How to connect clients to Terminal Services in Windows Server 2003

This step-by-step article describes how to connect a Windows Server 2003-based terminal services client to a terminal server by using Remote Desktop Connection.

Applies to:   Windows Server 2003
Original KB number:   814585

More information

Open Remote Desktop Connection

To open Remote Desktop Connection, select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Communications, and then select Remote Desktop Connection.

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Create a Terminal Services connection

To create a Terminal Services connection, follow these steps:

  1. Open Remote Desktop Connection.

  2. In the Computer box, type the computer name or the IP address of a terminal server or a computer that has Remote Desktop enabled.

    Note

    To connect to the console session of the remote computer, type computername or IP address/console.

  3. Select Connect.

  4. In the logon dialog box, type your user name, password, and domain (if necessary), and then select OK.

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Save connection settings

You can save a connection as a Remote Desktop protocol (.rdp) file. An .rdp file contains all the information for a connection to a terminal server, including the Options settings that were configured when the file was saved. You can customize any number of .rdp files, including files for connecting to the same server with different settings. For example, you can save a file that connects to MyServer in full screen mode and another file that connects to the same computer in 800×600 screen size.

To save your connection settings, follow these steps:

  1. Open Remote Desktop Connection, and then select Options.
  2. Specify the connection settings that you want for this connection.
  3. On the General tab, select Save As.
  4. In the File name box, type a file name for the saved connection file, and then select Save.

Note

To edit an .rdp file to change the connections settings it contains, select Start > My Documents, right-click the file, and then select Edit.

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Open a saved connection

To open a saved connection, follow these steps:

  1. Open Remote Desktop Connection, and then select Open.

  2. Double-click the .rdp file for the connection that you want to open.

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Copy files between the local computer and the remote computer

  1. Open Remote Desktop Connection.

  2. Type the computer name or the IP address of a terminal server or a computer that has Remote Desktop enabled.

  3. Select the Local Resources tab, select the Disk Drives check box, and then select Connect.

  4. Select Start on the task bar of the remote computer, and then select My Computer. Or double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop of the remote computer.

    Note

    The drives on the remote server appear with the drives on your local computer. Your local drives appear as driveletter on tsclient, where tsclient is the name assigned to your (local) computer.

  5. Locate the file that you want to copy, right-click the file, and then select Copy.

  6. Locate the folder where you want to paste the file, and then select Paste.

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Log off and end the session

To log off and end a session, follow these steps:

  1. In the Remote Desktop Connection window, select Start, and then select Shut Down.

  2. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select log off <username>, and then select OK.

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