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Enable Remote Desktop

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

You can enable Remote Desktop on the server that you are installing as a domain controller so that service administrators can manage the domain controller remotely. Remote Desktop is disabled by default in Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

Use this procedure to enable remote desktop prior to shipping the server that will be installed as a domain controller. If you neglected to perform this procedure prior to shipping the server, use the procedure "To enable Remote Desktop remotely by using the registry," later in this topic

Administrative credentials

To complete this procedure, you must be a member of the local Administrators group.

To enable Remote Desktop

  1. Click Start, point to Control Panel, and then click System.
    Or
    Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

  2. On the Remote tab, under Remote Desktop, select the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check box, and then click OK.

    Note

    On computers running Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), on the Remote tab, select the Enable Remote Desktop on this computer check box.

If for any reason you neglected to perform this procedure prior to shipping the server, you can enable Remote Desktop remotely by using the registry.

Administrative credentials

To complete this procedure, you must be a member of the local Administrators group.

To enable Remote Desktop remotely by using the registry

  1. On any computer that is running a version of Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP Professional, click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.

  2. On the File menu, click Connect Network Registry.

  3. In the Select Computer dialog box, type the computer name and then click Check Names.

  4. In the Enter Network Password dialog box, provide Domain Admins credentials for the domain of the server, and then click OK.

  5. After the computer name resolves, click OK.

  6. In the computer node that appears in the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server.

  7. In the console tree, click Terminal Server and then, in the details pane, double-click fDenyTSConnections.

  8. In the Edit DWORD Value box, in Value data, type 0, and then click OK.

  9. To implement the change, reboot the server remotely, as follows:

    Open a command prompt, type the following, and then press Enter:

    **shutdown -m \\**DomainControllerName -r