Enable Remote Desktop Connections on Windows Vista Home

Remote Desktop Connections (RDC) are a tool provided in XP and later versions of Windows that allows a remote user to take control of another machine as if they were sat in front of it.

I have been using Remote Desktop Connections (RDC) for years between two XP computers (one Home and one Pro) they can connect to each other in either direction. Very useful because I have my main XP Pro machine in the home office, and an XP Home laptop connected through wireless. I can lie in bed with the laptop, sit in the garden, in the lounge or anywhere else, and access all my programs, documents and the internet through RDC.

That was until I got Vista Home Premium and I found out that Microsoft has intentionally disabled this feature! Citing some security issues that "anybody can connect and take over a PC" they disabled incoming connections. Instead, I have to setup a request, save it to a USB stick, go over to the other PC, load the invitation and connect. This must be done each time I want to connect. How annoying is that?

While I accept that it is a possible security risk (you do still have to know a username/password to connect) I would have preferred the option to allow incoming requests anyway. I am on a private network so why can't I allow incoming connections???

The solution to enable remote desktop Windows Vista

Browsing the net I found a great solution to this problem on fransblog, a simple patch which allows full connectivity. Just download the zip file below, extract and run a batch file as administrator. Job done, it now works perfectly first time.

Thank you, Frans!

Fransblog link no longer works, here is the Original Source.

I am now (a little) happier!