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Tech Tip: Enable Concurrent Desktop Sessions in Windows

By

On January 6, 2012, 12:46 AM

Professional and Ultimate editions of Windows come with a built in Remote Desktop (RDP) feature that allows you to access your machine remotely while away from home or the office. Unfortunately, it is limited by default to one concurrent user per session, this is not a technical limitation but rather a licensing one.

Case in point, Remote Desktop in server editions of Windows by default supports two concurrent connections to remotely troubleshoot or administer a computer. However, there are a few reasons why concurrent sessions would come in handy for power users not necessarily running a server. For example, if you have a dedicated Media Center PC running in the living room, you'll be able to remotely access all files on the machine without interrupting the person watching TV.

Or if you are sharing a computer with other users, concurrent Remote Desktop sessions will allow more than one person use that system under a different or even the same user account, without kicking each other off. By patching a file called termsrv.dll, located in %SystemRoot%System32, this is possible in all editions of Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

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User Comments: 48

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  1. "...in all editions of Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP..."

    Does that include the Home editions, which do not normally support Remote Desktop?

  2. When logging on concurrently, you need to log in using a different account than the one that is currently logged on, otherwise it will just take over the current session

  3. for those who cant get this to work, check that the Windows Firewall service is enabled and running, the firewall itself does not need to be enabled, just the service running

  4. Who cares?

    It is useful for Media Center and to share pc

  5. I'd like to know what kind of keyboard they have on the front page for this article.

    Something like this.

    [link]

  6. Will this affect ability to install future updates?

  7. Staff

    Jeffkw said:

    "...in all editions of Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP..."

    Does that include the Home editions, which do not normally support Remote Desktop?

    All Home editions support remote desktop.

    Start > Run > Mstsc.exe

  8. I really can't believe that a Tech site is encouraging a Hack.

    I can't believe users are so naive (especially those on site like this) that a modified core DLL, that comes from some random blogspot site couldn't possibly contain a backdoor.

    If you really need to Update your Windows Media Center so deperately that you can't take it offline for a while maybe you need to reevaluate your priorities.

  9. Rick said:

    All Home editions support remote desktop.

    Start > Run > Mstsc.exe

    As clients.

    I guess I should specify. Does this hack enable Remote Desktop server on Home Editions?

  10. At first I thought this patch wasn't working on my Win7 Ultimate PC, but then I realized that it does, in fact, do part of what it advertises. I can successfully log in remotely and leave my console connection active, but only if I do so as a different user. If I try to connect as the same user, or if I attempt to connect multiple remote connections as the same user, only one connection for each user will survive. The REG files included in the zip file suggest that they will remove this limitation, but on Win7, at least, they don't.

    So, if you are happy being able to make multiple concurrent connections to your PC as different users, then this patch may be for you. If instead, you need to log in as the same user more than once concurrently, look elsewhere. (Windows Server?)

  11. Wonderful concern over licensing. Attacking SOPA or supporting it is not the issue.

    I am a consumer, I will buy what will do for me what I need it to do, I want it to be legal and to save me money. I would like to have a single or dual PC home server that runs Windows 8. My ideal configuration would allow my PC system to run on multiple devices simultanously so I do not need as much HARDWARe, this maximizing the use of hydro and reducing maintenance costs.

    I expect that MS will licence its software on Displays (TVs) in the next round of licencing, but I prefer maintaing a high speed computer system that can serve as a a hub to a Whole Home Entertainment and Communication system.

    Is that too much to ask?

  12. You folks would need to get a grasp of how Terminal Services/Remote Desktop works on Server2003/2008 to see how this is supposed to be used.

    Do some research, look up thin clients, etc. etc. This is a hack, yes, but it is a Server 2003/2008 hack and Terminal Services is a services on those servers that allows many people to connect to one machine. Why?

    Say you hire a CPA, rather than them coming to your office, you could create an account on your server (called CPA) and email them the RDP client (which can also be downloaded as well, even for Mac)

    When they log onto your Terminal Server they can have a uniformed experience to your resources. Mapped drives, Office, Adobe, Quickbooks, etc. etc. When they are done or you need them gone, disable their account, they cannot get in.

    RDP uses very high encryption.

    Can be used in conjunction with a VPN but not necessary.

    No need to mail someone a laptop or setup workstations for each person.

    Updates and application versions are all universally the same and deployed on the system.

    Group policies can limit access.

    You can lock down a terminal server to limit what users can do.

    They can remote print to the internal company printer or their home.

    With 3rd party programs like TSScan and RemoteScan they can scan as well with their client scanner.

    As you can see the possibilities are endless, but most home users would never need this much flexibility.

  13. tried it on an xp machine accessing from win7 and vista....didnt work

  14. My AV wouldn't alolow downloading. Called it a Crack.

  15. Can always use a different operating system that doesn't have the same EULA limitations. problem solved, without feeling guilty about buggering your DLL files. That is probably the best work-around.

  16. Excellent Good work. Does exactly what is says.

  17. Just FYI:

    After patching Termsrv.dll with the .exe file, YOU NEED TO REGISTER THE DLL! To do this run the corresponding .reg file for your OS (e.g. xp.reg for WinXP and vista.reg for WinVista).

    Cheers!

  18. I changed my Win 7 Enterprise SP1 64 bit to concurrent user by running the termsrv.dll. But now I want to restore it back to the original setting with single user RDP access. I have the termsrv.dll.backup but it would not allow me to do anything. I cannot restore to a previous date before I made the system concurrent, since it has been 6 months and cannot restore to that point with other updates made in between then and now. Can someone please help me remove the concurrent setting to the original single user RDP setting?

    Thanks, Ashley G

  19. Despite not being very old, the mirror links to this .dll file now appear to be broken. They link to phishy-looking sites. (one Russian, one Chinese/Japanese/something, another just phishy)

  20. Possible a coincidence, but after I applied the patch (which worked, by the way) I was unable to map to a drive on that computer from another computer. Is this a problem?

  21. Been doing this since the Windows XP days, should be a default feature of the Pro / Ultimate version of Windows.

    It is on Windows/7 - - even with cross-platform Mac accessing Windows

    [ie no hack/patch required]

  22. TCP.SYS get's backup then replaced with the one without the limiter which by default is 10. I've had these changes for years. Based on DIR-655 Router which could handle MCS of 200 the system would be set from 10 to 100. Base today on faster routers the system would go from 100 to 200. Most users could use setting of 50 instead. I only have one Windows 7 U-64-bit using the 200 setting. Another desktop running at 50. Considering running TCP Optimizer and running additional code name JASPER script I came up with will give you what Windows 8 gives you now TCP Global

    Now that's only one part of the puzzle. Three is the TCP GLOBAL settings. Running a script could change that.

    Windows 7 32/64-bit

    Showing Prior Check the TCP/IP state PROCESS STARTED

    Querying active state...

    TCP Global Parameters

    ----------------------------------------------

    Receive-Side Scaling State : enabled

    Chimney Offload State : enabled

    NetDMA State : enabled

    Direct Cache Acess (DCA) : enabled

    Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level : normal

    Add-On Congestion Control Provider : ctcp

    ECN Capability : disabled

    RFC 1323 Timestamps : disabled

    Press any key to continue . . .

    Windows 8 Preview 32/64-bit

    Windows 8

    TCP Global Parameters

    ----------------------------------------------------

    Receive-Side Scaling State : enabled

    Chimney Offload State : disabled

    NetDMA State : disabled

    Direct Cache Access (DCA) : disabled

    Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level : normal

    Add-On Congestion Control Provider : none

    ECN Capability : disabled

    RFC 1323 Timestamps : disabled

    Initial RTO : 3000

    Receive Segment Coalescing State : disabled

    -----------------------------------------------------

    After on Windows 32/64-bit

    TCP Global Parameters

    ----------------------------------------------------

    Receive-Side Scaling State : enabled

    Chimney Offload State : enabled

    NetDMA State : enabled

    Direct Cache Acess (DCA) : enabled

    Receive Window Auto-Tuning Level : normal

    Add-On Congestion Control Provider : ctcp ( experimental gives you a little more Mbps )

    ECN Capability : disabled

    RFC 1323 Timestamps : disabled

    Initial RTO : 1000

  23. Works fine!!

    TY "a loottt", I was searching for this a "looonnngg" time!!

    Congratulations!!

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