I am using Windows Remote Desktop to connect and remotely manage one of my Windows server. I understand that there are many other better remote control software such as VNC but I try to minimize the installation of third party software on the Windows Server 2008. If you don’t know what is Remote Desktop, it is a protocol developed by Microsoft, which allows you to view the display and control the mouse and keyboard of another computer at different location, as if you were sitting in front of the computer.
I never had any problems with Remote Desktop, except for only one annoyance which is if I leave it idle for a few minutes, it auto logs off and I had to re-enter the password to login again. This is very annoying whenever I am reading the log files or the console messages that is displayed on screen. Fortunately I’ve found the setting on how to disable remote desktop auto logoff on idle.
I actually spent a few days to find the solution because I misunderstood the problem at the first place. I thought I was being auto logged out when idle but it turns out that it was the screen that was locked. No wonder setting “Never” for idle session limit in RDP Properties didn’t work.
By default Windows Server 2008 activates the screen saver if computer has been idle for 10 minutes and the setting “On resume, display logon screen” will also be checked. So if Windows detects no activity for 10 minutes, the screen saver will be activated and when we get back to the Remote Desktop Connection, the screen saver is removed and then prompts to login. To solve this problem, you can either disable the screen saver or remove the logon screen on resume.
To disable the logon screen when idle, here’s what you need to do:
1. Right click Desktop and select Personalized
2. Click Screen Saver
3. Uncheck “On Resume, display logon screen” and click OK.
Now you can remain idle on the remote desktop connection as long as you want and you won’t be locked out.
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So awesome!! This has been driving me nuts since my password is 20 random characters. Thank you!
Great tip! Thank you
Well, it may be newbie, but it sure helped us out.
Good job posting this!
(Ignore the snide newbie comments — people who have nothing better to do than sneer at others’ contributions generally don’t have much to contribute themselves)
Awesome been looking for this “fix”
This has been bugging me for months, now it is gone. Thank you for solving a nagging problem.
Hi,
Thanks a lot its really short simple and help full.
So what happens when you log on directly to your server, then walk away for the day?
The system doesn’t lock the screen, so now anyone whom walks up to your server now has access to whatever you have access to.
This is generally considered to be a bad security idea.
Awesome! I just had remote computer re-imaged. Then this started happening. Thanks so much for this post it was awful having to log in every time I returned to the remote computer.
wow i feel stupid for not thinking of this…have been looking for a solution too. thanks man!
ty you man
thank you very much…
my problem solved.
i work remotely with vnc (ultravnc) and it was a bit inconvenient that windows automatically locks the screen after some idle time after i disconnected
at first i wanted to disable screen saver in the desktop settings dialog, but could not do it – the “Wait” pop down list and the “On resume password protect” checkbox were grayed out (i think it may be domain policy which override local and i have not enoght rights)
next i tried to change several different policies with gpedit.msc but also without result
and finally i had succeeded with setting these registry keys
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel\Desktop]
“ScreenSaverIsSecure”=”0″
“ScreenSaveActive”=”0″
“ScreenSaveTimeOut”=”999999999″
hope this help
actually, not all that n00bish – but if you want a very usable solution – try mRemote
mremote.org/wiki/Downloads.ashx
it is free, and allows you to consolidate all of your remote sessions – vnc, rdp, ssh, telnet, ica, etc – and save your passwords encrypted. so, if your session “auto locks”, just close that tab, double-click on the connection (make sure it is in CONSOLE mode) and you’ll be right back in. still locked to be secure, and ease of login for yourself – check it out.
yeah,so newbie…..
Another solution: Disable the screensaver completely, and the “on resume…” option will be grayed out.
yeah,, so newbie…
Lol, I don’t even enable screensavers, they interrupt my video watching. The power button is on your monitor for a reason.
Thank You so much..this helps a lot…
is there anyway to keep remote desktop sharing session alive even after reboot a machine , like how netmeeting those days
That’s Almost N00BISTIC!