Connect To a Console RDP / Terminal Server Session

1) Regardless of connection limits or licensing issues, you will always be able to connect to a server using a console session and an administrator account

2) The console session will often allow you to see errors and popups that won’t appear in other sessions

3) As documented in this MSKB article, you will also be able to have the local user see what you are doing in this session, and vice-versa. This is called a shadowed console session, and is very handy.

There are a few ways to get a console session in Windows 2000, XP, and Vista:

1. Open your default.rdp file (typically in My Documents) and add the following line to the bottom: connect to console:i:1
2. In the RDC window, after the address, use the switch /console
3. From start, run, type: mstsc /console
4. Make a shortcut to RDC, edit it, and add the /console switch to it
5. If you are using visionapp Remote Desktop, there is a console session checkbox that you can use per connection