VPN + Terminal Session for Remote Desktop

[theknight571]

I'm not sure if this (Software for Windows) is the proper location for this question or not, so Mods feel free to move it if necessary.

I have a user that is using their laptop to vpn into our network and then starting a "terminal session" to remote into their PC.

All was working fine until about a month ago. Now when they go through the same steps, the terminal session just displays a blue screen. Not a BSoD... just a blank blue screen.

From within the office, the Terminal Session will connect, but at home, just the blue screen.

For testing I sent them home with a different laptop and they were able to connect and remote their PC from that laptop, but not theirs.

I'm not sure what the problem is, and our central support wasn't much help.

So any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks.

Edit:

I probably should add:
- Both the laptop and Desktop are Windows XP
- Both are fully patched and up to date

 

[Chiefcrowe]

What happens when they try logging in with a different account with the same laptop which is having errors?

 

[airdata]

if it's bringing up a blue screen, it sounds like it's connecting.

Have you messed around w\ any of the rdp settings? Try clicking options, then display and just doing 800x600 or 640 x 480 to test and see if you get the login box.

 

[theknight571]

What happens when they try logging in with a different account with the same laptop which is having errors?

I will have them try, and let you know.

 

[theknight571]

if it's bringing up a blue screen, it sounds like it's connecting.

Have you messed around w\ any of the rdp settings? Try clicking options, then display and just doing 800x600 or 640 x 480 to test and see if you get the login box.

I haven't. I was avoiding going to their house if possible. Although the exact same settings work on the other laptop.

The way the company has it setup is
- go to the company's vpn webpage
- login and launch vpn
- once logged in, click on the terminal session hyperlink for your PC

So basically no matter what PC you login to, you'll be using the same settings.

 

[goobernoodles]

Probably a hung session. Just kill the session(s).

From a command line:

qwinsta /server:computername

Get the session id then,

rwinsta /server:computername session ID

 

[Paperlantern]

Probably a hung session. Just kill the session(s).

From a command line:

qwinsta /server:computername

Get the session id then,

rwinsta /server:computername session ID

Sounds like SSLexplorer. Ive seen this before with that, the user is trying to connect to the same hung session each time,i agree it needs to be killed. Even though hes logging into the same profile using the same credentials, terminal services keeps track of separate instances, if it sees you logged in from a different computer it remembers. Thats why when he logs in from the office it works... different session. The one from his home machine is just hung open.

 

[theknight571]

Probably a hung session. Just kill the session(s).

From a command line:

qwinsta /server:computername

Get the session id then,

rwinsta /server:computername session ID

I ran qwinsta on the PC they are trying to remote into and see the following:

 SESSIONNAME       USERNAME                 ID  STATE   TYPE        DEVICE
>console           their username            0  Active  wdcon
 rdp-tcp                                 65536  Listen  rdpwd

Which is the same as what I see on my PC when I run the command... other than the user id is mine instead of theirs.

Do I need to reset one of the two sessions?

Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[theknight571]

Sounds like SSLexplorer. Ive seen this before with that, the user is trying to connect to the same hung session each time,i agree it needs to be killed. Even though hes logging into the same profile using the same credentials, terminal services keeps track of separate instances, if it sees you logged in from a different computer it remembers. Thats why when he logs in from the office it works... different session. The one from his home machine is just hung open.

They've brought in their "home machine" and if they're on our network they can use the same vpn / terminal session to connect to their desktop. Once they return home, they cannot.

Would a session be specific to an IP address maybe? The IP address here would be different than the one at home, and the IP address on the other laptop would be different than their laptop.

On the other hand, using the qwinsta command mentioned before, I don't see any open sessions other than the two that appear to be default sessions.