Remote Desktop Re-Connect

  • Thread starter Thread starter Michael Krantz
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M

Michael Krantz

I use Remote Desktop Connection with XP to connect to a W2003 server. RDC
gives me a partial bar (centered along the top edge of my screen, covering
perhaps two-thirds of the screen width) with minimize and close buttons at
the right end and pinned with a push-pin icon at the left end. I use that
minimize to hide the windows of the remote session and return me to the
windows of my local host.

Sometimes when I reconnect after the connection is broken, I am offered
existing sessions with which to re-establish connection. (They usually
appear to be too many, but that's not important.)

The problem is that when I re-establish a connection to a session, that
session no longer has the top bar on the screen, so it is very inconvenient
for me to return to my local host session. Brushing my mouse pointer
against the top edge does not reveal the bar.

Is there any way that I can get that top bar back? If it's not pinned, I
could press the push-pin icon to keep it pinned, of course, but how can I
get access to it, again, please?

Kind regards,
Michael K
 
I trying (unsuccessfully) to find an answer, I came across printer
redirection. But only one of my network printers is available from the
remote session, and my local (USB) printer is not.

Also, one of the articles said I could disconnect with Start->Disconnect,
but I see no disconnect on the Start menu, nor anywhere to enable that
option. I see Log Off and Shut Down, neither of which serve for temporary
disconnect.

Kind regards,
Michael K
 
You may be able to make your local USB-connected printer available in some
cases.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302361/en-us

gives the details. I don't know whether this behavior has changed with the
version 6 RDP client, which I would recommend using:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925876

I've only one Windows Server 2003 to test against, but when I connect to the
console session of that server, I get a "Windows Security" choice on the
start menu. If I choose that, then choose Shutdown, one of the choices is
"disconnect!"

(yeah--the logic is strained, but.... at least it is there.)




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Glad that helped. Do check the type of port your USB-connected printer is
using. The DOT4 type is pretty common, and that KB article can help get it
redirected.

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It's port USB004.

Bill Sanderson said:
Glad that helped. Do check the type of port your USB-connected printer is
using. The DOT4 type is pretty common, and that KB article can help get
it redirected.
Click to expand...
 
Sorry to hear that!

It's been a good long time since I tried troubleshooting this kind of issue,
but my recollection was that the key is to look for event log errors at the
server end on connection--i.e. if your machine is advertising the printer
for redirection, the server should be coughing event log messages indicating
why it can't provide a driver. Providing the driver should cure those. One
should, however, be quiite cautious about adding printer drivers to
servers--you may be better off living with the printer which does
redirect...
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Thanks, Bill.

Yes, around the time that I login, the remote host's event log is full of
printer-driver-not-found errors.

I went to the HP web site to download a driver, but the list of target OS
does not include Windows 2003 or Windows Server. Do you think any of the
available target OS's are appropriate for Windows Server 2003 SE SP1?
Perhaps XP or 2000?

And why the caution?

Kind regards,
Michael K
 
The caution is that drivers are frequently associated with crashes,
particularly ones not well written, or not written with a server OS version
in mind. I don't know many people who find that they've never had a problem
with an HP printer driver.

The pro's, on machines dedicated to running Terminal Services (i.e.
"terminal servers") go by this method:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q275495

which involves taking a know good and safe driver which is likely to work
with the printer, and modifying the INF file to get it accepted as a driver
for that printer--an example might be a driver for a laserjet 4 would
probably print fine to almost any newer laserjet, from the little ones on
up.

Microsoft's guidance on your specific question is here:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/Windo...bd14-41a2-b3e1-67f3a7685e831033.mspx?mfr=true

but I'll summarize: you can use drivers for Windows 2000 or XP--avoid
drivers for NT.

If you can find a driver for your printer in the lists here:

http://www.windowsservercatalog.com/

that would be the best choice--these have had extensive compatibility
testing.


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