Display Resolution in Thin Client
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8/27/2008
Display resolution is an expression of the number of pixels that appear on a particular display device, in both length and height dimensions. An example of a display resolution is 640 × 480.
Custom Resolution Overview
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Custom Resolution support enables a thin client user to maximize the available screen size during a Terminal Services session. RDP 6.0 also provides wide-screen display resolution support. Similar to Continuous Resolution, Custom Resolution enables a user to set the display resolution for the Terminal Services session by using the Remote Desktop client. RDP sessions are no longer limited to display resolutions that have a 4:3 aspect ratio.
The maximum resolution supported is 4096 × 2048.
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Graphics Adapter Support for Custom Resolution
If a graphics adapter supports custom display resolutions, the Windows Embedded CE Terminal Services Client (CETSC) user interface (UI) automatically detects the range of supported resolutions and presents them as options on the Display tab of the CETSC UI. The maximum resolution on the graphics adapter is set to the Full Screen option in Remote Desktop size on the Display tab.
Notice that Custom Resolution support is limited by the display hardware and resolutions supported by the graphics adapter that is on the thin client. The driver developer configures the maximum resolution supported by a particular driver. For more information, see Graphics Hardware Considerations for a Thin Client. To view some examples of display drivers, see Display Driver Samples.
Users can select a display resolution for a Terminal Services session at the command prompt or by using an .rdp file.
Remote Desktop Client Support for Custom Resolution
The following describes how to support custom display resolution in a Terminal Services session.
.Rdp File
You can set the display resolution for a Terminal Services session by modifying the .rdp file on a thin client that is using the Standard Shell. The following table shows the settings to adjust.
| Keyword | Description |
|---|---|
desktopheight |
Indicates the height of the display, in pixels. The default value is the resolution that used when the OS starts. |
desktopwidth |
Indicates the width of the display, in pixels. The default value is the resolution that used when the OS starts. |
For more information, see Terminal Services Client Configuration through the .rdp File.
Registry Settings
You can set the display resolution for a Terminal Services session by modifying the rdp.reg file on a thin client that is using the Windows Thin Client Shell. The following table shows the settings to adjust.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
desktopheight |
This value indicates height of the display, in pixels. |
desktopwidth |
This value indicates the width of the display, in pixels. |
For more information, see Configuring the Terminal Services Client.
CETSC Command Prompt
The following command syntax starts a Terminal Services session with custom resolution settings of <width> and <height>.
Cetsc.exe MyRdpFile.rdp /v:MyServer /h:<height> /w:<width>
The following list shows the parameters you can use with this command syntax.
- /w:<width>
Specifies the width of the Remote Desktop window.
- /h:<height>
Specifies the height of the Remote Desktop window.
- /span
Specifies to match the Remote Desktop width and height with the local virtual desktop, spanning across multiple monitors if it is necessary. To span across multiple monitors, the monitors must all have the same height and be aligned vertically.