however, that I didn't
make my question clear. What I want to do is to switch back and forth
between my local desktop and my remote desktop using hotkeys. As far as
I know, this amounts to (assume I already log in to the remote
computer):

(1) to switch to the remote desktop: put Windows focus on the RDP
window, bring it to the foreground, and maximize it to the full screen
mode;
(2) to switch back to the local desktop: switch the full window mode to
local window mode, and then minimize the window.

Any lead will be appreciated.

HJW

 

[hjw48823]

Thanks to Bob for the clarification. The suggested approach, however,
does not work on my computer. This is what happened: When I am in the
full screen mode of the remote desktop, press CTRL+ALT+BREAK does two
things: (1) the taskbar I saw on the screen is now the local desktop's;
the rest of the desktop area is still the remote's; and (2) the local
computer's Task Manager is now called up and shown on the screen.
Further pressing CTRL+ALT+BREAK does nothing to me.

Perhaps my CTRL+ALT+BREAK has been pre-assigned to perform a different
task? (Though I don't recall doing the customization.)

Thanks in advance for further suggestions.

HJW

 

[John Jay Smith]

The best way to make your life easier is to install a second display adaptor
and a second screen,
that way you will have the other computer (RDP) on the second screen at all
times...
No switching needed at all! You may already have some old crt screen laying
around at home..
and perhaps your display adaptor already supports 2 screens. My Ati 9000
does, and many nvidia also have this
capability. Look into it.

and having multimonitor capability is extreamly usfull in general and is
great for productivity.

I have 3 on one machine and 2 on another

Everyone who I have ever talked to that has used multimonitors have said
that they will never go back
in using only one.

 

[beb]

Set RDC to start in full screen mode. Then you will have one action to make
to toggle from minimize to full screen on the taskbar with the mouse. I
don't think there is a keyboard action to do this.

 

[mudfrog]

The only way that I can see that you can do it is by doing the following:

1) Connect to remote computer.
2) Restore down the window.
3) Resize the window to as big as you can handle.

By doing the above you can use the ALT + Tab combi to switch between the remote screen and your local apps.

Not ideal but it could work for you.

Cheers,

Rich

 

[Guest]

I'm searching something like that.
Is there a way to always display the taskbar of the local machine ?
On Windows 98 the local taskbar overlay the RDP screen...

I'm searching a hack of registry for example.

Thanks for any help.