MSTSC in WinPE 3.0

[Dodly]

Hello all.

I've built a nice environment for our end users (who connects to terminal servers with RDP) based on WinPE 3.0

Every last thing works perfectly except for one:

When I run MSTSC, it starts up and ask for server and creds as usual.

When I log off or disconnect from the server it won't go away, but rather pop that message that says the connection is "lost" and he keeps trying to reconnect.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Dodly.

[Tripredacus]

Are you using WinPE 3.0 as a thin client in your company?

[Dodly]

Well, thats the idea though I haven't deployed it yet...

Why, is it that awkward?

I don't need it for those pre-built thin clients, but for regular computers (pentium 2-4) with 256 RAM which we still use here for budget reasons (we're a charity organization, so almost everything we get is from donations).

We've already tried a thin version of XP (CE), but it had some problems with the hard drive and HAL.

We wanted Linux but we don't have anyone who can fully support it right now.

So I came up with the idea of WinPE, and in my VBOX it seems to work perfectly.

I've also implemented some scripts that work as if it had a MagicCard in it (no changes the user do survives a reboot) even-though I've hardened them.

As for my question above, I've tried the same with RDP 5.1 (from XP) and it worked perfectly.

So, can anyone think of a reason why RDP 6.0 and RDP 6.1 give me this trouble?

Thanks,

Dodly

[Tripredacus]

Well, thats the idea though I haven't deployed it yet...

Why, is it that awkward?

Well I certainly don't care about what you do in your day to day life but Microsoft put in limitations into WinPE for the sole purpose that people don't try to use it as an operating system or thin client. Experimenters will be experimenters, however but my experience with WinPE is strictly on the professional level and as such (being limited by license) I don't go into those areas of non-compliance*

Some have managed to come up with some interesting findings with their projects, maybe those would be helpful. Most will agree that the mighty MS Hammer would rarely fall on an organisation that is misusing software, but that situation is definately possible. Maybe we just never hear from those people again.

*

With some exceptions like getting WDS to deploy Linux

[Dodly]

Well, we've actually asked MS representative about it, and he said it's ok since WAIK is free.

As to the solutions you've suggested, they are irrelevant due to the hardware we use as they require too much, and I've already created one that works.

Anyway, as I've written earlier I've managed to bypass this strange error, but in the cost of security.

We can work like this, but it still extremely interesting in an annoying way as to why RDP 6 ain't working properly.

I thought I might give ProcMon a shot, by I doubt I'll find anything.

[DreamworlD]

I can find only one reason to use Win7PE as a thin client for MS TS, and it is a hardware support of the video card for new Linux kernels or NT5.1 kernel.

[cluberti]

The MS representative was then giving you inaccurate information. WinPE is designed for deployment and recovery only, and the EULA explicitly forbids you from using it as a general purpose OS, thin client, or RDP connection point. The license for the WAIK explicitly states this in the WinPE section:

• Windows Pre-Installation Environment. You may install and use the Windows Pre-Installation Environment for purposes of diagnosing and recovering Windows operating system software. For the avoidance of doubt, you may not use the Windows Pre-Installation Environment for any other purpose, including without limitation as a general operating system, as a thin client or as a remote desktop client.

That's pretty descriptive.