When you connect to your server using Remote Desktop, there are two different ways to disconnect from the server:
1. Closing the window. This leaves your current session and all applications open on the server. (Not Recommended)
2. Logging off your session by clicking 'Start', 'Logoff'. This actually logs your user off and closes your session on the server. (Recommended)
Remote Desktop allows a maximum of 2 sessions to be open at once. If you have left too many sessions open on your server or you have 2 users logged in to your server at once, you will not be able to connect using Remote Desktop.
There is a workaround to connect to your server's console session. You can log on to a Windows Server 2003-based server remotely and interact with session 0 as if you were sitting at the physical console of the computer. This will allow you to reset the active Remote Desktop sessions.
To connect to the remote Windows Server 2003-based computer, open a command prompt, and then type the following command:
mstsc -v:servername /F -console
NOTE: Newer versions of the RDP client require the following command instead.
mstsc /v:servername /F /admin
where mstsc is the Remote Desktop connection executable file, "v" indicates a server to connect to, ""F indicates full screen mode, and "console" or "admin" is the instruction to connect to the console session.
When you use this command, you open the Remote Desktop session, and when the logon is authenticated, you are connected to the console session that is running on the Windows Server 2003-based server.
Once you are logged into the console session, you can go to 'Start', 'Administrative Tools', 'Terminal Services Manager' where you will be able to reset or disconnect the active sessions on the server. Make sure to logoff the console session when you are done. Once you do this, you will be able to connect using regular means.
Article ID: 14, Created On: 3/6/2006, Modified: 10/20/2011