Switch console user remotely on windows

Question

Sometimes I need to remote my home computer to make my kid's account logged-on physically and I'm currently using VNC to do that.

Is it possible (with or without modification) to connect users to the console session with a command so I can set up some web-based tools to make life easier.

Answer 1

I'm answering my own question (typed a wrong email):

Disclaimer, this is a very dirty hack and only for geeky parents. (anyway,if you are geeky enough, you don't need this, educate your kids. should works on vista+, tested on 7 only)

1. Set the target (kid's) account to auto-logon on start:
   • start netplwiz;
   • uncheck Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.;
   • apply and type in logon details of the target account.
2. Create a task:
   • run by the administrative account
   • run on the logons of target account
   • run this command tsdiscon.exe with parameter 1
3. Every time you boot into windows, the target account will be logged-on and locked immediately.
4. Use qwinsta to get session id of the target account (usually 1 as it should be the first console logon on boot)
5. Use tscon <session id> /dest:console /password:<password of target account> to connect your kid to console
6. You may want to execute them remotely with psexec -sor by other ways.

Answer 2

As far as I am aware you can't do what you want easily without a replacement GINA (up to Vista) or a logon provider (since Vista), unless you enter the credentials on the SAS (secure attention sequence) desktop.

However, if you are using a Windows version up until Windows 2003, you could use a canned version like AgreementGINA2 (use a web search to find it). On Windows versions starting with Vista the GINA has been replaced by logon providers, which is a different kind of "program" than the above.

For all I know, some flavors of VNC and similar tools will, however, allow you to send Ctrl+Alt+Del in order to get to the SAS, if that is sufficient for you. But your question sounded like you actually want to automate it.