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Article ID: 929274 - Last Review: October 11, 2007 - Revision: 1.3

Keystroke repetition and keyboard scrolling do not work smoothly when you use a Remote Desktop connection to connect to a Windows Server 2003-based terminal server

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Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure that you back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256986/ ) Description of the Microsoft Windows registry
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SYMPTOMS

When you use a Remote Desktop connection to connect to a Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based terminal server, you may experience the following symptoms:
  • When you press and hold a key, the keystroke repetition may not work as smoothly as expected.
  • When you move through a document by using the keyboard, the document may not scroll smoothly.
Note You may experience this issue more severely or less severely, depending on the network infrastructure over which you connect to the terminal server.
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CAUSE

This behavior occurs because of the design of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). RDP is optimized to help reduce the number of packets that are generated on a network. To do this, RDP packs repeated keystrokes together over the network connection.
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WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, use the FilterKeys option that is in the Accessibility Options item in Control Panel.

Note When you use FilterKeys option to work around this behavior, you experience slower keyboard repetition rates. However, the generation of repeated keystrokes in a Terminal Services session is more consistent.

To use the FilterKeys option, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, click Run, type access.cpl, and then click OK.
  2. In the Accessibility Options dialog box, click the Keyboard tab, and then click to select the Use FilterKeys check box.
  3. Under FilterKeys, click Settings.
  4. In the Settings for FilterKeys dialog box, click Ignore quick keystrokes and slow down the repeat rate, and then click Settings.
  5. In the Advanced Settings for FilterKeys dialog box, click Slow down keyboard repeat rates, and then click the repeat rate that you want to use in the Repeat rate list. For example, click 0.3 seconds in the Repeat rate list.

    Note For more information about how to set a repeat rate that is less than 0.3 seconds, see the "More Information" section.
  6. Click OK three times.
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MORE INFORMATION

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

The lowest value that you can set for the keyboard repeat rate in the Advanced Settings for FilterKeys dialog box is 0.3 seconds. However, you can use a registry entry to set the keyboard repeat rate to 0.1 seconds. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Start a text editor such as Notepad.
  2. Paste the following registry information into the text editor window, and then save the file together with a .reg file name extension:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\Keyboard Response]

"AutoRepeatRate"="100"

"Last Valid Repeat"=dword:00000064
  3. Double-click the .reg file that you created in step 2, and then click Yes when you are prompted to enter this information into the registry.
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (32-bit x86)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition (32-bit x86)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition (32-bit x86)
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition for Itanium-Based Systems
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition
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Keywords: 
kbenv kbtshoot kbprb KB929274
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