Remote Desktop Connection - Someone Please Help?

Elle7

I need to be able to VPN in to work. Ideally, starting ASAP.

Tech gave me the server IP address on Thursday, and set up my computer to allow incoming Remote Desktop Connection requests on Friday morning. My username has been specified to be allowed to connect.

I can connect fine to the server. I run into a series of errors trying to get the Remote Desktop Connection to work, though. It won't connect at all the first few times, then it says my log in credentials are incorrect. They are not. My computer at work is switched on. I can ping the IP address fine.

I'm really ill, and could do with VPNing in tomorrow. If I can't VPN in, I'll have to go in. Tech are at a loss, and don't know what to do.

Any ideas?

wonka

There are a few possible causes of this. My first guess is that your Office PC has a firewall on it. That would explain you being able to ping the PC, but being blocked from connecting with RDC. Or it could even be a firewall on your home PC. Or both.

Or it's possible your techie people didn't set it up properly. Are you sure they tested it? Did they manage to connect to your office PC fine?

John_Gray

Are you connecting to your PC by PCname or by IP address? (a further option is pcname.domainname.local)

Are you using loginname or domainname\loginname in the login box?

tronator

...or your administrator forgot to give your user the credentials to connect through RDP. But then the error message should say so. What is the exact wording of the error message?

And as John already pointed out, did you use the domain account when logging in?

Elle7

Thanks for the replies

I'm using the IP address of the computer to log in.

The computers use windows firewall, and tech can remote access it fine. He says he can also see that my computer is connected, although I'm not entirely sure how.

I'm just using my username to log in. What would the domain be? The end of our email addresses? I also know the server name...I don't know my computer name, though.

The first error message is the standard; "Remote Desktop can't connect to the remote computer for one of these reasons:
1) Remote access to the server is not enabled
2) The remote computer is turned off
3) The remote computer is not available on the network

Make sure the remote computer is turned on and connected to the network, and that remote access is enabled."

The second error message is just "invalid login credentials", but the log in credentials are 100% correct.

I'm using Windows 7 this end, if that's of any relevance. I think it's XP at work, although I'm not sure. It's a business version of whatever it is, and it works fine for the other remote users.

Marty999

When I use a VPN to access my PC at work, I have to RDP to my PC and enter my user name with my domain name and a backslash in front of it. For example: domain\firstname.initial and then enter my network password too. See JohnGray's post #3. I think you need to check with your tech department to find out your domain name.

scheming_gypsy

If you're logging on to your work PC then it'll have the domain in the bottom box anyway. So you shouldn't need to prefix your username, unless the bottom box is computername(This computer) and then you'd need to prefix it.

Your IT guys can remote on because they'll be members of Domain Admins, which will have remote access enabled.
They'll need to double check that your account is enabled to remote on to it and that there's no deny access for any users. Would also be more useful if they create a test (standard user) account and give that the same access rights that you have... and try that from the same server that you're remoting in on to. There's no point them using their own admin accounts.
Could also be DNS issues. Try clicking start and in the 'search' box type in \\yourmachinename\c$\users or \\ip address\c$\users and make sure your username is there. If it's not then DNS is resolving to a different IP address and you're trying to log on to a completely different computer

tronator

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

If you're logging on to your work PC then it'll have the domain in the bottom box anyway. So you shouldn't need to prefix your username, unless the bottom box is computername(This computer) and then you'd need to prefix it.

The last time I've seen that box was with Windows XP.

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

Could also be DNS issues. Try clicking start and in the 'search' box type in \\yourmachinename\c$\users or \\ip address\c$\users and make sure your username is there. If it's not then DNS is resolving to a different IP address and you're trying to log on to a completely different computer

She uses the IP to connect.

scheming_gypsy

She said she thinks her work PC is XP.
But if it's Windows 7 it'll say what she's logging on to under the password box.


she might be using the IP address to connect but where's she getting it from? She said she can ping it but if the DHCP servers have given her machine another address since......

I_have_spoken

Seems a clunky way of going about providing working from home. Why not get your Tech peeps to use something like Logmein- https://secure.logmein.com/UK/products/pro/

wonka

I also use Logmein (and join.me) as a last resort in these sort of situations, it's saved me quite a few times.

However, these products install ActiveX controls, and a lot of organisations lock down their desktop PCs to prevent this happening.

I strongly suspect in this case that the techy guys will refuse to sanction logmein. Elle7 may well get away with installing it herself, but from what she says, she's ill and is avoiding going into the office.