Dec 30

Enable Remote Desktop with Aero

Server 2008 R2 Workstation , , , , , , , , Add Comment (7)

The build-in Remote Desktop feature is very useful if you want to use your home-PC from your laptop in the living room, at work, at school or any other place in the world. This tutorial will enable this functionality including Aero over Remote Desktop and high quality audio and video playback. If you want to use Aero over Remote Desktop you will have to install the Desktop Experience feature first which is explained at this page.

1. To enable Remote Desktop access click Run in the Start menu and enter SystemPropertiesRemote. In the window that pops up select the second or third option and click OK.
Enable Remote Desktop in the Remote tab of the System Properties window

2. To enable 32bit color depth needed for Aero and high quality audio and video playback over Remote Desktop click Run in the Start menu, enter tsconfig.msc and click OK. Now double-click the (default) RDP-tcp connection and go to the Client Settings tab. At the Client Settings tab uncheck the Limit Maximum Color Depth checkbox and optionally also uncheck the other checkboxes in the Redirection section to allow audio and video recording/playback. Click OK to save the new settings.
Remove color depth limit and other limitations for Remote Desktop

3. To enable Aero over Remote Desktop click Run in the Start menu, enter gpedit.msc and click OK. Browse to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> Remote Session Environment and open the Allow desktop composition for remote desktop connections property.
"Remote Session Environment" section in the Group Policy Editor

4. Change the "Allow desktop composition for remote desktop sessions" setting to Enabled and click OK to save the change.
Set the "Allow desktop composition for remote desktop sessions" setting to Enabled in the Group Policy Editor

5. If you now start the Microsoft Remote Desktop client (Start -> Run -> mstsc), click the Options link, go to the Display tab and set the color depth of the remote session to Highest Quality (32bit) and also at least check the Desktop composition and Visual styles checkboxes at the Experience tab, you will get the Aero experience over Remote Desktop..
Set "color depth of the remote session" to "Highest Quality (32bit)" in the Display tab of the Remote Desktop Connection client At least enable Desktop Composition and Visual Styles in the Experience tab of the Remote Desktop Connection client

6. Enjoy 3D Flip and all other Aero features over Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop! The client system also needs to be running a Windows Vista a or later Operating System and also needs to support Aero.
Aero 3D Flip over Remote Desktop


7 comments so far...

  • natocccp Said on February 22nd, 2010 at 9:46 pm:

    If your client is modded Windows Server 2008 R2 and aero doesen’t work over RDP, try to force host settings to 32 bit. This helped in my case for two servers.

    HTH

  • TetraIB Said on March 24th, 2010 at 12:55 pm:

    It actually needed to install the Remote Desktop Session Host role in order to make it work for me on a standard Win2008 R2 server.

  • JfromK Said on May 9th, 2011 at 5:57 am:

    In 2008 R2, After installing Remote Desktop Session Host and configuring Remote Desktop Server with my RDS Licences etc. (from Action Pack Subscription). I found that the graphical login was gone, no more clicking on your name and entering your password. Once Terminal Services is installed you are back to the plain old entering username and password like it was on a Domain Controller.

    I wanted graphical login because this server was also doing double duty as the HTPC for the house, after spending a few hours searching for some way to enable graphical logins or rather the normal workgroup style welcome screen and finding out that by design Terminal Services server disables it. I didn’t care *that* much about transparency and knew I could at least get Windows 7 Basic (Aero without glass) to work.

    BUT!, to my joy after uninstalling the Remote Desktop Session Host role, not only did I get graphical logins back but I was also able to retain Aero with Glass via normal RDP connections! Yay!

    Arris: Thanks for your comment! :) It could have been that somehow the “Interactive Logon: Do not display last user name” option in Start -> Run -> secpol.msc -> Local Policies -> Security Options was set to Enabled. Anyway, I’m glad everything works nice now! ;)

  • Aero and Audio over RDP for Win 2K8 R2 | Sreeram's space Said on May 12th, 2011 at 1:47 am:

    [...] To enable aero, check this out: http://www.win2008r2workstation.com/win2008r2/enable-remote-desktop-with-aero [...]

  • tofugrunt Said on May 11th, 2012 at 2:18 am:

    @TetraIB: “It actually needed to install the Remote Desktop Session Host role in order to make it work for me on a standard Win2008 R2 server.”

    Same thing here, but what I noticed is that I really need Desktop Experiences installed (but for Remote Destkop).

    So after I did that, I just uninstalled the Remote Desktop Session Host role and Aero continues to work over RDP.

  • Luo Xiaowu Said on May 15th, 2012 at 6:03 am:

    If I intsall Remote Desktop Session Host ,the graphical logins will be gone,and the desktop icon texts will be illegible.

    But when I delete Remote Desktop Session Host ,I can’t choose themes when RDP connected!So I use the way,not install Remote Desktop Session Host ,but I can choose themes!!!

    Run this BAT:
    REG DELETE HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionThemeManagerRemote /f

    Then Restart Explorer.exe,It will allow you to choose theme(Repeat it every time)
    But,If you choose Open folder window in a separate process in Folder Options->View ,you don’t need to researt Explorer.exe

    Note:The smart way is rename %windir%system32TSTHEME.exe,because TSTHEME.exe create HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionThemeManagerRemote,and delete HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionThemeManagerRemote at disconnect!

    I get the idea from: http://www.win2008workstation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=62

  • Omar Abulaban Said on May 18th, 2012 at 6:47 am:

    Finally, it worked.
    Thanks for your post.

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