Mysterious problems getting VISTA 64 to remote-desktop connect to XP SP3

[BonzaiDuck]

I'm losing my endurance of perseverance in my old age.

The situation:

Household LAN, gigabit ethernet, old Linksys internet-router-switch, Linksys switches connecting upstairs and downstairs on gigabit with CAT-5 cable-drop.

Windows Home Server -- all systems "go" -- recognizes all machines, working perfectly

Two VISTA-64 systems: Haven't tried it on the second (a gamer), but the first machine connects to a system upstairs via RDC, which in turn runs XP Pro SP3. LLTD had been installed before adding SP3. There had been initial difficulties setting up the connection, but not "mysterious ones."

From the same VISTA-64, I've been trying to connect to a second machine upstairs -- running XP Pro SP3. LLTD wasn't installed before SP3. However, the VISTA "sees" the computer and the shared folders and printer.

But when I attempt to log on to the second XP system via RDC, I first get the "authentication" warning, and the dialog box just returns to an active "connect" button -- no window pops up. Same when I attempt to use RDC from the WHS system to connect to the second XP system.

I checked all the settings -- cannot find something that is different from the first XP machine. And also, I can connect from the XP machine to the VISTA machine through the XP's RDC. User accounts appropriate to the connections have been added to the XP system. And also -- I can't connect from the problem-free XP machine to the second XP machine via RDC. In other words, this is not a "VISTA" problem.

What gives here? I don't want to spend the remaining years of my decrepit life slogging upstairs and downstairs to manage that bleeping system.

 

[her209]

Is there a firewall on the XP machine? It could be that its on and allowing traffic for file sharing, but block port 3389 (RDC).

 

[Emulex]

you disable ipv6 on all of the machines (can cause some headaches if you are doing static/dynamic on ipv4/ipv6)??

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: her209
Is there a firewall on the XP machine? It could be that its on and allowing traffic for file sharing, but block port 3389 (RDC).

This. Disable the XP firewall and see what happens.

If the problem machine isn't using DHCP, check the subnet mask.

Edit: Any errors in the event log at the time of connection? There's a certain error that indicates a display driver issue. ihyagp could be on the right track with his suggestion.

 

[ihyagp]

update nvidia drivers on the xp machine, if applicable.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Wow. It took me more than 24 hours to check back here.

I'm going to disable the firewall on the XP machine to see what happens. Actually, I'd already thought of doing that, but hadn't yet. It's using a Kaspersky KIS 7.0 -- a license that won't run out for a couple months. The VISTA machines are using KIS v.2009, and the other (completely accessible) machine is using KIS 7.0.

But -- yeah -- port 3389. Problem with Kaspersky is that I haven't been able to find a port-specific dialog on the Firewall configuration. Not one of my major gripes -- it's probably the most robust IS/AV packages I've used of maybe five or six, and I've been sold on it for about 3 years.

The mobo on the problem XP machine is an Intel board -- D865PERL. As I recall, "L" stands for "LAN" on that mobo submodel. I'd used some PCI gigabit Ethernet cards on some of the home's older machines. I'll have to go upstairs and check it out.

But . . . that's it . . . . that's why I really want RDC from Vista to the upstairs XP. I could giveas*** whether I can get from XP via RDC to VISTA.

EDIT: I don't think IPv6 is installed on the upstairs XP's. I remember when configuring one of the downstairs systems a couple years ago that I had trouble with it, and got rid of it. But VISTA configurations aren't problematic. If they were, I wouldn't be able to get to the OTHER XP machine.

EDIT AGAIN: NOPE. Turning off the firewall doesn't help. Same problem.

I've seen a lot of forum posts (other web-sites) showing people having troubles with this.

I'm going back upstairs now to assure that there aren't any IPv6 services enabled, but I don't think there were. . . .

EDIT AGAIN: There aren't any IPv6 services enabled. Any other suggestions?