How to enable Remote Desktop through Registry or GPO

If you have ever been remote and cannot connect to a computer/server and need to have remote desktop enabled, you can enable it via remote registry or through a GPO.

http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/w2k3/services/terminal_services_remote_desktop.htm

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server
key to change is “fDenyTSConnections” change the value from 1 to 0.

Or you can create a custom adm file for gpo by using the following template.
Info on creating custom adm files can be found at the following link.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/816662/

CLASS MACHINE

CATEGORY RemoteDesktop
POLICY “Enable Remote Desktop”
KEYNAME “SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server”

EXPLAIN “Enabling this setting will allow Remote Desktop Connections to be made to the Server. Disabling this setting will prohibit Remote Desktop Connections from being made to the Server. Setting this to ‘Not Configured’ will keep the previous registry setting.”

VALUENAME “fDenyTSConnections”
VALUEON NUMERIC 0
VALUEOFF NUMERIC 1

END POLICY
END CATEGORY

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