Remote Assistance

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X post to: Help_Support and Configuration_manage.

In an effort to save local resources I elected to try the built-in Remote
Assistance feature of Windows XP instead of installing some 3rd party remote
agent software we've used in the past (Altiris Carbon Copy).

So far, this technology is failing. Here is what I have configured so far:

Through a single GPO linked to the OU where the computers live I've enabled
the Offer Remote Assistance and Solicited Remote Assistance policies,
included the users and groups needed to have the RA access, configured WF to
allow port 135 and also excepted the HelpCtr.exe and Helpsvc.exe programs as
well as sessmgr.exe. I have also set the Remote Desktop Help Session Manager,
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager and Remote Access Connection Manager
services to automatic startup and started all 3. I created a shortcut to
point to Offer RA (I'll spare you the path; it about a block long) which gets
me to a Help and Support window titled Offer Remote Assistance with an area
to include a PC name or IP address. So far so good. I enter the IP (or FQDN,
NetBIOS name) and click Connect. I get a connection and a drop down list of
users that are available to assist. Cool, right? Wrong; when I click Start
Remote Assistance I'm presented with a dialog box (Remote Assistance -
Webpage Dialog) stating that "A program could not start. Please try again."
OK, WHAT program could not start???

I've since found several proposed solutions throughout the net and its
newsgroups all of which have failed to fix the issue.

Ran sessmgr -service
Changed the RPC to start with local system instead of network service
Enabled all disabled services
Turned off the windows firewall (has nothing to do with the FW since the
error is the same regardless)

Short of a sacrificing a chicken or something, I've run out of ideas. This
technology should work but it doesn't.

All CPUs I've worked with on this issue are:
Windows XP professional SP2 (all patched to date)
Members of the same domain
on the same subnet
Running IE6 SP1 for Win XP
Black
Solicit remote assistance works from the users end as long as I don't
configure exceptions for port 135 and the help and support programs (helpctr,
helpsvc, sessmgr). As soon as I do that, I get A program could not start...

This issue is posted everywhere with greater and lesser detail than I’ve
provided so it's obviously common.

MS PSS/MS MVPs: Are you out there? Can you help a brother out?

Thanks in advance

JPenrose MCSE/A [2K;2K3]
 
Hi JPenrose,

I agree that the error message is vague, not providing much information to
troubleshoot. In some cases, error messages from programs can be misleading.
For instance, I do have a system here with missing XML parser wherein I can
replicate this R.A problem.

See if running these commands (Start, Run dialog) help you resolve the
problem.

helpctr -regserver
regsvr32 itss.dll
regsvr32 msxml3.dll
regsvr32 scrrun.dll
regsvr32 wshom.ocx
regsvr32 rdchost.dll

Let's know how it goes.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


X post to: Help_Support and Configuration_manage.

In an effort to save local resources I elected to try the built-in Remote
Assistance feature of Windows XP instead of installing some 3rd party remote
agent software we've used in the past (Altiris Carbon Copy).

So far, this technology is failing. Here is what I have configured so far:

Through a single GPO linked to the OU where the computers live I've enabled
the Offer Remote Assistance and Solicited Remote Assistance policies,
included the users and groups needed to have the RA access, configured WF to
allow port 135 and also excepted the HelpCtr.exe and Helpsvc.exe programs as
well as sessmgr.exe. I have also set the Remote Desktop Help Session
Manager,
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager and Remote Access Connection Manager
services to automatic startup and started all 3. I created a shortcut to
point to Offer RA (I'll spare you the path; it about a block long) which
gets
me to a Help and Support window titled Offer Remote Assistance with an area
to include a PC name or IP address. So far so good. I enter the IP (or FQDN,
NetBIOS name) and click Connect. I get a connection and a drop down list of
users that are available to assist. Cool, right? Wrong; when I click Start
Remote Assistance I'm presented with a dialog box (Remote Assistance -
Webpage Dialog) stating that "A program could not start. Please try again."
OK, WHAT program could not start???

I've since found several proposed solutions throughout the net and its
newsgroups all of which have failed to fix the issue.

Ran sessmgr -service
Changed the RPC to start with local system instead of network service
Enabled all disabled services
Turned off the windows firewall (has nothing to do with the FW since the
error is the same regardless)

Short of a sacrificing a chicken or something, I've run out of ideas. This
technology should work but it doesn't.

All CPUs I've worked with on this issue are:
Windows XP professional SP2 (all patched to date)
Members of the same domain
on the same subnet
Running IE6 SP1 for Win XP
Black
Solicit remote assistance works from the users end as long as I don't
configure exceptions for port 135 and the help and support programs
(helpctr,
helpsvc, sessmgr). As soon as I do that, I get A program could not start...

This issue is posted everywhere with greater and lesser detail than I've
provided so it's obviously common.

MS PSS/MS MVPs: Are you out there? Can you help a brother out?

Thanks in advance

JPenrose MCSE/A [2K;2K3]
 
In addition, check the Event log (Application) as it may provide a vital
clue as to why the error occurred. Here is a sample event which was recorded
in my test system.

- - -
Event Type: None
Event Source: Remote Assistance
Event Category: None
Event ID: 5102
Date: 11/8/2006
Time: 8:41:56 PM
User: N/A
Computer: ---------
Description:
RA: A XML parsing error for (local user) Demo occurred when attempting to
process a remote assistance ticket.
- - -

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Hi JPenrose,

I agree that the error message is vague, not providing much information to
troubleshoot. In some cases, error messages from programs can be misleading.
For instance, I do have a system here with missing XML parser wherein I can
replicate this R.A problem.

See if running these commands (Start, Run dialog) help you resolve the
problem.

helpctr -regserver
regsvr32 itss.dll
regsvr32 msxml3.dll
regsvr32 scrrun.dll
regsvr32 wshom.ocx
regsvr32 rdchost.dll

Let's know how it goes.
 
Thanks for the reply Ramesh,

After running the CMDs in your reply I still get a message on my XP client
stating that a program could not start. All regsvr32 cmds completed
successfully.

The RA from my station connects to the novice PC and displays the correct
logged in user but again, as soon as I click Start Remote Assistance the
message pops up and the connection fails.

JPenrose MCSE/A

Ramesh said:
Hi JPenrose,

I agree that the error message is vague, not providing much information to
troubleshoot. In some cases, error messages from programs can be misleading.
For instance, I do have a system here with missing XML parser wherein I can
replicate this R.A problem.

See if running these commands (Start, Run dialog) help you resolve the
problem.

helpctr -regserver
regsvr32 itss.dll
regsvr32 msxml3.dll
regsvr32 scrrun.dll
regsvr32 wshom.ocx
regsvr32 rdchost.dll

Let's know how it goes.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


X post to: Help_Support and Configuration_manage.

In an effort to save local resources I elected to try the built-in Remote
Assistance feature of Windows XP instead of installing some 3rd party remote
agent software we've used in the past (Altiris Carbon Copy).

So far, this technology is failing. Here is what I have configured so far:

Through a single GPO linked to the OU where the computers live I've enabled
the Offer Remote Assistance and Solicited Remote Assistance policies,
included the users and groups needed to have the RA access, configured WF to
allow port 135 and also excepted the HelpCtr.exe and Helpsvc.exe programs as
well as sessmgr.exe. I have also set the Remote Desktop Help Session
Manager,
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager and Remote Access Connection Manager
services to automatic startup and started all 3. I created a shortcut to
point to Offer RA (I'll spare you the path; it about a block long) which
gets
me to a Help and Support window titled Offer Remote Assistance with an area
to include a PC name or IP address. So far so good. I enter the IP (or FQDN,
NetBIOS name) and click Connect. I get a connection and a drop down list of
users that are available to assist. Cool, right? Wrong; when I click Start
Remote Assistance I'm presented with a dialog box (Remote Assistance -
Webpage Dialog) stating that "A program could not start. Please try again."
OK, WHAT program could not start???

I've since found several proposed solutions throughout the net and its
newsgroups all of which have failed to fix the issue.

Ran sessmgr -service
Changed the RPC to start with local system instead of network service
Enabled all disabled services
Turned off the windows firewall (has nothing to do with the FW since the
error is the same regardless)

Short of a sacrificing a chicken or something, I've run out of ideas. This
technology should work but it doesn't.

All CPUs I've worked with on this issue are:
Windows XP professional SP2 (all patched to date)
Members of the same domain
on the same subnet
Running IE6 SP1 for Win XP
Black
Solicit remote assistance works from the users end as long as I don't
configure exceptions for port 135 and the help and support programs
(helpctr,
helpsvc, sessmgr). As soon as I do that, I get A program could not start...

This issue is posted everywhere with greater and lesser detail than I've
provided so it's obviously common.

MS PSS/MS MVPs: Are you out there? Can you help a brother out?

Thanks in advance

JPenrose MCSE/A [2K;2K3]
Click to expand...
 
I have no other ideas at the moment, JPenrose. Perhaps the Event log may
have something?

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Thanks for the reply Ramesh,

After running the CMDs in your reply I still get a message on my XP client
stating that a program could not start. All regsvr32 cmds completed
successfully.

The RA from my station connects to the novice PC and displays the correct
logged in user but again, as soon as I click Start Remote Assistance the
message pops up and the connection fails.

JPenrose MCSE/A
 
Here is the only error I can find that relates to the RA session I'm trying
to establish. This [SYSTEM] error occured on my 'expert' station while trying
to connect to the novice station.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: DCOM
Event Category: None
Event ID: 10009
Date: 11/8/2006
Time: 11:58:43 AM
User: KTZ\user
Computer: WSX-XP
Description:
DCOM was unable to communicate with the computer 10.x.x.x using any of the
configured protocols.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Thanks for giving it a shot.
 
JPenrose,

Although the following article does not directly address the error message,
see if the info helps.

You cannot offer remote assistance to a user whose computer is running
Windows XP Service Pack 2:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=884910

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Here is the only error I can find that relates to the RA session I'm trying
to establish. This [SYSTEM] error occured on my 'expert' station while
trying
to connect to the novice station.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: DCOM
Event Category: None
Event ID: 10009
Date: 11/8/2006
Time: 11:58:43 AM
User: KTZ\user
Computer: WSX-XP
Description:
DCOM was unable to communicate with the computer 10.x.x.x using any of the
configured protocols.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Thanks for giving it a shot.
 
Man, I really thought that was going to do it. I suspected (and still do)
that it's a DCOM/permissions issue that I can't get to the bottom of.

It seems like Offer RA was not meant to happen in XP SP2 despite all I have
read.

Thanks again for the replies Ramesh

JPenrose MCSE/A
 
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