SOLVED Remote Desktop

[Tim H]

Remote Desktop

- using Micorsoft store app
- all computers running Win 10 - all up to date
- all on same home network, home group etc for what that's worth


OK - I have a couple newer desktops and a few laptops. I want to be able to connect to my home
desktops using my laptops when I am on the road.

I had this all set up long time ago - and all was working.

In preparation for a trip coming up - I thought I should verify everything

NOW, one of the desktops in not allowing RD connections

(I have actually 3 desktops and had all the settings correct for all 3 including changing the listenting ports for RD (1) 3389, (2) 13389, (3) 23389 (and port forwarding enabled to the correct ports, IP address for the external connections etc- which should mostly be irrelvant over the local home network, I dropped the third one for now trying to troubleshoot this)

All this worked in the past! And now one is not.

I verified all the 'allow remote desktop' settings and IP addresses etc.
I also tried running a microsoft app from the WEB to enable RD - needed to reset the listening port after

The computer IS ON
Team Viewer will connect to this computer with no issues
I can use the laptop I would be RDing from through Windows Explorer and navigatae and open files on the RD computer I want to connect to

BUT RD will not connect.

WHY?

 

[Ian]

How frustrating!

I've got a few questions to help diagnose this:

• Did you get an error, or just a connection timeout?
• Was this all tested using the local network and default port, or did you try to use the ports forwarded by your router?
• Can you temporarily disable the firewall and AV software to see if they're blocking it? I wonder if there's a conflicting FW rule preventing the connection from establishing. Just having TCP/UDP 3389 open may not be enough if something else is blocked, so worth testing.
• Are you logging on to the machines with the Administrator account? Perhaps not relevant if it's failing early on.

Does using "mstsc.exe" give any more info when trying to connect? I normally use this over the store app.

 

[Tim H]

The error is simply: 'Couldn't connect .. We couldn't connect to the remote PC. Make sure the remote PC is turned on and connected to the network and has enabled remote access.' (likely timing out I guess not that long maybe 10 or 15 seconds at most) .

ALL OF THIS IS TRUE (computers are on, connected to network and allowing remote connections) and I have no problem navigating to the computers using windows explorer or connecting to them using Team Viewer .

This is all being tested on the local home network at this point. As it turns out I tried adding the 3rd desktop and I can not connect to it either anymore.

Yes I am the administrator and only user of all these computers and logged on as such.

The only computer that I can access is the one using the default RD port of 3389. It almost seems like RD will no longer accept or recognize the Port Forwarding - I have static IPs assigned by the router for the computers and using the IP addresses (not computer name - though I tried using the name and that didn't work either)

I do not use any firewall or AV other than Windows Defender.

This app seems pretty much idiot proof - but it AINT working!.

(mstsc.exe - yields the same result with the same 3 points - all of which are true)

 

[Ian]

It sounds like you've done pretty exhaustive tests, so you could well be correct with the problem being the port number. Have you tried reverting to the default port temporarily to see if that works?

 

[Tim H]

FINALLY!

I was missing that I needed to create a new Inbound Rule through Windows firewall - I had changed the port assignments and not changed the firewall rule.

 

[Ian]

Good work - glad it's working now .