MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

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Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:22:44 GMT

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re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

The Dave — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 11:34:27 GMT

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why remove the existing /console switch, why not alias it to the new /admin switch?

Same goes for the RDP flag.

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Marcel Kroon — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:58:51 GMT

Thank you so much!

It took me the whole evening to come to this solution. :)

After upgrading to SP1 RC1 for Vista I could not get into the console anymore.

with the /admin addon is works again!

Thanks!

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Marcel Kroon — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:06:19 GMT

Btw now I'm using: mstsc.exe /admin /console

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Marcel Kroon — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:00:08 GMT

Just noticed /console can be removed and the only option needed is /admin

Thanks again :)

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

MEHDI — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:34:49 GMT

thank you for useful information and nice work ..

good luck to you

Remote Desktop Client v6.1 -- Complete with no more /console Switch

Realtime Community | Windows Server — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:37:57 GMT

If you're preparing yourself for Terminal Services in Server 2008, you should be aware that its new Session 0 isolation may change some application installations. Read this previous post, for more info on this change. It also changes the process whereby

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

mevans — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:18:37 GMT

I'm not seeing the /ADMIN switch work against a Windows 2003 Server with the MSTSC included in Vista SP1 RC. It brings me to a new session on the server, not the console session. If I run it with the /CONSOLE switch it does work (though this switch is not included in the help file).

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Brian — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:41:41 GMT

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why remove the existing /console switch, why not alias it to the new /admin switch?

/console parameteren forsvinner i Windows Server 2008 remote administration

Dag Staale Jenssen — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:27:45 GMT

I Windows Server 2003 kan man starte en RDP sesjon for å logge på console. I W2K8 forsvinner /console parameteren som typisk benyttes med mstsc.exe. ...

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Mark Ordonez — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:36:53 GMT

I agree with @Brian and @The Dave. Why bother with changing the switch at all if the end result is the same thing?

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Christiano Lucca — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:56:32 GMT

tks for this info...in fact, you save my brain!

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Ben — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:47:27 GMT

This was a terrible idea to change the syntax of the /console switch. This caused our plant downtime because we thought we were still connecting to the console session of our 2003 servers as we always have, but since we installed XP SP3 on our client machines, we were not, and we ended up opening two copies of our application on the same machine, causing problems with production. I'm sure I won't be the only one with this issue.

Bad decision, Microsoft. Very bad decision.

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

MikeH — Wed, 21 May 2008 23:15:50 GMT

If your are using RWW on SBS 2003 you can modify the TSWEB.ASPX file to directly connect to the console session via Vista SP1 again.

More info: http://newyear2006.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/remote-webarbeitsplatz-problem-mit-windows-vista-sp1-beheben/

It is written in german but you can follow the main part.

You have to insert MSRdpClient.AdvancedSettings6.ConnectToAdministerServer = console

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

David Sanders — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:15:50 GMT

Since installing XP SP3, the functionality of mstsc has changed. I used to be prompted for credentials before actually connecting to a server. Then, once the correct information was entered, the server gave me the warning dialog, and when accepted, logged me into the system.

Since I use multiple servers in multiple environments (multiple domains, and standalone), and since I also use a password manager with automatically generated passwords with a high complexity level, this was a great setup. I could copy/paste my passwords from the manager without ever exposing them to anyone (including myself).

I also use a management tool that allows me to have hot keys assigned to various functions. Selecting a server and executing a hot key against it will automatically launch the following command - "C:\WINDOWS\system32\mstsc.exe /console "C:\admintools\Default.rdp" /v:%E% /w:1024 /h:768"

This would launch against the servername (%E%), and use my default.rdp. The bonus to this setup was that my name (domain or computer)\username was prepopulated correctly. I did not need multiple .rdp files.

With 6.1, this is gone. How do I regain this functionality?

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Bill Solomon — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:15:31 GMT

Does Microsft hate Windows users? If no then why keep messing things to make the Windows users lives harder for no apparent reason?

mstsc /admin works now in 6.1 but .rdp files fail

bsolomon@allstontrading.com

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Eric Paul — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:05:41 GMT

Went back to XP service pack 2. Now my system works like it was designed. The "connect to console" setting in my RDP Snap-in actually connects to the desktop--instead of doing nothing.

I'm okay with you're changing it for some future release of windows--but its downright BAD to remove features--especilly without some way of telling a user that a feature has been removed.

Maybe in the future you could consider another approach to security besides "if we can't secure it disable it".

This one small change has cost me a considerable amount of time and pain.

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Heart Attack — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:21:58 GMT

I almost have a heart attack after I installed XP sp3.

I constantly monitor server to see the console screen again on my XP box.

I almost thought the only way to see my console again is through a Linux desktop before I checked this page.

Thanks a million for the one removed the "console" switch. Now I know my heart is pretty strong. ..

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Emidio — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:25:51 GMT

This also applies to Windows XP SP3. I just upgraded to SP3 and the /console option does not work on SP3 also. I had to /admin

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Howard Jares — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:52:30 GMT

How does this affect the Rmote Desktops mmc plug-in? I use this interface to manage my systems. It does have a connect to console check box, however even with it checked I do ont seem to connect to the console session.

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Former Microsoft Loyalist — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:49:50 GMT

Man why change it? Seriously. I have been struggling with this for months now, wondering why my shortcuts and even typing in mstsc /console for YEARS has intermittently stopped working.

Now I see why.

I admin various XP and Win2k, Win2K3 boxes so now I have to type in which switch based on which O/S I am at, and which host I am connecting to then cross my fingers and hope it works????

DID THIS REALLY NEED TO BE CHANGED? IS THERE A SINGLE TECHNICAL REASON or is it just the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing over there?

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Interested Bystander — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 21:51:48 GMT

I have been struggling with this switch until I discovered this web page today. (still attempting to use /console) Why not put up a message in the new client when the old switch is used -- e.g. "/console no longer supportds... try /admin"

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Matt P — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:48:01 GMT

What was the point?

I'm really curious why this had to change, please explain. The article mentions 'console session' and 'administrative session' and 'session 0' without any further attempt at explaining the difference and when to expected one or the other.

Matt

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

CC Hameed — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:09:43 GMT

Matt -

There's a link in the first paragraph of this post to a previous post we published that discusses Session 0 Isolation. There is a link at the end of this post to a post on the Terminal Services Team blog (Product Group) that discusses Console v Administrative sessions.

- CC

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Kristal Lindstrom — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:27:55 GMT

Hey CC - It's Kristal. We are trying to find out if there is any way to use tsmmc.msc to connect remotely with consoles now with RDP 6.1 in place. There is no /admin capability that we know of using the mmc.

Any help?

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Bob B — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:00:49 GMT

Ditto the comments made by "Ben" on 5/13/08 and "Interested Bystander" on 01/15/09. My site also had production problems related to running two copies of an application because some of us (who had been upgraded to XP SP3) were still using the /console switch.

Changing the name of the switch would not be so bad if MicroSoft had not been so SLOPPY and just taken the time to properly QA their software. Since /console is not supported, that switch should generate an error message and not connect at all, instead of letting you proceed thinking things are working as expected.

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Brent_Morris_NC — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:30:24 GMT

I need access to Session 0 - how are you addressing to breaking the ADMIN requierment?

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

CC Hameed — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:05:31 GMT

Brent -

Beginning with Windows Vista, Session 0 is non-interactive. If you refer to the post that we wrote earlier on Session 0 Isolation, we cover that. The ability to log on to an administrative session via RDP still exists - you now use the /admin switch, and not the /console switch when making your RDP connection.

- CC

re: MSTSC.EXE - no more /console switch in RDC 6.1

Jonathan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:15:01 GMT

I had been completely lost as to the reason why I could no longer connect to session 0. Thanks for this, you have made my day.