Shai Perednik.com » Windows

Concurrent Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows XP SP2

Shai Perednik — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:01:36 +0000

Ran into this post while trying to get concurrent remote desktop connections working. Havn’t tried it, but it should work.

Quoted from source below:

I mentioned before that Windows XP does not allow concurrent sessions for its Remote Desktop feature. What this means is that if a user is logged on at the local console, a remote user has to kick him off (and ironically, this can be done even without his permission) before starting work on the box. This is irritating and removes much of the productivity that Remote Desktop brings to Windows. Read on to learn how to remove that limitation in Windows XP SP2

A much touted feature in SP2 (Service Pack 2) since then removed was the ability to do just this, have a user logged on locally while another connects to the terminal remotely. Microsoft however removed the feature in the final build. The reason probably is that the EULA (End User License Agreement) allows only a single user to use a computer at a time. This is (IMHO) a silly reason to curtail Remote Desktop’s functionality, so we’ll have a workaround.

Microsoft did try out the feature in earlier builds of Service Pack 2 and it is this that we’re going to exploit here. We’re going to replace termserv.dll (The Terminal Server) with one from an earlier build (2055).

To get Concurrent Sessions in Remote Desktop working, follow the steps below exactly:

Download the termserv.zip file below and extract it somewhere. (You have to be registered to see the file)

Reboot into Safe Mode. This is necessary to remove Windows File Protection.

Copy the termserv.dll in the zip to %windir%\System32 and %windir%\ServicePackFiles\i386. If the second folder doesn’t exist, don’t copy it there. Delete termserv.dll from the dllcache folder: %windir%\system32\dllcache

Merge the contents of Concurrent Sessions SP2.reg file into the registry.

Make sure Fast User Switching is turned on. Go Control Panel -> User Accounts -> Change the way users log on or off and turn on Fast User Switching.

Open up the Group Policy Editor: Start Menu > Run > ‘gpedit.msc’. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Terminal Services. Enable ‘Limit Number of Connections’ and set the number of connections to 3 (or more). This enables you to have more than one person remotely logged on.

Now reboot back into normal Windows and try out whether Concurrent Sessions in Remote Desktop works. It should!

If anything goes wrong, the termserv_sp2.dll is the original file you replaced. Just rename it to termserv.dll, reboot into safe mode and copy it back.

The termserv.dl_ file is provided in the zip is for you slipstreamers out there. Just replace that file with the corresponding file in the Windows installation disks.

Concurrent Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows XP SP2 originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on October 19, 2009.

BumpTop Gets Amazing-Looking Multi-Touch on Windows 7 [Desktop]

System — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:40:43 +0000

Automatically pulled from Google Starred

BumpTop, the 3D desktop overlay we’ve drooled over since prototype, has added multi-touch support for Windows 7 and hardware that supports it. It’s a logical step, and it makes a neat actual-desktop-as-desktop metaphor seem truly real.

The video really says it all, but BumpTop’s blog details the specific finger actions you can undertake with BumpTop running on Windows 7. Here’s a small sampling:

Would a finger-controlled desktop make your file, photo, and other operations that much more simple, or would you spend way too much time tossing things around? Tell us your take on multi-touch BumpTop in the comments.

BumpTop Gets Multi-Touch Support on Windows 7 [BumpTop Blog]

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BumpTop Gets Amazing-Looking Multi-Touch on Windows 7 [Desktop] originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on October 1, 2009.

Memoriser Helps You Get Your Facts Straight [Download]

System — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:21:42 +0000

Automatically pulled from Google Starred

Windows only: Learning through repetition is a proven method for learning new information. Freeware application Memoriser brings that repetition to the screen you stare at all day with a digital approach to flash cards.

Memoriser pops up questions at predetermined intervals while you use your computer to quiz you on whatever you’re trying to memorize. Similar to previously mentioned Mac-only flash card application Genius, Memoriser tracks the questions you get wrong and quizzes you more often on the ones you have the most trouble with.

Questions can be grouped into categories and each question can be individually toggled on or off. The one-at-a-time method of entering questions can be a bit slow, but you can hand-edit the questions.ini file in the Memoriser install folder if you feel comfortable with plain text. Memoriser is freeware, Windows only.

Let us know your best tricks for getting the stuff you need to know into your brain in the comments.

Memoriser [via The Red Ferret Journal]

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Memoriser Helps You Get Your Facts Straight [Download] originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 30, 2009.

Easily restore Windows services to default settings with a web app

System — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:21:12 +0000

Automatically pulled from Google Starred

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Web services

I don’t know how they manage to do it, but they do. Every now and then a customer drops off a system for repair and things that a home user should ever need to monkey with – things like TCP/IP settings, registry entries, Windows services – have been mangled beyond recognition.

Services in particular can be a big pain to reset, simply because of how many their are. Fortunately, there’s an incredibly handy web app which makes the process a whole lot easier.

Serviceseditor.com supports Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Click the appropriate version, and you’re presented with a comprehensive list of radio buttons covering all the built-in services. Scroll through the list and toggle any values you don’t want set to the default Microsoft settings and press the submit button. You’ll receive a .reg file which you can then merge with the Windows registry.

It’s quite a bit faster than clicking through services.msc manually to get things back to normal and (obviously) doesn’t even require an install. Slick!

Easily restore Windows services to default settings with a web app originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sponsored Topics:
Windows XP – Microsoft Windows – Microsoft – Windows 7 – Download Squad

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Easily restore Windows services to default settings with a web app originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 30, 2009.

Matt’s System Helper Outer simplifies common Windows admin tinkering

System — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:20:38 +0000

Automatically pulled from Google Starred

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Some of my favorite Windows apps are simple little programs that are little more than a collection of commands with buttons. Take Matt’s System Helper-Outer, which I’ve only just discovered.

Sure, I’ve launched most of these commands from the run dialog so many times that I have them memorized — but an app like Helper-Outer still comes in handy for me. It’s much easier to talk my staff through clicking a couple buttons in the network panel than walking them through opening a command prompt.

And it’s helpful when a part-time tech with less experience is helping me out. Hey, not everyone is as familiar with commands like compmgmt.msc. Helper-Outer makes these tasks – things like starting and stopping the print spooler and Windows Update services, finding an IP via IPconfing, performing a DNS flush – quick and easy.

If Helper-Outer looks like it can make your life a little easier, grab it from Freeware Files – the author’s download link isn’t working at the moment. The app runs on Windows 2000+, though you may need to right-click and run as admin on Vista and Windows 7.

Matt’s System Helper Outer simplifies common Windows admin tinkering originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sponsored Topics:
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Matt’s System Helper Outer simplifies common Windows admin tinkering originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 30, 2009.

Device Remover is like Device Manager on double steroids

System — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:20:06 +0000

Automatically pulled from Google Starred

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Freeware

Double steroids? Really? Yes, really. If we’re going to call Device Remover a “Device Manager alternative,” the double is totally necessary.

This is no sissy-boy device tree. Five tabs present you with a tree view, list view, drivers and services, list of drivers in memory, and active system processes and handles. You can also export or print a full list of your devices and search for a specific device or driver.

On the Device Remover tools menu, you’ll find quick links to your control panel applets, relevant registry hives, shutdown options, system restore functions, MMC snap-ins, and macro that automatically removes all your data from every one of Google’s web apps. Ok, the last one not so much. But there’s a hell of a lot packed into that menu.

It’s also good at backing up drivers and cleanup duties, and it’s available as a portable app (though the .NET framework must be installed).

Pictures do this app more justice than words, so have a look at the author’s screenshot gallery on Live.com. Device Remover works on Windows XP, Vista, and 7.

Device Remover is like Device Manager on double steroids originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sponsored Topics:
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Device Remover is like Device Manager on double steroids originally appeared on Shai Perednik.com on September 30, 2009.