Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

  • Thread starter Thread starter Morten Frederiksen
  • Start date Start date
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Morten Frederiksen

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Is it possible to limit the minimum color depth allowed for terminal
service sessions on a Windows 2003 server?

(An application running on the server will crash if users connect with
anything less than 24 bit color depth.)

I know that it is possible to limit the maximum color depth by using
group policies, but this is unfortunately the opposite of what is
required.

Regards,
Morten
 
RE: Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

Hi Morten,

On the TS go to: start - run
Type: TSCC.MSC
Go to: connections, double click DRP-TCP
Go to the: client settings tab
Here is your setting without the use of group policies.

(remember: group policies can override this local setting)

Best regards,
Yuri
 
Re: Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

On 3 Jan., 16:38, Yuri GMT+1 <YuriG...@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote:

> On the TS go to: start - run
> Type: TSCC.MSC
> Go to: connections, double click DRP-TCP
> Go to the: client settings tab
> Here is your setting without the use of group policies.

I need to set the *minimum*, not the *maximum*, allowed color depth,
so obviosly that won't do.
 
RE: Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

But as Morten already wrote, this setting limits the *maximum*
color depth, not the minimum color depth!

Morten, you can't enforce a minimum color depth on the server. The
only thing that you can do, as far as I know, is to create an rdp
file with all the correct connection settings, including the color
depth, give it to your users, and encourage them to start the
connection by double-clicking your rdp file.

_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?WXVyaSBHTVQrMQ==?= <YuriGMT1@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote on 03 jan 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Hi Morten,
>
> On the TS go to: start - run
> Type: TSCC.MSC
> Go to: connections, double click DRP-TCP
> Go to the: client settings tab
> Here is your setting without the use of group policies.
>
> (remember: group policies can override this local setting)
>
> Best regards,
> Yuri
 
RE: Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

Hi Vera and Morten,

Sorry Morten, I wrote your question to fast. Probably too exited that I knew
the answer to your question.. at the end it turns out I was wrong.. ;-)
Well I make it up to you.

As an addition to Vera’s excellent solution:
You can use bat2exe to create a COM file. To prevent users changing the rdp
file you created. Normally users are not wiz kids and you will have less
support calls.

I use this method myself:
1. save your default settings in the Remote Desktop Client with the save as
option. It create an RDP file.
2. create a batch file like this:
@Echo off
mstsc.exe your_saved_file.rdp /v:<server_name or ip> /f
3. Use bat3exe to ‘scramble’ the bat file. Command line:
bat2exe test.bat
and the test.com will be created.
4. To connect to the server, the user double click the test.com
(must be in the same directory as the rdp file – in this example)

The wiz kids locate the folder where you store these settings and replace
the rdp file by a new one. To prevent this one you can use ntfs security.

Hopefully I receive some credit back with this post. ;-)

All the best,
Yuri
 
Re: Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

Thanks for your input and suggestions.

Unfortunately, the solution does not prevent users from crashing the
application by inadvertently logging on with less that 24 bit color
depth. (By the way, it happens only when logging on to the console).

The users are developers and system administrators, but since they are
(arguably) also humans they will at some point make the mistake.

Best regards,
Morten
 
Re: Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

You are right, you can not prevent users to logon with a lower color depth.

But asking the administrators and developers to use a different icon to
connect to that specific server will lower the chance for an application
crash…

It’s all about minimize the risk, since there is no solution.
(or not yet…, maybe somebody else steps up)

Best regards and good luck,
Yuri
 
Re: Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

As you mentioned the users are also developers. Is it possible for them
update the application or create a wrapper for it, to check for colordepth?
Your app can simply exits if the colordepth check returns false. At least
this way your app will not crash, and also you can provide additional
information (i.e. pops up dialog before app exits) what colordepth needs to
be for the app to run successfully.

Thanks
Soo Kuan


--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"Yuri GMT+1" <YuriGMT1@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:9B533DF7-44CB-45C3-9900-FCA6E4BF8090@microsoft.com...
> You are right, you can not prevent users to logon with a lower color
> depth.
>
> But asking the administrators and developers to use a different icon to
> connect to that specific server will lower the chance for an application
> crash…
>
> It’s all about minimize the risk, since there is no solution.
> (or not yet…, maybe somebody else steps up)
>
> Best regards and good luck,
> Yuri
 
Re: Limit _Minimum_ Color Depth

This may be way out in left field, but I once had a local app that would
crash with errors relating to a math function. Too long ago to remember
either the app or the exact error, but the fix was to turn off hardware
acceleration on the video settings.

Right-click the desktop, click Properties > Settings > Advanced >
Troubleshoot > Hardware acceleration to None.

Might be worth a try! (Then again, it might not!).

Gregg Hill





"Morten Frederiksen" <mortenf@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:26a454d5-bcc0-476b-933c-b776a8322e9e@s8g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
> Is it possible to limit the minimum color depth allowed for terminal
> service sessions on a Windows 2003 server?
>
> (An application running on the server will crash if users connect with
> anything less than 24 bit color depth.)
>
> I know that it is possible to limit the maximum color depth by using
> group policies, but this is unfortunately the opposite of what is
> required.
>
> Regards,
> Morten
 
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