Technogearophilia

Windows computer systems without Terminal Services licensing can only accept two (2) concurrent Remote Desktop (RDP). Sessions. This can occasionally cause Windows Administrators and Tech Support personnel problems since users often do not properly close their RDP sessions. This prevents the Admin or Support personnel from opening sessions of their own in order to work on issues.

There is actually a simple, if not widely publicized, fix for this problem.

If you’re using MSTSC version 5.x, installed by default on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista SP1 systems, enter the following from either RUN or CMD:


mstsc.exe /console


If you’re using MSTSC version 6.x, installed by default on Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista SP2, and Windows 7 systems and upgradeable to from Windows XP, enter the following from either RUN or CMD:


mstsc.exe /admin


In either situation using mstsc.exe with the appropriate switch – /console or /admin – will connect you to Session 0 on the remote system, bumping off another connection in order to do so if necessary. Then you can do whatever work that you need to do.

I know that this isn’t 100% true, in the sense that not all issues reported to Microsoft follow this pattern. Yet on most days it certainly feels true.

Sending An Error Report To Microsoft

Most times when you send and error report to Microsoft it seems like they’re using a much older definition for ethernet – as in your error report is lost in the ether.