Windows 7 Freezing but Only After RDP Session

[EXCellR8]

Apologies in advance if this is more complex than I mean it to be... but I'm pretty stuck.

Basically, I have a SFF low power computer at work that I use as a personal file server and to run some older proprietary apps. This machine runs Windows 7 Professional 64-bit and does not have a monitor. I use RDP in order to use it and for several years it's been totally fine. However, just recently I noticed that I can't connect. I've tried logging in from different PC's just to see if maybe there was a firewall issue but it's the same across the board. The first session, however, always works fine. As it turns out, the PC seems to freeze up on the log in screen only after an RDP session is closed; I cannot open another until I hard reboot the machine--super annoying.

Now, I've benched the computer about a week ago, ran some power and memory tests, and found that everything seems to be okay. I'm wondering if the onboard graphics card (this is an embedded radeon 8400 board) is on its way out so I'm about to try a dedicated adapter--just because I'm out of ideas. I do think it is completely locking up because there's an external drive attached that spins down--meaning my auto-write program (used to keep the drive on) is being terminated. However, there is no blue screen and USB devices do not work.

Not even sure which category this is supposed to be in because I am not sure what the issue is...

 

[VirtualLarry]

Yeah, I think that the "Virtual Workstation" RDP driver, sits on top of the actual video-card driver, maybe, and that needs to be in working order? Has the driver been updated for the onboard video card/chip? Maybe roll that back, using Device Manager? (they have an option for rolling back newer drivers back to older ones, if you haven't done a System Cleanup.)

 

[EXCellR8]

Video drivers have not been updated and I don't think there are any new drivers for the board/GPU; that's sort of why I wanted to try a dedicated adapter. I remember now though: that the solitary PCIe slot on the board (it's an old Zotac AMD fusion mobo btw) is a an x1 of which I have no compatible adapters. This board is weird though in that the default video output is HDMI and not DVI. The DVI doesn't seem to work until the OS/drivers are loaded.

I just tried it again with a monitor attached to the SFF computer and it appears that it's not actually frozen. However, I think part of the problem might be that RDP sessions on the machine are not closing properly or something? When I go to log on to the computer itself, Win logon states that I'm still logged on from the first session. This is really absurd... it's always been pretty reliable.

 

[mxnerd]

Like what VL has said, it could be video card driver issue. Happened to me long, long time ago. The symptom is the same, you can connect for the first time, then when you disconnected, you can't login anymore and the PC seems just freeze up. And the culprit was the video driver.

Using Teamviewer now.

 

[EXCellR8]

I'll see if I can find a different driver but I'd rather not have to use a 3rd party app, especially when I don't really use the PC that much aside from logging job hours and storing backups.

A video driver also wouldn't explain why my external HD gets shut down. I have a simple CMD script that keeps it spinning at all times (got sick of it spinning up and down constantly)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Also check that the date/time is correct, and the CMOS battery is good and keeping time. I know that can screw up HTTPS sites when it is off. (Also the timezone.)

 

[EXCellR8]

I just put a new one in and it is keeping the time upon reboots. The board doesn't have a lot of options in BIOS, so there isn't really much that could be set incorrectly. The only default settings that I've altered were disabling the PXE boot option and onboard audio since I don't need either.

Upon exiting a RDP session to the PC, Teamviewer cannot connect to it either...

EDIT: Got Teamviewer working after another reboot (same issue after RDP connection closed I guess) and now I can connect to the computer subsequently. That might have to do for now except I can't view the remote PC in a 1920x1200 window like I was able to with Remote Desktop. The resolution isn't listed? The software is too CPU cycle heavy on the remote computer anyway.