Edit:

Thanks to the persistence and hard work of several people in this forum, multiple sessions are now possible via remote desktop (for Vista Home Premium and Ultimate editions).  The entire process and the required files are documented at:

http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1220&Itemid=224

The feature that you are referring to would only be available on the server
versions of Windows (i.e. 2003 or the future Longhorn server).

That feature is not available in Vista, unless one were to resort to
'hacking' it in.

--
Jason Tsang - Microsoft MVP

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(and other topics that interest me)
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wrote in message news:156341@10.242.7.132...
>I know there was a 'hack' released to enable more than one simultaneous
>connection in MCE2005, and assumed (wrongly) that this functionality might
>be possible in Vista. Unless I'm missing something it doesn't seem to be
>possible. Does anyone know otherwise?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom
>

 

I have tried swapping in the beta longhorn terminal server dll in to a Vista install and then adjusting the various registry settings - No good, the dll's all semm generic with features be enabled/allowed depending on the O/S being used.

Looks like someone really needs to do some hex modding the dll's.

regards, Tarkan

mikinho:

In XP multiple sessions was possible because a beta version of XP supported it and you could replace your current version of the terminal services dll with that version.  I believe you can programatically create additional sessions but so far I've only had mild success with doing so.  I'm basically using the same methods that Media Center uses to allow Media Center Extenders to create rdp sessions.  It is a lot of trial and error so far as the method it uses is undocumented and unsupported.

Mikinho, can you elaborate??? It sounds like even your mild success is more than any of us have even had a glimmer of.

 

that's at least more optimistic news than i've heard from anyone at MS, and this is the *only* thing keeping me from being able to use Vista full-time.

That's the frustrating part, is that the capability is obviously there, but they've for some reason decided not to make it easy to use. :-/

Please keep us posted on your progress on it, I'd love to be able to use Vista more, but without concurrent sessions, it's just not an option

Yeah, not having concurrent sessions is a showstopper for me to.

C'mon Microsoft deliver on the A in WGA!

Why can't I have 2 sessions on 1 machine when you have checked that I payed for both the host and the client! All it takes is a Terminal Service Client that runs on validated machines only.

Cheers,

Danee

 

mikinho:

Well I found that rdp sessions created via the MCE APIs disconnects when an application creates a window (hidden ones are fine) so there goes my idea.  So now I'm using my code to create a software based Media Center Extender instead.  I have a couple spare laptops sitting around that I'd like to stream media to from my HTPC.  Or is there already software doing this that I shouldn't waste my time?

btw, Glad to see TGB back up.

If you can manage that (fully extend media center to another pc) I think you'll be a lot of peoples hero.

You could try hacking in the Longhorn DLL's, however I think that may not work either, plus you run the risk of breaking your extender support.

The extenders do use RDP technology for there drawing etc, but it is slightly different from standard RDP. The extender needs to have the abilities to render all of the functions the MCE PC sends to it (basically they borrowed the extended RDP stuff from MCE for Vista so Glass etc could be used over TS, and in theory DX10 apps as well) as there is not screen scraping involved at all

It would be ace to have a sw extender, I know MS use them internaly (so it is possible) for testing, they however never released it because of agreements with Linksys etc as it would devalue the extenders they sold. I'm not sure why they will not release it now however, because after all, how many people who want an extender will not just buy a 360? they are cheaper than Linksys's offering anyhow.

It's a pitty that the extender technology never made it into Vista, however if your good at decoding stuff the software that the 360 runs is on all MCE enabled versions of Vista it's located in C:\windows\eHome\MCX\X02

 

Great! If you get the video streaming working you've struck gold!

Cheers,

Danee

If you can get this to work I would gladly donate to the cause. Software Sled was 'THEE' feature almost all of us with multiple media centers ask for... that and Concurrent RDP Sessions. Does Microsoft really expect this to be a turn key system? I refuse to believe that you have to close media center.. pull out a keyboard and mouse... and sit in front of your big screen everytime you want to run maintenance or reconfigure something. 400 for vista ultimate and... what are the benefits? Bit locker? wow... a security system (with known NSA backdoors), a free poker game, and dream scene? seriously, give us features we'll actually find usefull.

Microsoft... are you listening?

 

 

I wasn't able to get any farther on enabling additional remote desktops, my thought was to use MCE sessions but that was before I found that the session disconnects when non hidden windows are created.

So far I've been able to create a software media center extender that will stream the UI and music or the video but not at the same time.  They use different streams but when I try to use both at the same time my session disconnects.  I haven't had much time to debug.  When I get something working I'll post here to see if anyone wants to beta test.