Enabling Multiple Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows XP

Lately I faced a very silly problem that someone changes our test computer from windows 2003 to XP, only one session per time.

Therefore, I have to get over that and find a solution. I searched and found multiple solutions.

• Concurrent Terminal Services (RDP) sessions under Windows XP!

Normally, Windows XP allows only a single remote login via RDP (which in turn requires the currently logged-in local user to be kicked off!). However, there are several methods to circumvent this restriction:

Free (these are all essentially the same instructions, but each has a wealth of comments and user experiences):

• Concurrent Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows XP SP2
• Windows XP Multiuser Remote Desktop
• Enabling Multiple Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows XP Professional and Media Center Edition 2005
• Terminal Server Patch (rather than a tutorial, this is a packaged installer to accomplish basically the same thing)

Fee:

• XP Unlimited turns your Windows System into a full-blown Terminal Server, without any limit. Multiple, unlimited number of concurrent remote desktop sessions. Includes integrated web server for access via browser.
• WinConnect Server XP enables a Windows Small Business Server 2003 or Windows XP computer to allow up to 21 remote desktop sessions.

As always, use at your own risk (and joy). Before playing with any of these (particularly in a production environment), you may want to contact Microsoft regarding potential licensing issues.

I decide to choose Enabling multiple remote desktop sessions as blow:

• Enabling Multiple Remote Desktop Sessions in Windows XP Professional and Media Center Edition 2005

1. Print these directions so that you have them to work from.
2. Restart your computer in Safe Mode – Follow this link to learn how to restart Windows XP in Safe Mode
3. Turn off/disable Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) and Terminal Services

1. Right click My Computer
2. Select Properties
3. Click on the Remote tab at the top of the window
4. UNCHECK the box next to, “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer“
5. Click OK
6. Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services
7. Find Terminal Services in the list
8. Right click on Terminal Services and click Properties
9. In the Startup Type box, select Disabled
10. Click OK to close the window

· Next you will replace the current version of the Terminal Services DLL (termsrv.dll) with an unrestricted version from a previous release of Terminal Services.

1. Here is a copy of the Terminal Services DLL – Save it to your Desktop or other suitable location
2. Using a file manager like Windows Explorer open C:\Windows\system32\dllcache
3. Rename the file termsrv.dll to termsrv_dll.bak or whatever you would like.
4. Copy the downloaded termsrv.dll file (the one you just downloaded from the web) to C:\Windows\system32\dllcache
5. Open the C:\Windows\system32 folder
6. Delete the file termsrv.dll in C:\Windows\system32

· Now we can edit the Windows Registry to enable more than one RDP connection. Go to Start -> Run and type regedit – Hopefully you knew that already

· Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\Licensing Core

· Add a DWORD Key named EnableConcurrentSessions and give it a value of 1

· Close the Registry Editor window

· Go to Start -> Run and type gpedit.msc to run the Group Policy Editor

· Browse to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Terminal Services and double click Limit number of connections

· Select the Enabled button and enter the number of connections you would like to enable….at least 2.

· Restart Windows

· Right click My Computer and select Properties.

· Click on the Remote tab at the top of the window

· CHECK the box next to, “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer“

· Click OK

· Go to Start -> Control Panel ->Administrative Tools -> Services. Select Terminal Services from the list and double click it or right-click -> Properties. Set the Startup Type to Manual.

· Restart Windows/Computer

You should be good to go.