Msg.exe Tool Does Not Process Session ID 0 on Terminal Server

When you make a list file to list users and sessions you want to use with the Msg.exe command-line tool for sending messages to users, the message may not be sent to the console session, and you may receive a session ID zero (0). However, the message may arrive at the console if it is sent to the user that is logged on to the console.

This behavior can occur because the process requires administrator privileges to send a massage to the console.

This behavior is by design.

The list file that is described in the "Symptoms" section of this article can be a text file with a list of users and sessions (administrator, 0, user1, 2, user15, 4, and so on). The file is then called when you use the msg @file name command, where file name is the name of the text file you made. For more information about the Msg.exe tool, search for MSG in Windows XP Help.