A critical process running in the remote session terminated unexpectedly. Error code: 0x10

Question

Cannot RDP to my VM - keeps giving me this error.

A critical process running in the remote session terminated unexpectedly. Error code: 0x10

Answer 1

Hello alan beth,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

I would like to assist you with the issue you're facing regarding Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) access to your virtual machine (VM). 

The error message "A critical process running in the remote session terminated unexpectedly. Error code: 0x10" suggests that there might be a critical service or process on the VM that is failing, causing the RDP session to terminate. 

 

Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve this issue: 

 

1.Restart the VM: Sometimes, simply restarting the VM can resolve transient issues that may be causing the RDP service to fail.

 

2.Check the Event Viewer: Connect to the VM through an alternative method, such as the Azure portal if it's an Azure VM, or through the console if it's hosted on another platform. Once connected, check the Event Viewer for any critical errors or warnings that might indicate what process is failing. 

 

3.RDP Service Status: Ensure that the Remote Desktop Services are running correctly on the VM. You can check this by running services.msc and looking for the "Remote Desktop Services" service. 

 

4. Install Updates: Make sure that the VM is fully updated with the latest Windows updates, as this can caused question "Cannot RDP to my VM - keeps giving me this error. A critical process running in the remote session terminated unexpectedly. Error code: 0x10."

 

5.Disable Recent Updates or Roll Back: If the issue started occurring after a recent update, consider rolling back the update to see if that resolves the issue. 

 

6.Check for Disk Issues: Inspect the VM's disk for any errors or corruption. You can use tools like chkdsk to scan and repair disk issues.

 

7.System File Checker: Run the System File Checker tool (sfc /scannow) to repair missing or corrupted system files. 

 

8.Network Configuration: Verify that the network settings are correctly configured, and there are no IP conflicts or firewall rules that could be blocking the RDP connection. 

 

9.RDP Configuration: Check the RDP configuration settings on the VM to ensure that they are set up correctly. This includes checking the allowed RDP port (default is 3389) and ensuring that the VM is set to allow remote connections. 

 

10.Security Software: If you have any security software installed on the VM, ensure that it is not blocking the RDP connection. 

 

11.Resource Constraints: Check if the VM is under heavy load or running out of resources like CPU, memory, or disk space, which could cause critical processes to fail. 

 

Remember to perform these steps carefully, especially if you are working with production systems. Always ensure that you have backups or snapshots of your VM before making significant changes.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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