Overview

If you enable Remote Desktop in Windows XP Professional, it will give you the ability to access your desktop from a remote location. You can access your applications, files and network resources as if you where sitting behind your computer. Remote Desktop is an evolution of the Terminal Services functionality formerly available only in the Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Server family of operating systems. Remote Desktop is not available in Windows XP Home Edition.

How to enable Remote Desktop

When you install Windows XP Professional, Remote Desktop is disabled by default. You need to enable Remote Desktop before you can use it to connect to the computer remotely:

• Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator
• Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties
• In System Properties, select the Remote tab
• Select the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check box

To enable remote access on your Windows XP computer, you need to be a member of the Administrators group or of the Remote Desktop Users group. To add users to the Remote Desktop Users group:

• Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator
• Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties

The names of the selected users appear in the Remote Desktop Users dialog box.

Establishing a Remote Desktop Session

After installing the appropriate client software on the client computer, you can connect to the remote computer:

• Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications > Remote Desktop Connection
• In the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, in the Computer box, type the name or IP address of a computer running Windows XP Professional for which you have Remote Desktop permissions
• Click Connect
• In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your user name, password, and domain (if required), and then click OK

You can pre-configure your Remote Desktop sessions by pressing the Options button in the Remote Desktop Connection. Here you can:

• Pre-configure your settings and click the Save As button. Enter a filename and click Save. Each time you want to open that particular session, click Open, and then double-click the filename.
• Adjust the display size of the Remote Desktop session to fit your display configuration. On the Display tab, move the Remote desktop size slider. You can also select the color depth.
• Adjust other actions, such as sound from the remote computer, keyboard functions, and local devices.
• Adjust the performance from the Experience tab, where you can adjust some windows effects of the Remote Connection.

Note: Terminal Services clients use TCP port 3389 to communicate with the remote computer, so you must ensure that this port is not blocked by a firewall.

Security in Remote Desktop

To enhance the security of a Remote Desktop session over the Internet, you should prevent automatic password passing. To do this, you can enable the Always prompt client for password upon connection in the Terminal Services Group Policy setting. When this setting is enabled, you must supply your password in the Windows Logon dialog box whenever you start a Remote Desktop session.

To access Terminal Services Group Policy

• Click Start > Run, type mmc in the Open: box, and click OK
• On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in
• In the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click Add
• In the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, click Group Policy, click Add, and then click Finish
• Click Close in the Add Standalone Snap-in dialog box, and click OK in the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box
• In the Console Root pane, double-click Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Terminal Services
• The Always prompt client for password upon connection policy is under Encryption and Security

You can further enhance security by using the settings under Client/Server data redirection here you can disable:

• Clipboard redirection
• Smart card device redirection
• COM port redirection
• Client printer redirection
• LPT port redirection
• Drive redirection
• Audio redirection