Windows Vista Remote Desktop - simultaneous users

I am able to connect to my windows vista machine using remote desktop. However, as soon as I connect, the user which is working on the PC gets locked. (I am using a different account to connect).

And if the user working on actual machine tries to login again, he sees a message like "someone is connected to this machine via remote desktop and he will be disconnected if you login".

How to allow a remote connection "in background" (without interrupting user working on the machine)?

tanon

Posted 2011-07-20T07:34:18.660

Reputation: 45

Answers

If you do a search for enable-multiple-user-access-concurrent-user you will find some things that allow you to hack terminal services to allow concurrent user sessions. The problem is that next time you do a windows update you will likely have things overwritten and you will ave to start all over.

Depending upon what you need to do, another approach might be to run a virtual machine inside your desktop, and remote into that. You would need an additional OS license, or perhaps a Linux instance would do as well.

datatoo

Posted 2011-07-20T07:34:18.660

Reputation: 3 162

Sorry what you hit is a limitation in windows desktop environments,You need a terminal server to allow multiple log ons concurrently. And you cant use vista it would be Server 2k3/2k8.

squareborg

Posted 2011-07-20T07:34:18.660

Reputation: 2 105

Hmmm. Wikipedia says terminal server is there in vista (I have business edition). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Services#Terminal_Server Any tips?

– tanon – 2011-07-20T10:34:50.303

I just scanned that and I dont see the bit where it says that vista has a terminal server? can you quote the relevant section – squareborg – 2011-07-20T10:42:00.150

3Even one connection is refereed to as "terminal services", but a "terminal server" is a feature/role that runs on Windows 2003/2008 Server (maybe 2000, not sure), and it requires special Client Access Licenses, which must be activated. This allows many people to use "terminal services" (as in the first sentence) to connect simultaneously to the terminal server. By default, servers have two connections otherwise (and the console connection for 2003, removed in 2008). There is only one allowed incoming connection for desktops as in Steve's correct answer. – KCotreau – 2011-07-20T11:56:57.307