Windows 7 Remote Desktop question/problem

[ajm786]

Here's the scenario.

I have my rig, running Win7 Ultimate x64, Aero capable (of course), and dual monitors.

I want to control this rig using Remote Desktop on a laptop, which is running Win7 Ultimate 32bit, running wireless, and have the monitor schema for my rig spanned over a single window on the laptop, so it doesn't mess up the window placement and what not.

The problem is that when I connect to the desktop using the laptop, Aero is not enabled, it switches to basic, and it does NOT span the monitor sessions. It piles everything into a single window session, so that when I go back to my desktop, I have to place all the windows again.

What's going wrong here?

Thanks!

 

[kegobeer]

Did you edit any of the remote desktop options?

 

[ajm786]

Yes indeed. I made absolutely sure all those options were checked.

 

[kegobeer]

Do you have the LAN (10 Mbps or higher) option selected?

I have a 7 x86 desktop that I routinely connect via RDP from my 7 x64 laptop, and I get aero and all the goodies. I don't have multiple monitors, so I have no idea if that would work for me. Have you tried going the other way, connecting to x64 from the x86 machine, to see if you have the same problems?

 

[ajm786]

Yes, I have the LAN 10Mbps option selected.

Does Aero have to be supported on both machines for it to be displayed in the RDC window?

 

[kegobeer]

If one machine doesn't have the ability to display an aero theme, I guess it would make sense that it wouldn't display an aero theme over a remote connection. I haven't tested that, since all of my computers support aero.

 

[ajm786]

Ok, that's understandable, but why does the RDC window of the laptop cause all the windows of the system that I'm connecting to to reset themselves all into a single window? Isn't it supposed to keep the schema of each window? I thought RDC in Windows 7 was multi monitor capable?

 

[kegobeer]

Yes, it has true multi-monitor support, according to this:

Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) Team Blog : Remote Desktop Connection 7 for Windows 7, Windows XP & Windows Vista

However, it appears that aero glass is not supported in multi-monitor configurations. I don't know why the desktop would reset on the host machine.

Are you using the command line interface to open up the RDP? There are additional commands that may assist with the multi-monitor configs:

http://blog.mpecsinc.ca/2009/06/windows-7-remote-desktop-multi-monitor.html

 

[ajm786]

Yes, it has true multi-monitor support, according to this:

Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) Team Blog : Remote Desktop Connection 7 for Windows 7, Windows XP & Windows Vista

However, it appears that aero glass is not supported in multi-monitor configurations. I don't know why the desktop would reset on the host machine.

Are you using the command line interface to open up the RDP? There are additional commands that may assist with the multi-monitor configs:

MPECS Inc. Blog: Windows 7 – Remote Desktop Multi-Monitor Goodness

I tried all those. Everytime I connect to my client machine which has multi monitors, it only opens it as everything on one screen instead of spanning across a "dual monitor" type window.

 

[ajm786]

I still can't get it to work.

On the notebook, I tried everything:

mstsc /span
mstsc /multimon

No matter what I do, when I connect to the desktop, it connects as a single screen and piles all the windows onto that one screen.

What could I be doing wrong here?

 

[ajm786]

To simplify:

I have a computer, System A, with 1 monitor. I want to RDC into a computer, System B that has 2 monitors. How can I see the entire desktop of System B on System A?

Thanks!

 

[kegobeer]

Have you reviewed this?

Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) Team Blog : Using Multiple Monitors in Remote Desktop Session

I'm wondering if the lack of an additional monitor on the laptop is causing the problem. Since I don't have the hardware to test this, I'm just guessing that there is no support for viewing more than one monitor from the host on the client, if the client only has one monitor - everything will just get squished together.

 

[ajm786]

Have you reviewed this?

Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) Team Blog : Using Multiple Monitors in Remote Desktop Session

I'm wondering if the lack of an additional monitor on the laptop is causing the problem. Since I don't have the hardware to test this, I'm just guessing that there is no support for viewing more than one monitor from the host on the client, if the client only has one monitor - everything will just get squished together.

Yes, I reviewed that. The problem with that, and, for that matter, most of all articles about multi monitors and RDC, they seem to assume that BOTH the client and the server have multi monitors. But they don't specify which, if it's one or the other, or vice versa.

 

[kegobeer]

The easiest thing to do is borrow another monitor and attach it to your laptop. See if the multi-monitor config works then.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
I think RDP doesn't have all the video bells and whistles.

BUT what IS crazy is that if you have a VIRTUAL MACHINE running on your machine you've just RDP'd to you get the screen etc in all its gloriious technicolour and on the laptop it works on 2 monitors (if you expand the VM to full screen mode).

Crazy but true.


Here's a screenshot of an RDP session with SH__TE graphics with the Virtual machine running inside it displayed in glorious technicolor with Aero, desktop background and decent fonts.

So it must be something to do with the RDP itself.

Cheers
jimbo.

 

[moymike]

Enabling /span or /multimon on Remote Desktop works a little different then what you are looking for.

If you remote from your dual screen desktop to your single screen laptop, enabling this feature would allow you to have a multi-screen view of your laptop.

It sounds like what you were hoping for is to remote from your laptop to your desktop, and to have a session that requires scroll bars to "see" the entires dual screen area that your desktop has. An option for doing that is to use "TightVNC".

I prefer Remote Desktop, and to handle the changes in the screen size/configuration, I use "Stardock Fences". This is a free product that adds some additional controls to your desktop. To save each desktop setup automatically, just select Tools - More Tools - Screen resolution changes...

When using Fences, I can switch between dual screen and Remote Desktop from my laptop, and all the icons on the desktop keep their positions for each resolution.

 

[ajm786]

Enabling /span or /multimon on Remote Desktop works a little different then what you are looking for.

If you remote from your dual screen desktop to your single screen laptop, enabling this feature would allow you to have a multi-screen view of your laptop.

It sounds like what you were hoping for is to remote from your laptop to your desktop, and to have a session that requires scroll bars to "see" the entires dual screen area that your desktop has. An option for doing that is to use "TightVNC".

I prefer Remote Desktop, and to handle the changes in the screen size/configuration, I use "Stardock Fences". This is a free product that adds some additional controls to your desktop. To save each desktop setup automatically, just select Tools - More Tools - Screen resolution changes...

When using Fences, I can switch between dual screen and Remote Desktop from my laptop, and all the icons on the desktop keep their positions for each resolution.

This is an option. I will look into this.

I noticed something else. If I switch the host system on, but do NOT log in, and simply log in to the host from the client, the monitor schema on the host will be kept intact, as long as I logoff (not simply ending the session). I do not know if this is specific to Win7, but it works.