Rebooting Computer Over RDP

[jonathan_phang]

Hello all.

Recently I have managed to get hold of an only Dell Dimension as I help to buy and install a replacement for it. I've decided to use it as a central file storage unit (I have a media PC downstairs and a gaming PC upstairs) and wanted a central place for music and photos etc. I also want it to host some small web apps and web services (I've just started programming at work - so just to improve my knowledge).

Its going to reside under the stairs, so i thought that it should be headless and that i could control it via remote desktop. Last night, i successfully setup the port forwarding in my router so that i could access it from my gaming computer. Fine.

FYI - its not a proper server OS, as I'm not necessarily 'serving' anything, but just using Win XP Pro.
This morning, just to test if i could access it externally, i tested from work, again, it was fine. I just set off a mass downloading of windows updates. I then rebooted, via the security menu of my remote login, however, and after a while, I still cant connect again via RDP.

Is this because the media hub (As I'll call it) is waiting for a password before it can complete loading windows, and then allow me to log in via RDP? Or is it possibly something else. Just be interesting to know. Or would i need a proper server OS to reboot and load straight to desktop.

Sure it will be simple for you networking whizz-types

Thanks in advance!

JP

[Jay]

If you can't get in there is nothing you can do untill you get home.

I would think its probabaly windows firewall on SP2

[Splash]

My guess is that it's set to DHCP and has been assigned a new ip address, and that your router has port forwarding setup to the old address. Your best bet is to reserve the address you want to use in DHCP for the MAC of the "server" NIC.

[jonathan_phang]

@Jay - shouldnt be the firewall, as I've already gotten access, just rebooted after installing updates. So the access was there before

@Splash - you might be right - i only set it up last night, so didnt reserve the internal IP for the machine. But i though that lease times for the IP/DHCP were based on time, not just everytime that the machine reboots.

Either way, need to check when i get home - bah, got football after work. Mind you it was cool while it worked! Woo hoo for the server (Though technically its not a server, what IS the machine called???)

JP

[Jay]

you will find that updates can and do turn the firewall back on (unless you where already running the firewall and set that up as well)

[jonathan_phang]

you will find that updates can and do turn the firewall back on (unless you where already running the firewall and set that up as well)

Ah - thats something else too - well at least its another thing that I can check!

[Jay]

if your using RDP and its open direct to the net then make sure your guest account is restricted and your main account is not "administrator"

[jonathan_phang]

Guest is restricted, but why would i not want to make my main account (the one i login with once i RDP) an administator - sorry for the slightly new questions, but i guess this all helps security.

[Splash]

That's not _exactly_ what Jay_Oasis said... Make sure your main account is not "administrator". In fact, change the name of this account and disable it. And make sure any active account (in particular one with admin privileges) has a very strong password if the machine is accessible from the interweb.

[jonathan_phang]

Aha - after all of that - I got home and checked it and basically, it HAD rebooted, but the NIC (Which is pretty old like the rest of the computer) hadnt managed to establish a connection with the router - hence why I couldnt connect. Thanks so much for all the advice that you guys have given though, its been appreciated!

JP

[Steve B]

you'll also find that if the machine you're trying to connect to is wireless. Most third party wireless connection applications wont run when you first turn on your machine. The Windows Wireless connection manager thingy does though!

In response to the question that you posed in the title of the thread, regarding rebooting over RDP, which you cant do from the start menu, then open a command window and type shutdown -r to restart. The machine will then reboot after 30s

[Splash]

regarding rebooting over RDP, which you cant do from the start menu

Yes you can - start>(settings if classic view)>windows security>shutdown>restart

[Steve B]

Cheers Splash, I've never noticed that before
I've been using my DOS script for months now

[jonathan_phang]

you'll also find that if the machine you're trying to connect to is wireless. Most third party wireless connection applications wont run when you first turn on your machine. The Windows Wireless connection manager thingy does though!

I never install 3rd party apps if i can help it - the windows zero-configuration works really well. BUT before i switched to a hardwire connection, I was using wireless, and it basically wouldnt initialise the connection - and hence no connection to RDP over.

You can solve that by creating a bat file that repairs the connection on startup and it worked a treat.