Remote Desktop

This free lesson will teach how to install  and connect to a Remote Desktop.

Use the buttons below to navigate through the lesson

To enable Remote Desktop click on Start.  Right-click on My Computer.  Select Properties.  Select the Remote Tab.  Select the Allow users to connect remotely checkbox.  Read the warning and click OK.

Although the administrator is allowed to connect remotely, standard users must be added to the Remote Desktop Users group. If the server is a Domain Controller then you will also need to configure the Domain Controller Policy to allow the users to logon locally.

Add the relevant users and click OK.

Connecting to a Remote Desktop

The Remote Desktop Connection client is installed by default on Windows XP / Server 2003 machines. It can be launched from Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications. For older clients, the Remote Desktop Client can be downloaded from Microsoft’s Website or obtained from a Terminal Server in the “windows\system32\clients\tsclient” folder.

From the Remote Desktop Connection window click on Options.

Fill out the details for your user account and specify the name or IP address of the server.

The Display Tab is used to configure the desktop size and colour resolution. You should choose a smaller screen when connecting over a slow connection.

The Local Resources Page is used to configure devices connected to the terminal, e.g. Printers and Sound.

The Programs Tab can be used to automatically start a program once logged on.

The Experience Tab allows you to configure the user experience once connected. Enabling features such as Wallpapers and Themes will slow the connection speed. Bitmap caching can improve performance slightly for the client.

Click Connect once all settings are configured.

You should be automatically logged on to your Windows Server 2003 Desktop….

..and be able to work as if logged on locally.