Windows XP Remote Desktop Settings...

[Guest]

I'm attempting to set up a Windows XP machine so that only a certain program
can be run when a user logs in via remote desktop, and that program starts
automatically upon login. I've tried adjusting registry settings and using
the gpedit.msc panel to enable this feature, but nothing seems to work. Can
anyone tell me if it's possible to do this, or does this setting not work in
XP's version of Terminal Services?

Thanks!

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I'm attempting to set up a Windows XP machine so that only a certain
program
can be run when a user logs in via remote desktop, and that program starts
automatically upon login. I've tried adjusting registry settings and
using
the gpedit.msc panel to enable this feature, but nothing seems to work.
Can
anyone tell me if it's possible to do this, or does this setting not work
in
XP's version of Terminal Services?

Thanks!

You write "but nothing seems to work". You need to be a lot
more specific about what exactly you tried and what happened.
Without this information we'd have to play guessing games.
You should also state what happens during a local log-in.

 

[Guest]

Sorry, didn't mean to be vague. What I mean is that, after setting an option
for a program to start when a user logs in via remote desktop, I reboot the
machine and attempt to log in via remote desktop. The user is simply taken
to a Windows desktop (and an application does not automatically start)
instead of having the application that I specified come up automatically.
I'm trying a simple app for right now - notepad.exe.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Here is what I tried:
- Launch mstsc.exe (no parameters).
- Specify the target machine.
- Specify notepad.exe in the appropriate field.
- Start the session.
- Log on.

I got an RDP session straight away, with notepad.exe in
the foreground. Perhaps notepad.exe is missing or defective
on your host.

You could also launch your application by placing an appropriate
shortcut into the Startup folder on your host machine.

 

[Guest]

Yes, I'm well aware you can do it on the CLIENT side - I want to do it on the
"SERVER" side. So, I have a Windows XP machine to which other people are
going to be logging in. On the Windows XP machine to which the users will be
connecting (the "SERVER," if you will), I would like to FORCE a certain
application to load automatically, whether the user specifies it or not. I
know you can do this on Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services, and the
settings are there to do it on Windows XP's Remote Desktop service (at least,
they're there in the Group Policy Editor and they get put in the registry),
but the settings don't seem to have any affect at all - users are still taken
to the desktop automatically when they log in.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

As I wrote before, simply place the appropriate shortcut into
the Startup folder on the host (=the Server).

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately this isn't quite acceptable - I don't want the users to be able
to launch anything else on the machine - I don't want them to have access to
a desktop at all. I'm guessing what I'm trying to do isn't possible in
Windows XP.

Thanks for your time in attempting to help me out!

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I see. It seems I missed the word "only" in your original
question. What you need here is an alternative "Shell":
Not Windows Explorer but your own program. AFAIK
this is not too hard to achieve but I have never tried it
myself. It's probably defined here:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

If I were to play with this registry key then I would start
by backing up the registry, using regback.exe. I would
then have my trusty Bart PE boot CD handy so that
I could restore the registry in case I was unable to start
Windows.

Anyway, alternative shells are unrelated to Remote
Desktop or Console sessions. I suggest you start another
thread under a subject such as "Alternative Windows Shell".

 

[Guest]

I did end up changing the shell to a script that starts the app that I want
to run and then logs off Windows using the shutdown -l command (since Windows
didn't automatically log off after the app exits). This seems to work fine
for me - again, thanks for your help.