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Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 9:02 am
by geoffw
Remote Desktop is working fine on the three PC/Laptops around our house.

But I still have one issue that I can't get my mind around. That is how I deal with the application I will be using daily in the most convenient manner.

Basically the situation is as follows:

!: I have an older laptop in a remote part of the house with a wireless link to a weather station in my garden (see my Signature).
2: This laptop is running Cumulus to collect and present weather data, which in turn is updating my weather website.
3: I cannot set up Cumulus on more than one machine or safely have more than one instance running on my system as this could corrupt the data collected.
4: I want Cumulus to run on the remote machine, but to be able to view, and hopefully work with the program from my home office computer in the way I can open and run other applications remotely.

What seems to be happening is that when I log on to the remote computer from my home office machine, I do not get the Remote Desktop with the Cumulus Window displayed. Everything else seems to be there, either running or available, but Cumulus is not running (though it is in reality). Yet, if I go to the remote machine and close Cumulus, I can then open and use it on my Remote Desktop even though it is not on the screen of my remote laptop.
How can I get it to appear simultaneously on bother my Laptop linked to the weather station and the remote desktop on my home office machine?

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 9:19 am
by steve
You're getting a second session when you connect remotely. You need to force it to use the same session as the one that Cumulus is running in.

But note that this will not allow you to have Cumulus displayed locally and remotely at the same time, the local one will go to the 'computer locked' screen when you connect remotely. You can't have a session displayed on both screens simultaneously using Remote Desktop.

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 9:46 am
by geoffw
steve wrote:You're getting a second session when you connect remotely. You need to force it to use the same session as the one that Cumulus is running in..
I wonder how i do that Steve?

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 11:06 am
by Charlie
It sounds like Remote Desktop has been "improved" in Windows 7, and now logs in as a different user. Perhaps you should give VNC a try. It's free, and allows you to view the data on both machines at the same time. There are several versions - all I've tried work well. Here's a review http://download.cnet.com/VNC-Free-Editi ... 45255.html

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 11:08 am
by steve
One way is to use the "connect to console" option:

mstsc /v:servername /console

The way I do it to use Royal TS: http://www.code4ward.net/main/Home.aspx

This allows you to set "connect to console" as an option, and also log you in automatically. The free version seems to do everything I need.

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 4:57 pm
by nking
In addition to Steve's suggestion you may also like to try Team Viewer http://www.teamviewer.com/download/index.aspx . I particularly like the host feature which runs as a service. ;)

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 5:31 pm
by geoffw
steve wrote:One way is to use the "connect to console" option:

mstsc /v:servername /console ........
Running mstsc opens the desktop but without Cumulus! Thanks for the suggestions but I would prefer to crack this
one so i am able to use RD

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 5:45 pm
by steve
geoffw wrote:Running mstsc opens the desktop but without Cumulus!
So it does. It's what I found using Google. Maybe I found the same thing myself previously, which I why I started using Royal TS (which does actually use RDP).

Is the machine with Cumulus running Windows 7? I couldn't work that out from your post.

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 5:53 pm
by steve
More Googling, and doing "mstsc /?" to see the parameters, reveals that the /console switch has changed to /admin in later versions of Windows.

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 5:59 pm
by geoffw
steve wrote:
geoffw wrote:Running mstsc opens the desktop but without Cumulus!
So it does. It's what I found using Google. Maybe I found the same thing myself previously, which I why I started using Royal TS (which does actually use RDP).

Is the machine with Cumulus running Windows 7? I couldn't work that out from your post.
Yes, Steve - both machines are using W7. I've downloaded Royal TS but for the moment can't make head or tail of how to set it up. Any advice would be much appeciated! :? :)

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 6:04 pm
by steve
Does the mstsc /admin switch not work for you? It does for me.

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 6:44 pm
by geoffw
steve wrote:Does the mstsc /admin switch not work for you? It does for me.
Works but still no Cumulus!

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 7:06 pm
by steve
I don't know, then. I thought Windows 7 only allow a single RDP session per user anyway? You are logging in as the same user? What does the users tab in task manager show when you're logged in?

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 7:33 pm
by geoffw
steve wrote:I don't know, then. I thought Windows 7 only allow a single RDP session per user anyway? You are logging in as the same user? What does the users tab in task manager show when you're logged in?
On both machines the login name and details are identical....

Re: Windows 7 Remote Desktop Question

Posted: Tue 13 Apr 2010 8:54 pm
by steve
The only thing I can think of is that you're not running Cumulus under the same user as the one you're logging in as when you connect remotely. But I'm afraid I've now exhausted my meagre knowledge of RDP.