What are the benefits of using UDP in RDP sessions and what you need to know.

TCP: guarantees delivery of all RDP packages - for less-reliable networks with high latency and/or higher packet loss rates.
UDP: overcomes this issues, reliable delivery of UDP packets are not guaranteed, so only recommended if the connection excellent.
So it is up to the application to handle missing packages (re-transmission, error correction, etc.)

You can configure the used protocol in the Group Policies: 
Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates/ Windows Components/ Remote Desktop Services/ Remote Desktop Session Host/ Connections/ "Select RDP transport protocols"

Some hints:

Verify that your RD clients support RDP 8 or later. For the Windows RDP Client -->  the client operating system should be at least Windows 8.
For Windows 7 clients you have to apply the RDP 8 update accordingly.
Same with client running  Android, iOSx  - ensure that at least RDP 8 is supported.

If you use UDP for remote connections you have to know that this is not supported by default when you use RD Gateway
--> need to be enabled in RS Gateway Properties (check "Enable UDP transport")

If you DO NOT use the RD Gateway, you will need to configure the corporate firewall to pass through UDP traffic alongside TCP traffic over port 3389 (per default - of course this port can be changed - See FAQ: Change RDP Listen Port )

UDP may boost effective throughput, but will also increase the amount of bandwidth for RDP traffic (so not recommend over low-bandwidth or saturated networks)

Running a server operating system only Administrator is allowed for remote access.
You have to give this permission to Remote Desktop User Group as well - in according GPO setting.

Open Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) and move to:
Computer Configuration/ Windows Settings/ Security Settings/ Local Policies/ User Rights Assignment/

In the right pane you will find setting: "
"Allow log on through Remote Desktop Services"
-> Add "Remote Desktop Users"

Thinstuff XP/VS Terminal Server will allow users to access their local printers within the RDP session. This feature is called auto printer creation. If users log on via RDP their local printers will automatically be created inside the RDP session and deleted again on logoff. The redirected client printers are private to each session. With all printer models which are part of the standard windows printer driver database this will work out of the box.

IMPORTANT :

a) For printer drivers which are not part of the standard windows printer driver database you will have to add the specific printer driver once on the server to make auto printer creation work for this specific printer too.

b) With the exception of Vista Home Basic and Home Premium Auto printer creation should work on all MS operating systems which are supported by XP/VS Terminal Server if you enable this feature on the RDP client side before connecting.

c) If a user connects using (at least) the Microsoft RDP 5 client all printers which have a port type other then COM, LPT or USB will by default not be redirected!

To enable redirection of those port types please follow this MS knowlegdebase article:

This fix is not needed if (at least) the Microsoft RDP 6 client is used

To resolve this problem on a computer that is not running Windows Server 2003, force all ports (including DOT4) on the client computer to be ltered for redirection. To do this, add a DWORD value named FilterQueueType
to 

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIn\RDPDR

and set its value data to FFFFFFFF.

Follow these steps, and then quit Registry Editor:
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIn\RDPDR

3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4. Type FilterQueueType, and then press ENTER.
5. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6. Type FFFFFFFF, and then click OK.

d) We have also heard from many customers that Auto Printer creation may fail if the printer drivers on the XP/VS Server system are not installed directly through the inf les which are provided by the printer manufacturer. Some customers have reported that if the printer drivers are installed through the vendors setup program (exe or msi file) Auto Printer Creation will fail with Windows event log entries stating that Auto Printer creation has failed because the right printer driver could not be found.

A very interesting article about auto printer creation can be read here.

NOTE! This applies only for "old" Windows operating systems !
 For newer onces - up from Windows 7/ Windows Server 2008 - Microsoft introduced the feature "TS Easy Print".
Here a general printer driver will be used for supported devices - called "Remote Desktop Easy Print printer driver"
Futher Information you will find here: FAQ: TS Easy Print

Automatic reconnection allows an RDP client to automatically reconnect to the server without the need to re-authenticate. To enable the automatic reconnection if the RDP connection is dropped, please enable the checkbox in the RDP Client  as you see on the screenshot below

 Additonally you can enforce the reconnection as well on server-side:

1. Open the Group Policy Management Console,

2. In the console tree, select Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Service > Remote Desktop Session Host > Connections.

3.  Enable "Automatic reconnection"
   If the status is set to "Enabled", automatic reconnection is attempted for all clients running Remote Desktop Connection whenever their network connection is lost.
   
   
4. If you connection is unstable you can also test enabling "Configure keep-alive connection interval"
   specify the time interval (in seconds) at which the keep-alive packets should be sent to maintain the connection

For the base system for 100 RDP sessions with SAP and MS-Office you should calculate with:

- 2 quad core Xeon CPUs (a total of 8 physical CPU cores) with 3GHz or better (e.g. Intel Xeon DP E5450)

- 1GB RAM For each additional user you should add min. 128MB RAM. So 1GB + (100 x 128MB) = 13,8 GB RAM To be on the safe side you should install 16GB RAM

You can also find the RAM usage with a practical test:

a) Add the "virtual memory size" column to your Windows Task manager to see the complete memory consumption of your applications and not just the part of it which currently resides in physical RAM.

b) Connect 10 RDP sessions to your x64 system and start your favourite remote program  as your users would do in practice. Then sort the process view of Windows Task manager by session id and summarise the virtual memory usage of each RDP session. Then make a sum total of the virtual memory usage of all 10 RDP sessions. If you multiply this value by 10 you should have a theoretical RAM usage for 100 RDP sessions.

The default TCP port number for RDP is 3389.

This port can be changed using the registry editor:

1. Start the Registry Editor.
2. On the left side navigate to the following registry subkey:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TerminalServer\WinStations\RDP-Tcp
3. On the right side locate and double-click the value "PortNumber" in order to open the edit window
4. Select the "Decimal" option, type the new port number and click OK.
5. Quit Registry Editor and reboot your computer

Now you have to add this port in the RDP client - otherwise RDP will use default port 3389.

For example - syntax: [ip-address:port-number]

Note ! Adding the port number is supported up from RDP version 8.0

Starting with RDP6 Client up to all newer version (XP SP3 --> Windows 11) you can select which client drive you want to make available in your remote session (Keyword: Drive Redirection)

We recommend the Thincast RDP Client "TC Client" available for Windows, Linux and MacOS
More information and download here: https://www.thincast.com/en/products/client

To map the redirected client drive to specific drive letter you have to use the command "net use" (within the RDP session)

To connect to your XPVS Terminal Server you  have to use an RDP client which is available per default on all Windows operating systems.
If this RDP client is not available on your system (Windows 10/11)  you can download for free from the Microsoft Store

Already installed ? --> click Windows Icon bottom right and enter "Remote Desktop Connection" (mstsc.exe)

As alternative we recommend to reliable and well maintained RDP Client from Thincast Technologies TC Client
More information and download here: https://www.thincast.com/en/products/client
This RDP client is for free and available for Windows, Linux and MacOSx

To connect to the Terminal Server you will need its IP-address.
If you connect within the LAN/ WLAN you will need the "internal IP-address"

Click "Start - Run - Enter: cmd.exe to enter the Command Prompt.
Enter command: ipconfig --> the IP-address will be shown.

If you connect form outside you will need the "external IP-address"

Open your favourite web browser in the server running XPVS Terminal server
and enter  https://www.myipaddress.com 

As default the Windows RDP Client is set to 32 bit colour depth (highest quality) for RDP connections.

To change this (due to available network bandwidth) to 24 bit RDP resp 16 bit:
On server side (running XPVS Terminal Server):
Open Group Policy (gpedit.msc) and navigate to:

and change the setting here:

The XP/VS Terminal Server feature "Enable Application Compatibility mode" is the same feature as the Microsoft Terminal Server feature "Application compatibility mode".

It can be enabled in XP/VS Administrator under the Options menu -> "Enable Application Compatibility
mode".

If this feature is enabled XP/VS Terminal Server behaves exactly like a Microsoft Terminal Server in "Application Compatibility Mode".

Further Details about this feature are available here.

If you want to enable keep-alive connections, enable it as you can see at following screenshot.

By default, keep-alive connections are disabled.

You can allow logins with blank passwords by enabling the "Allow login with blank password" field in the XP/VS Server.

Note! For security reasons, we do not recommend remote access without a password. 

Compatible Remote Desktop clients for XP/VS Server

Here's a list of supported Remote Desktop client apps  for connecting to XP/VS Server. 

There are many features you can use to enhance your remote experience, such as:

• Access files and resources on XP/VS Server
• Device redirection, such as webcams and printers or scanners.
• Dynamic display resolutions
• Hardware acceleration 
• Leave the apps open when you turn off the client PC
• Multiple monitor support
• Use apps installed on XP/VS Server
• etc...

Android

Download the Remote Desktop client from Google Play.

iOS/iPadOS

Download the Remote Desktop client from the iOS App Store or iTunes.

Linux (Commandline)

FreeRDP (OpenSource)

Linux (GUI)

Get Thincast Remote Desktop Client  from Flathub Store or Snap Store.

 Remmina

macOS

Get Thincast Remote Desktop Client for macOS here.

Download the Microsoft Remote Desktop client from the Mac App Store.

Windows

Get Thincast Remote Desktop Client for Windows here.

Download the Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store.

Connecting to XP/VS Server

Before you can connect to your XP/VS Server, you'll need to enable Remote Desktop on it. For more information, see Enable Remote Desktop on Windows 11.

In case you are connecting from outside your network you will need the "external IP address" and might setup port-forwarding on your router.

What is my IP Address?

Once you have completed the previous steps, you can connect to your computer using any modern Remote Desktop app (recommended). 

Just type in your IP address or hostname of XP/VS Server, your username and click "Connect".

 Additional information can be found in our Quick-Start guide.

Sometimes you might want to set specific time limits or change the default behaviour for disconnected remote desktop users.

A detailed control over the session handling, can be achieved by activating several group policies:

1. Open your group policy editor (Start -> Run -> gpedit.msc)

2. Navigate to Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Remote Desktop Services -> Remote Desktop Session Host -> Session Time Limit

3. Please reboot your machine, after you have changed a group policy or run command "gpupdate /force" in your command prompt (with Administrators's rights)

Note: In case your machine is joined to a domain, local computer group policies may be overwritten by domain policies.

Following policies are available:

• Set time limit for disconnected sessions

  Specify the maximum amount of time that a disconnected session remains active on the server.

• Set time limit for active but idle sessions

  Enable this policy to set to disconnect active but idle remote desktop sessions after a specified amount of time.

• Set time limit for active sessions

  Set a time limit to automatically disconnect active sessions after the specified amount of time.

• End sessions when time limits are reached

  Specify a time limit for active or idle remote desktop sessions. The user will get logged out instead of disconnected.

You can reduce RDP bandwidth usage with following possibility :

Turn off desktop background and animations etc. on the RDP clients tab "Experience" before connecting.
And turn off desktop wallpaper etc. in the users session. (plain blue or black is best as desktop background)

This can also be done on server-side -> open Group Policy Editor

Navigate to Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates/ Windows Components/ Remote Desktop Services/ Remote Desktop Session Host/Remote Session Environment
Here you can enable "Enforce Removal of Remote Desktop Wallpaper", etc.

With the Remote Control feature both users can see the same screen, keyboard and mouse input.

Please follow the steps below to establish a Remote Control session:

1) To initiate a Remote Control Session please start an RDP session with administrative rights and start the XP/VS admin tool.

Then right click on the session you want to shadow and choose "Remote Control" from the local menu.

2) After you have started the Remote Control session request the target user will see a confirmation dialogue in his RDP session to accept your Remote control request.

3)in following screenshot you can see the Remote Control session in action

4) To end the Remote Control session close the windows with "x"

IMPORTANT!

A) Windows XP/Vista/7 / 2003/ 2008 (R2)
Remote Control can only be done from one RDP session to another RDP session or from one RDP session to the system console, but not from the system console to an RDP session.

B) Only a user with administrative rights can initiate a Remote Control session.

C) Remote Control is not supported with Windows 8 (all versions) nor Windows 2012
To answer the question as to "Why" and official response can be found here: 

"[...] The deprecation of shadowing in Windows Server 2012 RDSH was not a decision we easily made. Based on the overall improvements moving to a new graphics pipeline architecture the current shadowing architecture no longer works.[...]!"

Consequently Remote Control will also NOT work if you have installed Update(KB2592687)  

Description of the Remote Desktop Protocol 8.0 Update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP"

D) Remote Control is back with Windows 8.1/10/11 Server 2012 (R2)/2016  in XPVS Terminal Server Verson 1.0.822

Changelog

Version 1.0.822 - 2017, March 20:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- FIX: Remote Control (Shadowing) is working again on all Windows Editions
       (except Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012)
- NEW: Support for latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 15061

And of course supported in Windows 11 / Windows Server 2022/2025 with latest XPVS Server version installed.

E) If you are logged in locally on the server running XPVS you can also start remote control in Command Prompt - run:
mstsc  /shadow:<session id>
The session ID specifies the ID of the session you want to shadow, this can be found in XPVS Server Adminsitrator (see picture above)

On Windows Server 2008 R2 the shutdown menu is active in startmenu for Administartors, also if you log in via RDP.

On Windows 7 it is not shown if you log in via RDP, no matter if you have administrative rights or not.

If "NoClose" is set to 1 the shutdown menu is also not shown on Server 2008 R2.

But under Windows 7 this reg setting has no effect.

The shutdown menu is still hidden.

In the default settings users are limited to only one parallel Remote Desktop Session. You can allow multiple parallel Remote Desktop Sessions per user by disabling the "Restrict Terminal Services users to a single remote session" field in the XP/VS Server.

You can enable this option, by doing the following steps :

1. Run Remote Desktop Connection (mstsc.exe)
2. Go to the "Local Resources" Tab
3. Click on the More.. button in the "Local Devices and resources" subfield.
4. Enable the checkbox "Smart cards"

Signature Token  are essentially a Smart Cards as well.
If you have an issue here, please contact our support (support@thinstuff.com)

In older RDP Client version (mstsc.exe) you were able to limit a remote session to a "single application"
Unfortunately this option was removed by Microsoft in newer versions.
Therefore we recommend the Thincast Technoliogies' RDP Client "TC Client" (available for Windows 64-bit, Linux and MacOS)

If you want run a single program in the remote session please do the following:

1. In this TC Client select tab "Program"
2. Type in the path (installed on the server locally, do not use a network drive)  and the file name of the program you want to start

Instead of a remote desktop session only this configured program will be started (with RDP frame).
If you want to start the same application as remoteapp connection please have a look at the 
FAQ: TS RemoteApp

On Windows XP, Vista and Server 2003 you can only use XP/VS Auto Printer creation for which you will have to install a printer driver on the XP/VS Server once for each client attached printer model.
For more details : FAQ: Auto Printer Creation

Starting with Windows 7, Server 2008/2008 R2  (Standard, Foundation, Essential) Microsoft introduced  this new feature TS Easy Print.
No printer driver installlation required (well a lot f printer devices are supported by Microsoft per default)

With TS Easy print this new general printer driver is used for all redirected printers - called "Remote Desktop Easy Print printer driver"

The main feature of TS Easy Print is that the client's printer driver does not have to be installed on the Terminal Server - a "driver-less" solution for printer redirection over a remote desktop session.

TS Easy Print is basically a printer proxy that redirects printing-related jobs to the user's local machine using the printer drivers installed on the client computer.

SERVER REQUIREMENTS:

Microsoft offers this feature on the following server side operating systems 

Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise and subsequent desktop operating systems
Windows Server 2008 (only with Terminal Services role)
Windows Server 2008 R2 (only with Remote Desktop Session Host) 
and following operating systems (2012,2016,2019,2022,2025)

With Thinstuff XP/VS Server installed TS Easy Print is supported on the following additional server side operating systems:

Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, 11 Starter, Home, Home Premium, Professional (and of course Ultimate and Enterprise) editons
Windows Server 2008 (also without Terminal Services role) - Service Pack 2, repectively  
Windows Server 2008 R2 (also without Remote Desktop Session Host role)
and following edtions - Windows server 2012, 2016, 2019,2022 ,2025  Standard, Foundation and Essential 

CLIENT REQUIREMENTS:

The client computer has to run Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 8.x or newer
This feature is supported by default on modern operating systems.

Note if you run older, expired operatings systems:
On Windows XP and Vista clients you must have installed at least Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Windows Vista with SP1 already includes both of the required components.

Windows XP with Service Pack 3 already includes RDC 6.1 but you must install the .NET Framework separately.
On client computers running Windows XP it is highly recommended to install Microsoft Hotfix KB-954744 which fixes potential TS Easy Print issues regarding garbled characters and incorrect orientations.

Additonal Information

If the printer is not supported by Microsoft's TS Easy Print you have to add the native printer driver on server side.
Contact our support for further information: support@thinstuff.com

TSX USB is a legacy feature in XP/VS Terminal Server Professional that allows you to forward client attached USB 2.0 devices over RDP to your XP/VS Server as if they were attached locally to the USB port of the server. Unfortunately USB 3.0 devices are not supported.

To redirect drives, headsets, printers or webcams you may not need TSX USB explicitly as modern RDP clients support these devices out of the box. Especially for scanning hardware we have developed TSX Scan, which allows you to redirect your scanner without the need to install a driver on your server.

 FAQ: How do I use TSX USB?

To check if your computer uses USB 2.0 simply run command "msinfo32" :

It is important which hardware is built in --- not the (by  software) downgraded USB interface !

NOTE! If you forward 10 identical USB Devices from 10 different remote clients your server application will list all these ten, redirected USB  devices in the Device Manager (as they have an identical vendor ID the listed names will be the same as well),  just as if they where physically plugged into the usb ports of your server.

It now depends on your application (which is running on the server) if it can "differentiate" which of the 10 available USB devices to use for a specific user.  If this is not possible to specify this assignment (individual USB Device to related RDP user) it will be difficult to find out the "correct" device.

In TSX USB admin utility on the client PC you decide which USB devices of the client you want to forward to the server and when you establish an RDP connection to your XP/VS Server this USB device will be forwarded resp. redirected.

In TSX USB admin utility select:

- "Connect to any devices ..." every USB device will be redirected from your client to your server"

- or "Only connect to the following USB devices ..."only devices with specific vendor and device IDs will be redirected to your server machine"

Further links:

Webcam over RDP
Silent installation
Printing over Remote Desktop

For a 32 bit OS the base requirements are min 1GHz Pentium 4 CPU and 512MB RAM + additional 64-96 MB RAM and 100 MHz CPU speed per user.

So as a 32 bit OS is limited to max 4GB RAM it could do approx 30-40 users with a Core 2 quad and 4GB RAM for average office applications.

With a 64 bit OS you could use as much RAM and number of CPUs as the Windows OS version supports.

e.g. XP x 64 supports max 128GB RAM and 2 physical CPU sockets (e.g. 2 core 2 quad or 2 quad xeon CPUs which gives you a total of 8 CPU cores to use)

So for 150 RDP users we would recommend XP x 64 with dual quad core Xeon CPUs and min 16GB RAM (better would be 32GB RAM)

FAQ: Calculate RAM Usage

To help us analyse your problem here please do the following:

First please check if you have installed XP/VS Server the latest version of XP/VS Server

You can download the latest version directly from our website

If the problem still persists, upload a TSRP (Thinstuff Support Request Package) .

Most of the time this is the fastest and most simple way to analyze 90% of possible server-side configuration problems and errors.

Please run :

C:\Program Files\Thinstuff\XPVS Server\TSSupportPackage.exe 

on that computer where XP/VS Termial Server is installed and follow the instructions to upload the package to our webserver(do not send as attachment).

We will then analyse it to find the problem.

You can download the new version here : latest Release from XP/VS Server

To update just uninstall the old version ( FAQ:Uninstall XPVS Server) , then install the new version and reboot.

Starting with XPVS Server version 1.0.424 you don't need to uninstall previous version when upgrading XPVS.

Run the installation package - the old version will be uninstalled, new one installed and the license imported automatically.

To finish the update process it mandatory to restart the server.

As XP/VS Server is fully compatible with Microsoft Terminal Server resp. Windows Remote Session Host all applications which are Terminal Server compatible should also work with XP/VS Server.

So please ask the manufacturer of your application if it is compatible with Terminal Services/Remote Services.

If you face any issue please contact our support team (support@thinstuff.com)

TSX Session Broker is a feature integrated into XP/VS Server (Standard and Professional) that allows the system to take part in a load balanced Terminal Server farm based on Microsoft Session Directory (Windows Server 2003) or Session Broker (Windows Server 2008).

Usually only Windows Server 2003 Enterprise and Datacenter Editions can take part as a member in Session Directory / Session Broker!

With a TSX Session Broker enabled XP/VS Server also Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Small Business Server 2003 and Server 2003 Standard systems will be able to join a Microsoft Session Directory / Session Broker farm.

FEATURES:

- Fully compatible with the standard Microsoft RDP client. No additional / proprietary software needed on the client to make use of the load balancing functionality

- Multiple Terminal Server farms in the same local network

- Session reconnect of previously disconnected sessions

- Load balancing based on DNS round robin

REQUIREMENTS:

- The TSX Session Broker feature requires a XP/VS Standard or Professional license ( 51. XP/VS Server versions )

- XP/VS must be installed on any of the following operating systems:

  . Windows XP x86 Professional (SP3)
  . Windows XP x64 (SP1/SP2)
  . Windows Vista Business/Ultimate/Enterprise (SP1/SP2)
  . Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate/Enterprise
  . Windows Server 2003 R2 SBS/Standard/Enterprise (SP1/SP2)
  . Windows Server 2008
  . Windows Server 2008 R2

- Note ! Not supported in Windows 8/8.1/10/11  nor Windows Server 2012 (R2)/2016/2019/2022/2025

- The computer where XP/VS is installed must be joined to a Windows Server Domain !

Please note that you do also need a Windows 2003/2008/2008-R2 Server with the session directory/broker service enabled and running.
The session directory/broker services are included in all Windows Server 2003/2008/2008-R2 Editions (even Small Business Editions).

SETUP

1a) If you are using a Windows 2003 Server with Session Directory:

- Open "Services" from "Administrative Tools" and locate the service called "Terminal Services Session Directory"
- Set the "Startup type" of this service to "Automatic" and start it.

1b) If you are using a Windows 2008/2008-R2 Server with Session Broker:

- Open the Server Manager and install the TS Session Broker Role Service from the Terminal Services Roles

2) Define which member servers are allowed to join your Session Directory/Broker

In order to allow a Terminal Server to join a Session Directory or Session Broker you have to add the computer to a local group called "Session Directory Computers". This local user group is basically used to define a list of Terminal Server computers that can join Session Broker/Directory.

On the Windows Server computer running the Session Directory or Session Broker service:

- Open "Local Users and Groups"
- Locate the group called "Session Directory Computers"
- Add all participating XP/VS Terminal Server Computers to this group

3) Join all required XP/VS Terminal Servers

On each single XP/VS Terminal Server that will participate in the Session Directory / Session Broker:

- Open Thinstuff XP/VS Terminal Server Administrator
- Select "Session Directory Configuration ..." from the Options menu
- Activate the checkbox "Join a TS Session Directory or TS Session Broker"
- Enter the name of the Windows Server 2003/2008 computer running the Session Directory / Session Broker service
- Enter a common name for your farm/cluster (e.g. "myfarm1").
  Unless you know what you're doing please enter exactly the same string on all your XP/VS Terminal Servers!

4) Load Balancing

If you want to use Round robin DNS load balancing:

- Add the farm name (e.g. "myfarm1") as a second hostname (A entry) for each XP/VS Terminal Server participating in the load balanced Terminal Server farm
- Don't forget that the Remote Desktop Clients must be configured to connect to this farm name (e.g. "myfarm1") instead of connecting to a hostname or IP address of a specific Terminal Server!

USAGE:

- Connect with your RDP Client to the farm name (e.g. "myfarm1") instead of connecting to a hostname or IP address of a specific Terminal Server.

- Because of DNS round robin the Remote Desktop Clients will get distributed equally among the member servers.

- On Logon the XP/VS Terminal Server will consult the Session Directory or Session Broker server to determine if there is an existing disconnected RDP session for that user

- Depending on the result of that query the XP/VS terminal Server will either accept the connection or redirect the RDP client to the server running the previously disconnected RDP session.

- The XP/VS Terminal Servers will automatically update the sessions' states (connected, disconnected, deleted) on the Session Directory / Session Broker.

An online version of the latest XP/VS Server user manual can be found here:

• English Manual

You can find the XP/VS Server Trial Versions here .

If you register on our side you can once create a new demo license for each Thinstuff product.
Download this new created trial license, save locally and open with double click.
The license will be imported automatically into XP/VS Server Administrator.
Delete the expired demo and continue testing.

If you need an extended demo license for unlimited connections or longer evaluation period please contact our team (sales@thinstuff.com)

Related FAQs:

TSX Scan trial version

How can i buy the XP/VS Server or other products from Thinstuff?

Until recently the Remote Desktop Protocol supported audio redirection only from the server to the client.
Starting with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 the user's microphone or recording devices on the
client computer can be accessed from within the remote desktop session.

SERVER REQUIREMENTS:

Microsoft offers this feature on the following server side operating systems:
Starting with 
* Windows 7 Ultimate / Windows 7 Enterprise / Windows Server 2008 R2 (only with Remote Desktop Session Host)
* up to Windows 11/Server 2025

With Thinstuff XP/VS Server installed, this feature is also supported on the following additional server side operating systems:
. Windows 7 (all editions), Windows Server 2008 R2 (also without Remote Desktop Session Host role)
. up to Windows 10/11  and Windows Server 2025.

CLIENT REQUIREMENTS:

The client computer has to run Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 7.0 or better and the option for
Remote audio recording (in the „Local Resources“ tab) must be set to „Record from this computer“.

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

FAQ: Media Player Redirection

Beginning with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 several improvements have been made to enhance
the audio and video playback experience in remote desktop sessions.

If the remote desktop client supports media player redirection (see requirements below) then the
multimedia stream is efficiently transported in the original compressed format within the RDP protocol.
By decoding this stream locally for display a lot of intensive server CPU processing gets off-loaded
to the client and the user will experience smooth  playback through Windows Media Player – even in full-screen mode.

SERVER REQUIREMENTS:

Microsoft offers this feature on the following server side operating systems:
Up from Windows 7 Ultimate /. Windows 7 Enterprise / and higher Desktop opererating systems,  resp. Windows Server 2008 R2 (up to Windows Server 2025 - only with Remote Desktop Session Host)
Note: Windows Server 2008 R2 has to be configured to allow audio and video playback.

With Thinstuff XP/VS Server installed, media player redirection is supported on the following additional server side operating systems:
Up from Windows 7 (all edtions) to Windows 11
Up from Windows Server 2008 R2 up to Windows Server 2025  (also without Remote Desktop Session Host role) 

CLIENT REQUIREMENTS:

The client computer has to run Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 7.0 or better and the option for Remote audio playback.
(in the „Local Resources“ tab) must be set to „Play on this computer“ .

RESTRICTIONS:

When connecting to a 64-bit server you have to use the 64-bit version of Windows Media Player.
The Media Player in the task bar or start menu links to the 32-bit Windows Media Player binary – even on x64 systems !!

DRM-protected content will not be redirected through this mechanism.

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

FAQ: Audio Capture

You don't have the option "Users and Groups" on a Windows Home  resp. Windows Standard operating systems.

However, on any Windows Home /Standard (Windows XP Home, Vista Home Windows 7 Home, Windows 8/8.1/10/11 Standard) it is not required (not possible) to do this configuration step !

By default administrators and standard users have the permission to log-in via RDP to Windows Home systems with XP/VS Server installed.

If the problem still resists, first please check if you have installed XP/VS Server version latest version.
If not please update.

If the problem still persits upload a TSRP (Thinstuff Support Request Package)

C:\Program Files\Thinstuff\XPVS Server\TSSupportPackage.exe

on that computer where XP/VS Termial Server is installed and follow the instructions to upload the package.

We will then analyse it to find the problem.

To allow domain users logon to XP/VS Server please do the following :

1. Open Computer Management.
2. In the console tree, click on  Local Users and Groups .
3. Double-click the Groups folder
4. Double-click the "Remote Desktop Users" Group
5. Then click Add
6. Type "Domain Users" in the Enter the object names to select box.
7. Click Check Names.
8. If the name is verified, click OK

 Related FAQ: Allow logon through Terminal Services in Windows Server Operating Systems

Before installing XP/VS Server on a server operating system please make sure that the Terminal Server role and the Terminal Server licensing service are not installed.

This applies to all Windows Server operating systems.

If you want to uninstall XP/VS Server, please do the following :

1. Open "Programs and Features" by clicking the Start-Button /Control Panel / Programs and Features, and then click "Uninstall a program".
   

   

   

2. Select "XP/VS Terminal Server", and then click Uninstall.

   

3. Click 'Yes' on the dialog box.

   

   

4. To complete to uninstall process you have to reboot your computer. Click 'Yes' if you want to restart now or 'No' if you plan to manually restart later.

   

Sometimes it may happen that the path to the installed msi file is corrupted.
In this case you have to uninstall the softare manually.
For these steps please contact our support (support@thinstuff.com)

Client side (where the device is attached)

You can download the client part of TSX USB in  XP/VS Server's installation package from here:

https://www.thinstuff.com/releases/ThinstuffXPVSServer-latest-EN.zip

 To redirect drives , headsets, printers, scanners or webcams you may not need TSX USB explicitly as modern RDP clients support these devices out of the box.

On client side start the installation package - and at a certain step you can decide to install XPVS Server or TSX USB (Workstation Installation: Install the TSX USB Remote Desktop Client Addon)



Note !!! TSX USB does not support USB 3.x (bulit-in hardware)
--> Can be found in command "msinfo32"

It is important which hardware is built in --- not the ('software) downgraded USB interface !

Server side (where XP/VS Server is installed and the users connect to)

1.) Run the XP/VS Server Adminstrator, click on "Options" and then on "TSX USB Server Administrator".

2.) The TSX USB Server Administrator window will open.

3.) Click on "Options" and then on "TSX USB Configuration".

4.) Enable the "Enable USB Device Redirection" field and choose one of the two options.

USING:
Before you connect to the Server per RDP please do the following :

1.) Run the "TSX USB Client" on the client machine.

2.) Click with the right-mouse-button on the device you want to share .

3.) Click on "Share USB Device".

The Device is now released. When you connect to your server via RDP your shared device will appear in the TSX Server Administrator.
Keep in mind that everybody can access the device because for the server it's a locally connected device.

XP/VS Demo licenses are usually valid for 14 days after installation and may only be used for demo and testing purposes. The XP/VS Server installer comes with a built-in 14-day demo license.

XP/VS demo licenses can be used on multiple computers at the same time. Activation of demo licenses is not necessary and also not possible.

 XP/VS Demo licenses offer exactly the same features as full licenses except that you will receive the following demo message after each logon.

Important information !
As soon as the demo period ends, the remote access will not work any more.
Either you import a purchased license or you uninstall XPVS Server (Reboot required)
If you need an elongation of support time - please contact "support@thinstuff.com"

Additonal links:

-> FAQ: How can i activate my licence

-> FAQ: different XP/VS Server versions

-> FAQ: 14-day XP/VS Server trial version

-> FAQ: Configure Product Evalutation Version

How to change the DPI setting within a Remote Desktop session to a computer that is running ...

..Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2:

Microsoft has released a hotfix (KB 2726399) for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 which allows you to change the dots per inch (DPI) setting within an connected RDP Session.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2726399

This hotfix has to be requested manually!

After the installation of this hotfix please restart your machine!

..Windows 8

Windows 8 does support it by default!

1. In the Remote Desktop session just right click on the Desktop and select "Screen resolution". You can also find this setting in the Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization -> Display 

2. Now click on "Make text and other items larger or smaller"

3. Change now for example the DPI setting to 125% or choose a custom text size!

4. Logoff your session! The item size will adapt after the next login!

Example:

All users should now experience a 125% scaling

Before
After

This FAQ describes how to prevent users from shutting down or restarting your server where XP/VS Server is installed.

Basically there are two possibilities to distinguish:

1. Hiding the entries “Shut down” and “Restart” in the Start Menu:
   Note ! If shutdown/restart/suspend/hibernate options are missing in the menu, this does not mean that a normal user does not have the privilege to shut down the machine.The user still can shut down the computer by using e.g. the shutdown command from command line.
   
   • Open the Local Group Policy Editor: Start -> Run -> Enter gpedit.msc
   • Move to User  Configuration/ Administrative Templates/ Start Menu and Taskbar
   • Enable “Remove and Prevent access to the Shut Down from Start Menu”
2. Removing the user’s shutdown-privilege
   This is the right and effective way to solve that issue.

Removing the user’s shutdown-privilege

For the following operating systems (except “Home” Editions)

• Windows XP / Vista 
• Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10,11
• Windows Server 2003 (SBS), 2008 (R2), 2012 (R2), 2016, 2019,2022

Log in with administrative rights: Start -> Run -> Enter: secpol.msc (Security Policy Editor).
Move to Local Policy/ User Right Assignment and on the right pane open “Shut down the system”.
This security setting determines which user (who is logged in remotely) has the privilege to shut down the operating system.
Default settings for servers (where XP/VS Server is installed): Administrators and Backup Operators

Removing the user’s shutdown-privilege on Windows Home-Editions

Local Security Policy Editor is not included in Windows Home Edition, like Windows XP Home, Vista Home and Windows 7 Home.
The privilege to shut down the computer is called “SeShutdownPrivilege”. Configuring this privilege is more complicated in Windows Home Editions, because Security Policy Editor is not available.

But there is a solution to modify those settings, but two command line programs are required:

1. Microsoft´s accesschk.exe
   This program displays the current privileges of users or groups.Download here: http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/accesschk.zip
   Information page: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb664922.aspx
   After downloading copy accesschk.exe from the zip to your windows\system32 directory!Open a command prompt (as Administrator !) and enter the command
   

   accesschk -a UserOrGroupName *

   to see which privileges a user or group has: e.g. to list the privileges of the group Users use the following command:
   accesschk -a Users *
   
   
   
2. If the privilege should be removed, a program called “ntrights.exe” from the Windows Resource Kit is required.
   Download the Windows Resources Kit here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?familyid=9d467a69-57ff-4ae7-96ee-b18c4790cffd&displaylang=en
   After successful installation, please copy ntrights.exe (from e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Resource Kits\Tools) to C:\Windows\System32 and uninstall Resource Kit afterwards.
   Start the command prompt (“Run as Administrator”) and enter the command:
   ntrights -u UserOrGroupName -r PrivilegeName
   to revoke the privilege from a single user or group:
   
   
   To verify  that the privilege has been revoked use the command:
   accesschk -a Users *
   
   
   “SeShutdownPrivilege” is not listed anymore!

Basically XP/VS Server can also be installed on virtual machines.

However,  the license of XP/VS Server is bound to the MAC Address of the guest’s primary network interface
Further information you will find here: Licensing on virtual machines

But you have to take care if you choose a hoster who offers operating-system-level-virtualization technology, for example Parallels Inc. with its server virtualization solution “Virtuozzo”.

Virtuozzo is an operating system-level virtualization product designed for large-scale homogenous server environments and data centres.

But Virtuozzo blocks any foreign kernel-mode drivers from running in a VPS (Virtual Privat Server).

That is – from their point of view – necessary to prevent things like blue screens, because with operations system-level virtualization a blue-screen on one VPS would cause a blue screen on all other VPS as well.

XP/VS cannot be used without our kernel driver and therefore is not compatible with operating system-level virtualization like Virtuozzo.
To be sure you may try to install „Process Monitor" from Microsoft (you may download here) - it does not work either!

So you'll have to find another hoster that does not use operating system-level virtualization

"True Multiple Monitor" is supported by Thinstuff XP/VS Server, which means that remote-desktop-sessions can be distributed across mulitple monitors with high-resolution displays.

Span-Mode is known since Windows Vista, the remote-desktop-session can be display across mulitple monitor. This mode is also called "stretched" mode, because all monitors are connected together to a single, large monitor. There are a few disadvantages:
* Each monitor needs the same resolution and colour depth setting
* Task-bar will cover both monitors
* Popup dialogues will appear half on one, half on the other monitor

Since Windows 7 / 2008 R2 Multiple Monitors is supported. The client’s monitors can be arranged in any order with different resolutions.

Requirements Client-Side for Multiple Monitors

• at least RDP-Client 7.0 or higher 
• Resolution: provided that the total resolution per monitor must be under 4096 x 2048 pixels.  The resolution of displayed RDP-session can be configured in the Group Policy Editor (Computer Configuration/ Administrative Templates/ Windows Components/ Remote Desktop Services/ Remote Desktop Session Host/ Remote Session environment -> on the right pane select “Limit maximum display resolution”)

Requirements Server-Side for Multiple Monitors

• “multiple monitor via RDP” till Windows 7 / 2008 (R2) and newer Windows editions 

How to start multiple monitor mode with your Microsoft RDP-Client

Start the RDP-client, switch to tab “Display”

Another possibility is to start with the command prompt (Start - Run - Enter: cmd)
Span mode:                              "mstsc /span"
Mulitple monitor mode:             "mstsc /multimon"

How to start multiple monitor mode with Thincast RDP Client "TC Client"

Thincast offers a reliable, well maintained RDP client called "TC Client" - you can use this alternative on 64-bit operating systems. Here you can easily enable the function for multiple monitor mode as well:
Switch to tab "Display" and check:

Use all my monitors for the remote session
Enabling this feature the remote-desktop-session is displayed in two or more seperate monitors (also with different resolution) and it automatically positions dialogue boxes and windows, so that they do not appear in the middle of the two monitors.

Further information and pictures you will find here: Using Multiple Monitors in Remote Desktop Services

1)    Copy & Paste of Graphics and Text

“Copy & Paste” of text or pictures in RDP-session from a local to a remote computer (or vice versa) works by enabling “clipboard” in your RDP-client.

For details please see the screenshot below
We recommend Thincast TC Client
This free RDP Client allows file and clipboard redirection configuration
Disable - only one direction - Bidirectional - choose according to your requirements.

Thincast TC Client 

General Description

You can use a digital signature to sign RDP  files. By signing RDP  files with trusted certificates, your clients can verify that important settings such as which server to connect to haven’t changed since the creation of the RDP file.

This enables clients to recognize your organization as the source of the remoteapp or the remote desktop connection and allows them to make a better decision whether to start the connection.

Following error will be displayed if someone opens a manually edited RDP file, which was signed.

So what do you have to do to sign an RDP file? Either you follow the steps below or you use RD WebAccess from our partner company Thincast Technologies (recommended), which allows you to distribute signed rdp files quite easily.

First: Create your RDP  file

Second: Get your certificate's thumbprint

Third: Sign your RDP  file by using rdpsign.exe

Create a .rdp file

An RDP file is  a simple file ( filled with parameters) that defines the connection settings for a Remote Desktop or RemoteApp session. You can easily edit, copy and distribute it.

You can create an RDP  by using the "Notepad" and add the standard parameters. However, for this you'll have to know all the parameters. 

The simplest way to do this is to  use Microsoft's Remote Desktop Client (mstsc.exe).

Or you can use the recommended free RDP Client from Thincast Technologies called TC Client.
This RDP client offer comfortable user interface to preconfigure RDP file for remote desktop as well as remoteapp connections.

Microsoft's Remote Desktop Client offers no possibility to configure nor activate RemoteApp connections.

So let's assume that you have configured and backed up the RDP file.

Get your certificate's thumbprint

The next step is to import your certificate and get your certificate's thumbprint. This step requires a valid .pfx certificate (either self-signed or CA-signed) and the export password from the .pfx file.

Manage Certificates with the Management Console

1. Open your Management Console ( Start -> Run - >type in "mmc.exe")
2. Goto "File" -> "Add/Remove Snap-in" in or use the shortcut Ctrl+M
3. Now select "Certificates" and click on "Add"
4. Choose "My user account" to manage your personal certificates. After that click on "Finish"
5. Now confirm with "Ok"

Import your Certificate

1. Enrole "Certificates" and highlight "Personal" - right click - > All Tasks -> "Import"
2. The 'Certificate Import Wizard' window appears and click on 'Next'
3. Now click on 'Browse' and choose 'Personal Information Exchange .pfx, .p12' as file type.
4. Select your certificate and click on 'Open'
5. Click on 'Next'
6. Type in the export password which you've entered by creating the .pfx file and click on 'Next'
7. Select 'Personal' as certificate store and click on 'Next'
8. Click on 'Finsih' to complete the import process.

Get your certificate's thumbprint

1. To get the certificate's thumbprint please do the following:
2. Navigate to 'Certificates - Current User' -> Personal -> open "Certificates" and double-click your recently imported certificate 
3. Switch to tab 'Details' and locate the field 'Thumbprint'
4. Now select the thumbprint, copy it and paste it in your notepad.exe
5. See as hint: to use the rdpsign.exe you've the remove all blank spaces from your thumbprint. Goto File -> Replace (Ctrl +H) in the notepad and enter a blank space in the 'Find what:' field and click on 'Replace All'
6. Mark your thumbprint and copy it

More informations about certifiactes/cryptography can be found at wikipedia.com:

Public key cryptography

Public key certificate

We used e.g 'openssl' to create the .cert/.pfx certificate -  www.openssl.org

Sign your .rdp file

After you've created your RDP file and copied the certificate's thumbprint (without blank spaces) you can sign your saved RDP file.

Now open a "Command Prompt" (cmd.exe)  as Administrator and use the following command:

rdpsign [options] [items to sign]

• As [option] use /sha1 and then paste your thumbprint(without blank spaces). Now remove the first character, which is a '?'
• Enter the path of your .rdp file instead of [items to sign]

e.g

C:\Windows\system32>rdpsign /sha1 f9f89d00ec0ra2d5da259h7990144df53b413efb c:\Server01.rdp

After you've exectuted your command following will be displayed:

All rdp file(s) have been succesfully signed.

If you open now your the rdp file a trust dialogue will be displayed:

As XP/VS Server is fully compatible with Microsoft Terminal Server / Remote Desktop Services any Thin Client which works with those solutions can also be used with XP/VS Server.
So it should run  an RDP Client - we recommend  Thincast TC Client, which is available for Windows, Linux and MacOS.

Thinstuff XP/VS Server Professional supports RemoteFX since Windows 7 SP1 (all editions).  However, this RemoteFX for Thinstuff Remote Desktop Server should not be mixed up with the Hyper-V RemoteFX 3D GPU virtualization.

RemoteFX is actually "just" a video stream (similar to MPEG) sent from the server to any modern Remote Desktop Client (recommended). The purpose of the Remote Desktop Server is to generate a "RemoteFX Video" in real time. This process requires a very powerful computing capability. Depending on the usage (VDI or Terminal Server) the server uses to CPU, GPU and special RemoteFX encoder hardware. 

Which GPUs are supported?

As far as we know these are the minimum requirements to be used with RemoteFX are:

• DirectX 11.0 or later
• WDDM 1.2 driver or later

Most of the latest graphics cards will support RemoteFX.

How to enable RemoteFX in XP/VS Terminal Server?

1. Open your XP/VS Terminal Server Administrator and go to "Options" in menu bar.
2. After that click on "Enable RemoteFX for XP/VS Terminal Services".
3. Reboot your machine.

Please note: This feature is only available, when you have a Professional license imported.

 NLA (Network Level Authentication) is per default enabled since Windows 8 / 8.1 and Windows Server 2012.

 Due to this option remote connection is refused if you try to connect from Linux client, iOSx (iPhone, iPad), Android devices, etc which do not support NLA.

 If you are running (up from) Windows 8 Professional, Enterprise or Windows 2012 Server (and later released operating systems) you can easily uncheck NLA

"Computer" - right click "Properties" - "Remote Settings":

Unfortunately this user interface is not available in Windows Home/Standard versions.

 Here you have to modify the according registry key.

Open Registry-Editor (Start - Run - Enter: regedit) and move to path 

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\ Winstations\RDP-Tcp

in the right pane look for value "UserAuthentication" and change the value to "0"

(reboot required!)

On Server Side

Install XPVS Server

You can download latest version from here: http://www.thinstuff.com/releases/ThinstuffXPVSServer-latest.zip
After successful installation of XP/VS Server you have to reboot your PC.
The installation package includes 14-days trial license to evaluate our software if it suits to your requirement.
Or you activate the purchased license (step-by-step guide in our FAQ: Activate XPVS Server)

Allow users remote access

(Note !!! No available in  Windows Home edtiion)
Click "Computer" ("This PC")  - right click "Properties" - and click "Remote settings"
Add those users to remote user group who are allowed to login remotely !




Further information you will find in our  How can I add users to the Remote-Desktop-User Group?

If you use a Windows Server Operating System:

Running a server operating system only Administrator is allowed for remote access.
You have to give this permission to Remote Desktop User Group as well - in according GPO setting.

Open Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) and move to:
Computer Configuration/ Windows Settings/ Security Settings/ Local Policies/ User Rights Assignment/
--> Allow logon through Terminal Services in Windows Server Operating Systems

IP-Address of your server running XPVS Server

To connect to the Terminal Server you will need its IP-address.
If you connect within the LAN/ WLAN you will need the "internal IP-address"
--> Click "Start - Run - Enter: cmd.exe to start the Command Prompt.
Enter command: ipconfig --> the internat IP-address will be shown.



If you connect form outside you will need the "external IP-address"
This  address will be displayed here: http://www.myipaddress.com/show-my-ip-address/

On  Client Side

You need a RDP Client, which is already pre-installed in Windows operating system
--> Start - All Programs - Accessories - "Remote Desktop Connection" (mstsc.exe)
--> We recommend  free RDP client offered by Thincast Technologies "TC Client", which is available for Windows (64 Bit), Linux and MacOS
Enter IP-address (="Computer") and connect.



Enter your user credential to log-in remotely

Learn some of the best practices to improve overall performance of RDP sessions and avoid timeouts and disconnections from remote desktop sessions.

1. Check your network connection

“Check your network connection" is an essential step to take when experiencing any network-related issues, including remote desktop slowness or lag. Network issues can often cause connectivity problems, slow data transfer speeds, and other performance issues that can impact the quality of a remote desktop session. Checking the network connection involves verifying that the device is properly connected to the network, ensuring that the network has an active internet connection, and assessing whether there are any potential causes of interference or signal disruption. If network-related issues are detected, troubleshooting them can help restore connectivity and improve the quality of the remote desktop experience.

2. Adapt your Remote Desktop settings

Another factor that can affect the performance of your remote desktop is the settings of your remote desktop client and server. You can adjust some of these settings to optimise your remote desktop session for your network and device conditions. For example, you can reduce the display resolution, colour depth or visual effects of your remote desktop session to reduce the amount of data to be transferred. You can also deactivate unnecessary functions such as sound, clipboard or printer redirection to save bandwidth and resources. You can find these settings in the "Options" or "Settings" menu of your remote desktop client.

3. Close unnecessary programmes and processes
Sometimes the slowness or lag of your remote desktop session is not caused by the network or remote desktop settings, but by the programs and processes running on your local or remote device.These programs and processes can consume CPU, memory, disk or network resources, which can affect the performance of your remote desktop session.To resolve this, you can close all unnecessary programmes and processes that you are not using on your local or remote device.You can use tools such as Task Manager or Resource Monitor to identify and terminate resource-intensive programmes and processes.

4. Update your software and drivers
Another possible cause of remote desktop performance issues is outdated or incompatible software or drivers on your local or remote device. Outdated or incompatible software or drivers can cause errors, crashes or security vulnerabilities that can affect your remote desktop session.To fix this, you can update your software and drivers to the latest available versions. You can use tools such as Windows Update or Device Manager to check for and install available updates for your software and drivers.

5. Use a remote desktop gateway
Another thing you can do to improve the performance of your remote desktop is to use TSX Gateway. TSX Gateway can provide a secure and reliable connection between your local and a remote device, especially if you are accessing your remote device via the internet or a public network. A VPN or remote desktop gateway can also bypass any firewall or network restrictions that might block or limit your remote desktop access. Another modern solution would be Thincast RD Gateway (recommended) for Linux and Windows, which even offers Two-factor authentication and other modern features.

6. Operating system

There are even slimmed-down version of the Windows operating system. Without constant updates or annoying apps and features, the software in this version is stable and fast. 

Under Windows 7 the first user logon usually takes less then 35 seconds for each user and the initial user profile weighs approx. 5MB. With Windows 10 / 11 this has increased dramatically.
The first user logon now usually takes up to 2 minutes or more for each user and the resulting user profile weighs approx. 130MB!

Most of this increase can be attributed to:
- Modern Apps (also called Modern UI) which have to be created for each user at first logon
- the initial setup of Microsoft "OneDrive"
- many other one time background processes which continue to run for a long time until all necessary Modern UI resources have been created after the first user logon process has already completed
- Live tile creation and initial setup for the new Windows 10 Start menu
- initial setup of the Windows Store database
etc.

Unfortunately this overhead consumes a lot of additional CPU and RAM resources for Windows 10 / 11 user logons, especially in multi-user environments like Thinstuff XP/VS Terminal Server.

With some Google research you can easily find many instructions about how to remove Modern Apps with PowerShell commands and limit the Windows 10 start menu to one single tile,
creating a slim default user profile, etc.

Microsoft knows about this bottle-neck and has released a "slim" Windows 10 version called "Windows 10 LTSB (Long-Term Service Branch)" where almost all of the above mentioned overhead has been removed (also bringing back the old calculator). A Windows 11 LTSB version is excpected to be available in the second half of 2024. More information can be found here. 

Some reports about Windows 10 LTSB can be found here. Windows LTSB Editions are only available for Microsoft Enterprise customers.
Fortunately even the cheapest Microsoft Server OS "Windows Server 2016 Essentials" also offers the same reduced overhead and remarkable performance improvements as Windows 10 LTSB, but without its restrictions.

Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service offering virtual machines.
To access such virtual server - Azure uses the same protocol "RDP"  as XPVS, RDSH, Termninal Server.

If "Remote Desktop Service" (RDP) is not available for what ever reason - there is no access to that server.

1. XPVS Server License is invalid (for example the MacAddress changes after the reboot)
2. Updates conflict with the installed version of XPVS Server
3. Remote Desktop Service crashes or is not started (also various reasons) 
4. etc.

And as there  is no "console " session possible - like in Hyper-V, VmWare, Proxmox ... etc. 
there is no chance to connect to the machine and repair the configuration, settings, update the software, reactivate the license,  etc. 

We do not recommend this plattform to virtualize server with XPVS Server installed .
But there are some management tools like Openssh to access the server.

As a rule of thumb every second Tuesday per month is Microsoft's Patch-Day where Microsoft releases new Windows updates. During this event we are testing our software if they conflict with these updates. In case of an issue we will mostly release a new version of XP/VS Server within 24 hours.

So please keep in mind and have a look at our website or in the XPVS Server Changelog

In case we discovered compatibilty issues with recent Windows updates, please do the following:

1. Download the latest version from here.

2. Run the installation - the old version will be uninstalled, new version installed and existing license will be imported automatically.

3. Reboot your machine.

 Did you know that you can also silently install the updates of XP/VS Server?
Thinstuff FAQ #1137 - Silent installation

If the problem persists - please upload a diagnostic file TSRP-
Simply run following program and follow the instructions to upload an error report.

C:\Program Files\Thinstuff\XPVS Server\TSSupportPackage.exe

There have been some reports that the error message "Your current operating system update level is not compatible with the currently installed version of XP/VS server!" appears.

Please check if you have install all latest Windows updates and did you update the XPVS Server version as well ?
You will find the latest XPVS Server version shown on our website https://www.thinstuff.com/products/xpvs-server/ 
and in the changelog:  https://www.thinstuff.com/releases/changelog.txt

Might happen that system files are corrupted:
Open a command promt as Administrator and run  "sfc /SCANNOW" to repair system files.

 Or you have installed another software to achieve remote access for multiple users ?

If the problem still persists, create and upload our diagnostic file TSRP (Thinstuff Support Request Package) .

Most of the time this is the fastest and most simple way to analyze 90% of possible server-side configuration problems and errors.

Please run :

C:\Program Files\Thinstuff\XPVS Server\TSSupportPackage.exe 

on that computer where XP/VS Termial Server is installed and follow the instructions to upload the package.

You can upload this file directly to our webserver (https://www.thinstuff.com/tsrp/xpvs/)
We will then analyse it to find the problem.

Server-side 

1. After successful installation of XP/VS Server you have to reboot your PC. The installation package includes a 14-days trial license to evaluate if our software suits your requirements.

2. Go to "Computer" -> right click "Properties" - Remote settings:

1. Enable remote access
2. Add those users to remote user group who are allowed to login remotely !

(Except on Windows Home Edtions)

3. To connect to the Terminal Server you will need the machine's IP-address.

If you connect within the LAN/ WLAN you will need the "internal IP-address" --> Click "Start - Run - Enter: cmd.exe to enter the Command Prompt. Enter command: ipconfig --> the IP-address will be shown.

If you connect from outside your network you will need the "external IP-address". However, when connecting from outside it might be necessary to setup port-forwarding on your router.

Client side

You can use any client application that supports the RDP protocol to connect to XP/VS Terminal Server. As the standard itself has been published there are today clients for nearly every platform available.

On Windows there is already a pre-installed RDP Client, called Remote Destkop connection (mstsc.exe).
--> Start - All Programs - Accessories - "Remote Desktop Connection" Enter IP-address (="Computer") and connect.

 A full list of combatible remote desktop client apps can be found here.

If you want to connect to XP/VS Server over the internet you will have to set up a port forwarding on your internet router to forward the external ip address/incoming tcp port 3389 (RDP) of your internet router to the internal ip address/tcp port 3389 (RDP) of your internal XP/VS Server computer.

To connect over the internet you would have to enter the external ip address of your internet router which is reachable from the internet into your RDP client.

Your internet router will receive this request when you try to connect with your RDP client over the internet and will forward this request to the internal ip address of your XP/VS Server computer.

Like that you will be able to reach your internal XP/VS Server with an RDP client over the internet.

For more details on how to set up port forwarding on your internet router please see here.

We do also recommend to take a deep dive into following topics:

Remote Desktop Protocol (Wikipedia)

Understanding the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 

Issue:
I cannot connect after install Thinstuff XP/VS Server (Multi-session remote desktop server).
When trying to connect I get the following error message:

"The number of connections to this computer is limited and all connections are in use right now."
"Die Anzahl der Verbindungen mit diesem Computer ist begrenzt, und alle Verbindungen werden derzeit verwendet."

Solution:

This isssue can either be caused by using an old version of XP/VS Server, our service has not been started or the imported license is simply not valid resp. does not allow more connections.

• Update XP/VS Server
• Check if our service is started
• Check if the imported license is valid

If the problem persists - please upload a diagnostic file TSRP-
Simply run following program and follow the instructions to upload an error report.

C:\Program Files\Thinstuff\XPVS Server\TSSupportPackage.exe

32-bit: https://www.thinstuff.com/releases/ThinstuffXPVSServer-latest-x86.msi
64-bit: https://www.thinstuff.com/releases/ThinstuffXPVSServer-latest-x64.msi

msiexec /i c:\tmp\ThinstuffXPVSServer-latest-x64.msi DISABLETSXUSB=1 EVALUATIONMODE="NIL" /quiet

• Add /quiet to disable any user interaction and the restart XP/VS Server immediately after installation.
• Add /passive if you want the progress bar to be displayed.
• Add EVALUATIONMODE="NIL"  to perform a simple update when you have already imported a valid license file
  and just want to update your XP/VS Server installation silently

You can use the command "msiexec" --> with "?" to you get a list of all available operators.

32-bit: https://www.thinstuff.com/releases/ThinstuffXPVSServer-1.0.958.1-EN.msi
64-bit: https://www.thinstuff.com/releases/ThinstuffXPVSServer-x64-1.0.958.1-EN.msi

We would like to share our thoughts on RDPWrapper, which seams at a first glance a perfect tool for remote computing.  However, when taking a deeper look on this software, you will find out that it does modify original Windows system files.

Please be aware that this software cannot be used on the same machine  side by side with Thinstuff XP/VS Server.
Please understand that we only support original Microsoft system files.

In case you have already installed this softare, please do the following to repair your system.

1. Uninstall XP/VS Server
2. Uninstall RDPWrapper
3. Reboot
4. Open a command prompt as Administrator and run "sfc /SCANNOW" to repair the corrupted system files
5. Reboot
6. Download the latest version of XP/VS Server from here, install and reboot.

Most of the time there is also an additional registiry value set,  which is used together with a modified version of termsrv.dll from RDPWrapper 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Terminal Server/Licensing Core/EnableConcurrentSessions]
This registry value makes problems and should be deleted !

In case you receive the message "An internal error has occurred" or "Ein interner Fehler ist aufgetreten" the reason can be following:

XPVS Server is not working ? Checklist

1) License valid
Check in XPVS Server Administrator the license status.
Click left "Terminal Server" and the license and its status will be shown right side.
FAQ: Invalid hardware key?
Activation required ? - FAQ: Reactivate/Transfer a license 

2) Microsoft Updates
Did you install Microsoft Updates recently?
If you get a pop-up-message from "Thinstuff XVPS Server" telling you that your installed version is not compatible
("incompatible environment") - download and update the XPVS Server version.
Latest version available here: https://www.thinstuff.com/releases/ThinstuffXPVSServer-latest.zip

3) Server attacked ?
Do you get the error message
- "Number of connections to this computer is limited..."
- or in Windows 7 "Internal error has occurred"
Open Command Prompt (cmd.exe) with administrator rights and enter command "netstat -a"
Check which / how many connections are listed for the RDP port (per default port number 3389)
If some unknown IPs are listed ensure that these are from your region or from any foreign country
Check location here: https://www.ip-tracker.org/locator/ip-lookup.php
If you get any suspicion that this port is misused - you can change the RDP listen port (short time solution)
(--> FAQ: Change RDP Listen Port -> stop and restart "Remote Desktop Services")

4) RDP connection internal test
You can test RDP connection first on the computer running XPVS Server
Open on this machine mstsc.exe (Remote Desktop Connection) and enter IP address "127.0.0.2"
to start remote connection from/ to the server (loop-back), enter remote user credentials, connect.
Does it work or do you get an error message ?

5) RDP connection external
If you cannot connect to the server from outside please check if your RDP port is open on the router
and incoming connections are allowed
Link: http://www.yougetsignal.com/tools/open-ports/
This link shows the external IP address of the server and the port status (enter RDP port number - per default 3389)

6) Alternative Terminal Server software installed ?
Did you use an alternative software to enable remote access for multiple connections ?
Please note - some of these programs might use hacked system files.
XPVS Server only supports original Microsoft Windows files, if there is any conflict - the service cannot be started.

7) Corrupted System Files
Enter command "sfc /SCANNOW" --> please send a screenshot of the result

8) CCleaner, RegCleaner
If Thinstuff XPVS Server was running for a while and "suddenly" stops working ?
Might be caused by software products like RegCleaner, CCleaner.
This application should be used wisely, otherwise it causes problems, as it can damage installation paths, etc.

9) Upload TSRP
All checks done - not any idea why the sofltware is not running ?
Right in the moment when this error occurs - Important !!! Ohterwise we will not get a helpful hint - please create and upload our diagnostic file TSRP (Thinstuff Support Request Package).
Most of the time this is the fastest and most simple way to analyse 90% of possible server-side configuration problems and errors.
Please run C:\Program Files\Thinstuff\XPVS Server\TSSupportPackage.exe and follow the instructions to upload an error report.
This will take literally just 2 minutes of your time and we'll hopefully immediately see what the issue is.

 You have installed XP/VS Terminal Server with Core Isolation mode enabled you may encounter following error:

“ThinRDPSrv is not a valid Win32 application.”

Or you are trying to install XPVS Server and get following error message:

"Could not start Thin RDP Server driver"
" ... not compatible...."

Thinstuff XP/VS Server uses kernel drivers and these must be allowed to install or start - otherwise our software does not work. Unfortunately that is the case when using XP/VS Terminal Server and Core isolation mode is enabled.

How to switch Off Core Isolation ?
Open Windows Security --> Device security --> Core isolation details --> Memory Integrity --> Off
Reboot

Sometimes Voice-over-IP (VoIP) applications may not play well with XP/VS Server out of the box. More specifically, you may find that the audio and microphone from your local PC is not routed through to Discord, Skype, or Zoom.  The redirection for audio and video must be configured or enabled correctly. The client-side part is covered here.

Configuration check in the remote session

1. In the microphone privacy settings (Settings -> Privacy ->Microphone), enable the "Allow apps to use my microphone" option.

2. In camera privacy settings (Settings -> Privacy -> Camera), enable the "Allow apps to use my camera" option.

3. The input and output devices selected in the client operating system are available within the RDP session on XP/VS Server under Control Panel -> All Control Panel Items ->Device Manager as "Remote Audio":

Check enabled group policies

Sometimes local microphone and video access is disabled by default due to security reasons. In this case, you need to manually enable audio and video playback on your XP/VS Server instance via group policies.

To do this, open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) on the server and navigate to:

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Device and Resource Redirection

Please note that updating group policies (when group policies become active) depends on several factors. Also, configured domain policies may overwrite your local computer group policies in case your machine is joined to a domain. For more details, see the Microsoft documentation:

• Refresh Group Policy
• Force a Remote Group Policy Refresh (GPUpdate)

 Disable Audio Sandbox

Further, if you are using a modern browser, you might need to disable the Audio Sandbox as following:

Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/i-cant-play-audio-remote-desktop-connection

Chrome: https://cloud.google.com/docs/chrome-enterprise/policies/?policy=AudioSandboxEnabled

Edge: https://admx.help/?Category=EdgeChromium&Policy=Microsoft.Policies.Edge::AudioSandboxEnabled

To redirect your webcam from a client computer to XP/VS server, follow the steps below. Sometimes local microphone and video access is disabled by default due to security reasons. In this case, you need to manually enable audio and video playback on your XP/VS Server instance via group policies.

1. Open your  Remote Desktop app (recommended) on Linux, macOS and Windows that needs to redirect a webcam through remote desktop.

2. Type in the IP address or hostname of your remote computer and your login details.
   

3. Now switch to the “Local Resources” tab and click on "More".
   

4. Tick the checkbox before Cameras and confirm with “Ok”, then click “Connect” to establish the connection to XP/VS Server.
   

Your can print directly to your local printer from XP/VS Server, without additional administrator time required for installation or configuration of your printer.

1. Open your Remote Desktop app (recommended) and type in the IP address or hostname of your remote computer and your login details.

 2.  Now switch to the “Local Resources” tab and tick the checkbox before Printers. After that click “Connect” to establish your remote session.

3. The redirected printer will shop up in your printing dialogue automatically with a small note on the side (e.g. redirected 1) . The displayed number is your session ID. Have a look at XP/VS Terminal Server Administrator to see the session ID of the corresponding remote user.

Technical background

 If you are running XP/VS Server on recent Windows editions, including Windows 11 there is no need to install an additional printer driver on your remote server,  as there is a general "Remote Desktop Easy Print driver" already preinstalled. Usually this works great for most printer models that are available today.

The print job is sent to the system, which in turn uses the user's print settings to create a XPS file. The system then sends this file to the client and the local printer driver does the printing. Depending on your network and connection speed this can feel "slow".

Redirected printers are connected with the remote desktop and the client only. There is no access from other machines. Please note that redirecting a printer is not the same as sharing your network printer. You can either share a printer locally or redirect a printer to your remote session. Shared printers cannot be redirected within the remote session. That means - you can only print locally but not within the session, because only own printers are shown as redirected in the remote session not those from other users.

Especially for scanning hardware we have developed TSX Scan, which allows you to redirect your scanner without the need to install a driver on your server. The built-in compression algorithm highly reduces the amount of data that is sent over your network.

• TS Easy Print
• Auto Printer Creation

Once you’ve set up XP/VS Server to allow remote access for multiple users you will need the IP address or hostname of your server (depends on if you connect within the LAN or from outside)

1. Right-click on the Windows icon and select “Run”.

2. In the box that appears type cmd.exe and press “Enter”.

3. Type ipconfig in the command line and press “Enter” - the internal IP address will be listed.

You’ll see a range of information appear, but for now just note down the IPv4 Address or hostname of your XP/VS Server.

To connect to XP/VS Server simply use any modern Thincast RDP Client "TC Client" (recommended) or the default RDP client from Microsoft  (Start -> Run -> mstsc.exe).

Type the IP address or hostname of XP/VS Server, your username and click “Connect”.

If you connect from outside you will need the "external IP-address"
Open on your pc running XPVS Server your favourite webbrowser and enter the URL:
https://www.myipaddress.com
The external IP Address will be shown.
Note ! If you do not have a static IP address but a dynamic one, this one will change depending on your provider.
You can here use DynDNS Services (several vendors can be found in the internet)

To add users to the Remote Desktop User Group please do the following:

1. Open Computer Management.
2. In the console tree, click on  Local Users and Groups .
3. Double-click the Groups folder
4. Open  Remote Desktop Users
5. Click Add  and next Advanced
6. If you click Find Now you can select the local user to allow remote access to this server
7. Confirm with OK

Related FAQ:  Allow domain user logon to XP/VS Server

Alternative you can also open the Users folder -> right click on your favourite User "Properties" and click tab "Member Of"
Next "Add" and follow the required steps to add this user to "Remote Desktop Users" Group.

Note ! 

Running a server operating system only Administrator is allowed for remote access.
You have to give this permission to Remote Desktop User Group as well - in according GPO setting.

Related  FAQ: Allow logon through Terminal Services in Windows Server Operating Systems

This only happens on a physical PC if your hardware has changed significantly (e.g. change of mainboard,RAM, etc.  or the complete PC ...) or on a virtual machine if the MAC address of the primary Windows Network interface has changed.

Additonal Links:

FAQ -> Licensing on virtual machines

On virtual machines the XP/VS license is always bound to the MAC address of the primary Windows network interface.

In following cases this can lead to problems with XP/VS licensing:

A) If you on e.g. VMWARE try to move or copy a virtual machine and select "create new identifier" a new MAC address is created.

B) Also changing the order of the network interfaces in Windows (if. e.g. another network interface is added - e.g. a VPN connection ...) causes the MAC address of the primary Windows network interface to change.

C) Some virtualization solutions (e.g. HyperV, Xen, etc.) will create a new MAC-address for every new Guest OS.

In all of this cases the XP/VS license becomes invalid (9. Invalid hardware key?)
To avoid this, please make sure that the MAC address of the primary Windows network interface does not change on virtual machines.

In case B) you can fix your problem by recreating the initial order of the Windows network interfaces.

In case C) can be avoided by assigning a static MAC-address.

If you use a virtualization platform (e.g. VMWare, HyperV, Xen, etc.), please assign a static MAC-Address to your Virtual Guest Computers before you install XP/VS Terminal Server.

XPVS Server in cloud environments

Invalid hardware key?

XP/VS licenses(except demo/trial licenses) are always perpetual licenses, so they will never expire.

There are 3 different XP/VS versions:

 Lite - No domain integration and no server operating system supported

Standard - Domain integration and support for Windows server operating systems 

Professional - Like Standard + Premium Support, RD Gatway with 2FA included, TSX USB

related informations:

82. Configure Product Evalutation Version

If you want to change the evaluation license mode during the trial process please do the following :

1.) Open XP/VS Server Administrator and go to "Help" - > "Configure Product Evaluation Version"

2.) Now choose the version you want to evaluate and press OK.

3.) Please restart your computer.

You can find a detailed feature comparison of all XP/VS Server Versions here & the complete XP/VS pricelist here .

related informations:

51. XP/VS Server versions

 The message "License can't be activated ...." means that the license has already been activated!

The message during the activation process 

Error
License can't be activated -  License is already activated

signifies that the license has already been activated!

For explanation:

During the activation process, some information of the hardware is transferred to the web server, which generates the license file. Once this process is completed, the download of new license starts automatically.

Now it is important that your web browser allows this download! 
Either the download is prevented, sometimes pop-up are even suppressed, which points out that files are ready for download.
Then - of course - you have the impression as if the activation process had not been executed.

In any case, you have the option to download the license manually (click top right -> "My Licenses").  
In the list you will find your favourite license file. Save the license file locally, open with double-click - the license will be importedautomatically  into the XPVS Server Administrator.

If you want to perform the activation process again, the license must be released for activation
In this case please write an email to "support@thinstuff.com" with your license ID and the reason and we will release your license for reactivation (for free). 

Activation

Online Activation 

1. Open the program “Thinstuff XP/VS Administrator” and click in the menu bar “File” and subsequent “Add/Activate License”

   

2. Now it will open the activation-window. Please select “Add licenses/ Start internet activation...”

   

3. In the next step, please log into your “Thinstuff Account”. Your web browser will be opened and you have to login with your user’s name and your password.

   
   

   Further information about creating a Thinstuff account can be found in the chapter 

4. If you have bought a license directly in our web shop, you have to select your license and click on “Activate”.

   

5. After activation you will be rediected to "Licenses" in your Thinstuff account, where you can download the activated license file.

6. Now open your "Downloads" folder and double-click on the license file; it will be imported automatically into your XP/VS Server Administrator.

   

7. Activation completed - After the successful import of the license file you will get confirmation message “License imported successfully”. As shown in the window, the license appears now as valid in your XP/VS Server Administrator.

   

Offline Activation

You have also the possibility to perform an offline activation of your XP/VS license by copying the needed information from your computer without internet access to a PC with internet access.

1. On your computer without internet access, where you have installed XP/VS Server:

   To get the activation information, please open your XP/VS Terminal Server Administrator and select “File” and “Add/Activate License”. Subsequently click the button “Copy hardware key to clipboard”.

   

2. Paste the text into a text editor (e.g. Notepad), save it locally (e.g. xxx-hwkey.txt) and copy this text-file to your computer with internet access.

3. On your computer with internet access, please log into your Thinstuff Account.

   

4. If you have bought a license directly in our web shop switch in your account to “Licenses” and click on “Activate” next to your favoured license. You can also enter the license ID or the License key to find the license for offline activation.

   

5. Please select your text file, which you have created previously based on the activation-information.

​

​ Now click on „Activate “ and next on "Download license".

Open your "Download" folder on your PC and double-click on the license file. It will be imported automatically to the XP/VS Server Administrator.

​For explanation: During the activation process, some information of the hardware is transferred to the web server, which generates the license file. Once this process is completed, the download of new license starts automatically. It is important that your web-bowser allows pop-ups from thinstuff.com, otherwise this automatic download will be suppressed.

In any case, you have the option to download the license manually (click top right -> "My Licenses"). In the list you will find your favourite license file to download. Save the license file locally on the server running XPVS Server, open with double-click - the license will be imported automatically into the XPVS Server Administrator.

Manual Import

Open the XP/VS Server Administrator on your server machine and click in the menu bar “File” → Import license from file in the menu bar.

​

5. Activation completed - A notice will be shown, that your license has been successfully imported. Please confirm this dialogue with “Ok”. The license appears now as valid in your XP/VS Administrator.

 Reactivation

XP/VS licenses are bound by activation to the hardware of the respective computer. If the hardware has changed significantly (replacement of the motherboard, RAM, etc., or of the entire computer), the XP/VS Server Administrator on your physical machine will display the error message "Invalid Hardware Key”.

For virtual machines, this case occurs, when the MAC-address of the primary Windows network interfaces has changed (see 6.7 Licensing on virtual machines)

You can activate the license three times by yourself!

If these three times are exceeded you can ask in your Thinstuff account for further license reactivations.

1. Go to your Thinstuff account and click on "Licenses".

2. Click "Request release" next to the desired license.

   

3. Specify the reason for the license release and click on "Request Release” to send the request to Thinstuff support.

   

4. After approval of reactivation by Thinstuff Support you will receive an email that the license is released and you can continue to reactivate the license (see chapter 6.6 Activation).

Upgrade of Licenses

You can upgrade your purchased XP/VS license at any time.

The upgrade price is always the price difference + EUR 15,00 / USD 15,00 upgrade fee.

1. In your Thinstuff account under "Licenses" you will find "Upgrade license" next to your license.

   

2. Click on "Upgrade License" and a list of upgrade options for the selected license will be displayed.

3. Click on "Add to cart" and after that on "Proceed to checkout" and finish the checkout process.As soon as the payment is done you will receive the invoice with the upgrade license code.

4. The upgrade will now be shown in your Thinstuff account under "Upgrades", where you can apply the upgrade to a base license by clicking on "Apply to license".

   

5. After you have finished the upgrade process, you can download the recently upgraded license and import into your application. Go to "Licenses" and click on "Download" next to the previously upgraded license. Now save it locally and double-lick the upgraded license file. The file will be imported automatically into the XPVS Server Administrator.

Claim / Transfer a license or upgrade

If you received a license or upgrade key from a Thinstuff distributor or reseller, follow these steps to add a license or upgrade to your Thinstuff account:

Create a Thinstuff account for your company here. After successful verification of your account, login and go to the Transfer License or Upgrade page.

Now enter your license or upgrade key (found on your invoice) in the input field below "Transfer License or Upgrade" and click on "Register".

You have now successfully registered a purchased product and you can start activating your license or applying your upgrade to an existing base license.

For customers from member states of the European Union:

So that we can invoice to you without VAT, you have to enter a valid VAT number before ORDERING.
Precondition: you have registered a company account and not as a private person.

1. You can verify your VAT Number yourself if you log in to our Webshop.
2. After login on the right top corner please click on address book and enter your full address with your VAT number and the click save.
3. Then you will see if your VAT number was verified successfully (green)
4. If it was not verified successfully it is marked red.
5. In this case please try to save your address again until it shows up green (VERIFIED)

For customers from countries outside of the European Union :

Customers from countries outside the european community will be invoiced without VAT.

If you want to become a Thinstuff Reseller or for more informations about Thinstuff Partners please contact us. 
email to: sales@thinstuff.com

You can buy the products directly in our Webshop .

You can pay with credit card (Visa, Mastercard), Paypal or payment in advance (wire transfer).

If you pay with credit card or Paypal you receive your license after successfully payment/transaction.
When you have selected payment per bank transfer we will release your license upon receipt of payment.

Online Activation

Open the program "TSX Scan License Manager" (--> "Run as administrator") and click tab "License Activation"

 
click "Start internet activation"

Your web broswser open Thinstuff Login page --> enter your credential to sign-in:


In the following screen you will see your license(s) listed (which are not activated or released for reactivation)
Select the TSX Scan License  and click "Activate"

Now the hardware information of your system will be copied to the web server, which create the new license file.
Now download activated license

In your Download folder double click the recently downloaded license and the same will be imported automatically into the Tsx License Manager.
Choose "Thinstuff TSX Scan License Manager" and confirm with "OK"

and the license will be shown op in the TSX License Manager

You can download the latest TSX Scan trial Version here .

The installation package includes 14 days demo license.

If you need an elongation of the trial time or another demo license, please contact our support team.
support@thinstuff.com

related informations :

47. How can i buy the XP/VS Server or other products from Thinstuff?

With TSX Scan you only need the TWAIN or WIA scanner driver on the client computer. On the server computer you need either XP/VS Server from here or Microsoft Terminal Server/Remote Desktop Services and in addition TSX Scan Server from here. On the client computer you need TSX Scan Client from here.

Prerequirements:

On the server you don't have to install any TWAIN drivers but on the client you have to install the TWAIN drivers for your scanner (WIA is done by TWAIN bridge). So before you install TSX Scan we would recommend that you first test with any TWAIN capable application on your client computer if you can succesfully scan with the installed TWAIN driver of your scanner.

WARNING! On Windows Server operating systems you have to install the "Desktop Experience" feature to install the TWAIN_32 subsystem which is needed by TSX Scan Server.

79. How do I install the Desktop Experience feature on Windows Server 2025 (example)?

Installation :

If you want to install TSX Scan, please do the following :

1. Download the TSX Scan installer from here, save it somewhere locally and execute the installer with a double click.

2. Welcome Dialogue. Select Next.

 3. Press “Next”.

 4. To proceed with installation you have to agree to the "End-user License Agreement" and the press “I Agree”.

5. In this step you have to choose which component you want to install :

5a. Select "Client" to install the client part of TSX Scan on the Client computer.	5b. Select "Server" if you want to install the TSX Server part on the server computer.

 6. Select your destination folder and select "Install".

8. In the last step choose the button „Finish“.To complete the installation process you have to reboot your computer. Click 'Yes' if you want to restart now or 'No' if you plan to manually restart later.

Usage:

If you connect after installation of TSX Scan via RDP to your XP/VS Server or Terminal Server you should see the TSX Scan icon on the right bottom in the info area of your task bar as you can see per following screenshot.

If you now start any TWAIN capable application (for e.g IrfanView) in your Remote Desktop session on the server and open the scanner selection dialogue you should already be able to chose the TWAIN scanner which you previously installed on your client.
Those will have a [TSX] in front of their scanner name to differentiate them from local scanners.

If you want to use TSX Scan on a server operating system you have to install the Desktop-Experience-Feature.

Why Desktop Expierence ?
The Windows Server Desktop Experience feature is an optional component that adds a traditional Windows desktop environment to a Windows Server installation. 
This allows a more user-friendly experience, including a desktop, taskbar, Start menu, and support for running desktop applications, which are not included in the Server Core installation,

You will find more informations about the Desktop Experience feature here.

To install the Desktop Experience please do the following  :

Windows 2016 / 2019/2022 - short overview of required steps:

1. Log in as an administrator.
2. Start Server Manager.
3. Select Add roles and features.
4. On the Select Installation Type page, select Role-based or feature-based installation.
5. On the Select Destination Server page, select a server.
6. On the Select Server Roles page, accept the default selection and click Next.
7. On the Select Features page, under User Interfaces and Infrastructure, select Desktop Experience.
8. Follow the prompts and finish the installation.
   
   

If you want to uninstall TSX Scan, please do the following :

Open "Programs and Features" by clicking the Start-Button /Control Panel / Programs and Features, and then click "Uninstall a program".

Select "Thinstuff TSX Scan Client" to uninstall the client-part - right click and select "Uninstall"

Select "Thinstuff TSX Scan Server" to uninstall the server-part - right click and select "Uninstall"

Click 'Yes' on the dialog box.

Uninstallation is finished after the reboot 

We are often asked for compatibility of scanners working with our software TSX Scan.
Of course we cannot test all available scanner devices, but we can highlight one rule
--> TSX Scan requires installed TWAIN driver  on client side.
Only WIA drivers are not supported - this will be done via a TWAIN Bridge.

We know that some manufacturers are not supporting the scanning standards such as TWAIN or ISIS.
For example Fujitsu ScanSnap.
This company decided to use only their own properity protocol and did not implement neither Twain nor Isis drivers.
Consequently these products are not supporting standard scanning software application - for example IrfanView and consequently  do not work with TSX Scan neither.
If you start TSX Scan on your client computer the scanner will not be shown in the list of available, installed scanners.

Starting with Windows Server 2008 Microsoft introduced Terminal Services RemoteApp (TS RemoteApp).
RemoteApp programs are programs that are accessed remotely through RDP and display seamlessly.
These applications appear as if they are directly running on the user's workstation.
Thus instead of displaying the complete remote Desktop only the specified RemoteApp program
is visible and integrated with the user's local desktop, running in its own resizable window
with its own entry in the taskbar.

Please see here for more info.

Requirements

Server-side

TS REMOTEAPP WITH THINSTUFF XP/VS TERMINAL SERVER:

Starting with Thinstuff XP/VS Terminal Server Version 1.0.167 users can also enjoy seamless TS RemoteApp programs when connecting to any of the following remote operating systems:

- All Windows 7 Editions (including Windows 7 Starter) up to Windows 11

- Windows Server starting with 2008 (without TS role resp. RD Session Host Role) up to  Server 2025

 Client-side

The client computer has to run at least Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 7.0 
Unfortunately the current Remote Desktop Connection clients have no GUI option to specify a RemoteApp.
We therefore recommend following free RDP Client from Thincast Technologies - TC Client



But you can also manually create an .rdp file.
It is also possible to save a .rdp file using the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection and add the required lines manually using a text editor (e.g. Notepad).

These are the required settings:

remoteapplicationmode:i:1
remoteapplicationprogram:s:C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe
remoteapplicationcmdline:s:%HOMEPATH%\Test.txt

The line "remoteapplicationmode:i:1" tells the RD Client to use the TS RemoteApp mode.
Use "remoteapplicationprogram:s:" to specify the path to the application's binary you want to display seamlessly.
The last line "remoteapplicationcmdline:s:" is optional and allows you to specify command line parameters for the specified RemoteApp.

Remoteapp connection using RDP feature "TS RemoteApp" is also possible to systems running Windows 8 / 8.1/ 10/11  if following system files are available in C:\Windows\System32 --> rdpinit.exe and rdpshell.exe
If you are using for example Windows Home/Standard  Editions XPVS Server enables this feature in XPVS Server Administrator  
Choose  menu bar  -> Options -> "Install TS RemoteApp Support"  in XP/VS Administrator.

Information for older operating systems eg WindowsXP

TS RemoteApp will also work on older Windows operating systems - some additional settings are required:
- Windows XP Professional SP3
  x86 only, requires Microsoft KB961742-v3 to be installed:
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/961742
- Windows Vista Enterprise or Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 or. SP2
  x86 only, requires Microsoft KB961741 to be installed:
  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/961741

For Windows XP SP3 clients we strongly recommend that you add support for Network Level Authentication (NLA).
NLA requires the Credential Security Provider (CredSSP) to be enabled.
CredSSP is supported on Windows XP SP3 but not enabled per default.
In order to enable CredSSP on Windows XP SP3 please follow Microsoft's instructions in KB951608:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951608

The client computer has to run Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 7.0 or better which is available here:

General Description

You can use a digital signature to sign RDP  files. By signing RDP  files with trusted certificates, your clients can verify that important settings such as which server to connect to haven’t changed since the creation of the RDP file.

This enables clients to recognize your organization as the source of the remoteapp or the remote desktop connection and allows them to make a better decision whether to start the connection.

Following error will be displayed if someone opens a manually edited RDP file, which was signed.

So what do you have to do to sign an RDP file? Either you follow the steps below or you use RD WebAccess from our partner company Thincast Technologies (recommended), which allows you to distribute signed rdp files quite easily.

First: Create your RDP  file

Second: Get your certificate's thumbprint

Third: Sign your RDP  file by using rdpsign.exe

Create a .rdp file

An RDP file is  a simple file ( filled with parameters) that defines the connection settings for a Remote Desktop or RemoteApp session. You can easily edit, copy and distribute it.

You can create an RDP  by using the "Notepad" and add the standard parameters. However, for this you'll have to know all the parameters. 

The simplest way to do this is to  use Microsoft's Remote Desktop Client (mstsc.exe).

Or you can use the recommended free RDP Client from Thincast Technologies called TC Client.
This RDP client offer comfortable user interface to preconfigure RDP file for remote desktop as well as remoteapp connections.

Microsoft's Remote Desktop Client offers no possibility to configure nor activate RemoteApp connections.

So let's assume that you have configured and backed up the RDP file.

Get your certificate's thumbprint

The next step is to import your certificate and get your certificate's thumbprint. This step requires a valid .pfx certificate (either self-signed or CA-signed) and the export password from the .pfx file.

Manage Certificates with the Management Console

1. Open your Management Console ( Start -> Run - >type in "mmc.exe")
2. Goto "File" -> "Add/Remove Snap-in" in or use the shortcut Ctrl+M
3. Now select "Certificates" and click on "Add"
4. Choose "My user account" to manage your personal certificates. After that click on "Finish"
5. Now confirm with "Ok"

Import your Certificate

1. Enrole "Certificates" and highlight "Personal" - right click - > All Tasks -> "Import"
2. The 'Certificate Import Wizard' window appears and click on 'Next'
3. Now click on 'Browse' and choose 'Personal Information Exchange .pfx, .p12' as file type.
4. Select your certificate and click on 'Open'
5. Click on 'Next'
6. Type in the export password which you've entered by creating the .pfx file and click on 'Next'
7. Select 'Personal' as certificate store and click on 'Next'
8. Click on 'Finsih' to complete the import process.

Get your certificate's thumbprint

1. To get the certificate's thumbprint please do the following:
2. Navigate to 'Certificates - Current User' -> Personal -> open "Certificates" and double-click your recently imported certificate 
3. Switch to tab 'Details' and locate the field 'Thumbprint'
4. Now select the thumbprint, copy it and paste it in your notepad.exe
5. See as hint: to use the rdpsign.exe you've the remove all blank spaces from your thumbprint. Goto File -> Replace (Ctrl +H) in the notepad and enter a blank space in the 'Find what:' field and click on 'Replace All'
6. Mark your thumbprint and copy it

More informations about certifiactes/cryptography can be found at wikipedia.com:

Public key cryptography

Public key certificate

We used e.g 'openssl' to create the .cert/.pfx certificate -  www.openssl.org

Sign your .rdp file

After you've created your RDP file and copied the certificate's thumbprint (without blank spaces) you can sign your saved RDP file.

Now open a "Command Prompt" (cmd.exe)  as Administrator and use the following command:

rdpsign [options] [items to sign]

• As [option] use /sha1 and then paste your thumbprint(without blank spaces). Now remove the first character, which is a '?'
• Enter the path of your .rdp file instead of [items to sign]

e.g

C:\Windows\system32>rdpsign /sha1 f9f89d00ec0ra2d5da259h7990144df53b413efb c:\Server01.rdp

After you've exectuted your command following will be displayed:

All rdp file(s) have been succesfully signed.

If you open now your the rdp file a trust dialogue will be displayed:

Client side (where the device is attached)

You can download the client part of TSX USB in  XP/VS Server's installation package from here:

https://www.thinstuff.com/releases/ThinstuffXPVSServer-latest-EN.zip

 To redirect drives , headsets, printers, scanners or webcams you may not need TSX USB explicitly as modern RDP clients support these devices out of the box.

On client side start the installation package - and at a certain step you can decide to install XPVS Server or TSX USB (Workstation Installation: Install the TSX USB Remote Desktop Client Addon)



Note !!! TSX USB does not support USB 3.x (bulit-in hardware)
--> Can be found in command "msinfo32"

It is important which hardware is built in --- not the ('software) downgraded USB interface !

Server side (where XP/VS Server is installed and the users connect to)

1.) Run the XP/VS Server Adminstrator, click on "Options" and then on "TSX USB Server Administrator".

2.) The TSX USB Server Administrator window will open.

3.) Click on "Options" and then on "TSX USB Configuration".

4.) Enable the "Enable USB Device Redirection" field and choose one of the two options.

USING:
Before you connect to the Server per RDP please do the following :

1.) Run the "TSX USB Client" on the client machine.

2.) Click with the right-mouse-button on the device you want to share .

3.) Click on "Share USB Device".

The Device is now released. When you connect to your server via RDP your shared device will appear in the TSX Server Administrator.
Keep in mind that everybody can access the device because for the server it's a locally connected device.

TSX Session Broker is a feature integrated into XP/VS Server (Standard and Professional) that allows the system to take part in a load balanced Terminal Server farm based on Microsoft Session Directory (Windows Server 2003) or Session Broker (Windows Server 2008).

Usually only Windows Server 2003 Enterprise and Datacenter Editions can take part as a member in Session Directory / Session Broker!

With a TSX Session Broker enabled XP/VS Server also Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Small Business Server 2003 and Server 2003 Standard systems will be able to join a Microsoft Session Directory / Session Broker farm.

FEATURES:

- Fully compatible with the standard Microsoft RDP client. No additional / proprietary software needed on the client to make use of the load balancing functionality

- Multiple Terminal Server farms in the same local network

- Session reconnect of previously disconnected sessions

- Load balancing based on DNS round robin

REQUIREMENTS:

- The TSX Session Broker feature requires a XP/VS Standard or Professional license ( 51. XP/VS Server versions )

- XP/VS must be installed on any of the following operating systems:

  . Windows XP x86 Professional (SP3)
  . Windows XP x64 (SP1/SP2)
  . Windows Vista Business/Ultimate/Enterprise (SP1/SP2)
  . Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate/Enterprise
  . Windows Server 2003 R2 SBS/Standard/Enterprise (SP1/SP2)
  . Windows Server 2008
  . Windows Server 2008 R2

- Note ! Not supported in Windows 8/8.1/10/11  nor Windows Server 2012 (R2)/2016/2019/2022/2025

- The computer where XP/VS is installed must be joined to a Windows Server Domain !

Please note that you do also need a Windows 2003/2008/2008-R2 Server with the session directory/broker service enabled and running.
The session directory/broker services are included in all Windows Server 2003/2008/2008-R2 Editions (even Small Business Editions).

SETUP

1a) If you are using a Windows 2003 Server with Session Directory:

- Open "Services" from "Administrative Tools" and locate the service called "Terminal Services Session Directory"
- Set the "Startup type" of this service to "Automatic" and start it.

1b) If you are using a Windows 2008/2008-R2 Server with Session Broker:

- Open the Server Manager and install the TS Session Broker Role Service from the Terminal Services Roles

2) Define which member servers are allowed to join your Session Directory/Broker

In order to allow a Terminal Server to join a Session Directory or Session Broker you have to add the computer to a local group called "Session Directory Computers". This local user group is basically used to define a list of Terminal Server computers that can join Session Broker/Directory.

On the Windows Server computer running the Session Directory or Session Broker service:

- Open "Local Users and Groups"
- Locate the group called "Session Directory Computers"
- Add all participating XP/VS Terminal Server Computers to this group

3) Join all required XP/VS Terminal Servers

On each single XP/VS Terminal Server that will participate in the Session Directory / Session Broker:

- Open Thinstuff XP/VS Terminal Server Administrator
- Select "Session Directory Configuration ..." from the Options menu
- Activate the checkbox "Join a TS Session Directory or TS Session Broker"
- Enter the name of the Windows Server 2003/2008 computer running the Session Directory / Session Broker service
- Enter a common name for your farm/cluster (e.g. "myfarm1").
  Unless you know what you're doing please enter exactly the same string on all your XP/VS Terminal Servers!

4) Load Balancing

If you want to use Round robin DNS load balancing:

- Add the farm name (e.g. "myfarm1") as a second hostname (A entry) for each XP/VS Terminal Server participating in the load balanced Terminal Server farm
- Don't forget that the Remote Desktop Clients must be configured to connect to this farm name (e.g. "myfarm1") instead of connecting to a hostname or IP address of a specific Terminal Server!

USAGE:

- Connect with your RDP Client to the farm name (e.g. "myfarm1") instead of connecting to a hostname or IP address of a specific Terminal Server.

- Because of DNS round robin the Remote Desktop Clients will get distributed equally among the member servers.

- On Logon the XP/VS Terminal Server will consult the Session Directory or Session Broker server to determine if there is an existing disconnected RDP session for that user

- Depending on the result of that query the XP/VS terminal Server will either accept the connection or redirect the RDP client to the server running the previously disconnected RDP session.

- The XP/VS Terminal Servers will automatically update the sessions' states (connected, disconnected, deleted) on the Session Directory / Session Broker.

Sometimes it happens, that you ordered a wrong license. Unfortunately we cannot change an already issued order resp. invoice. However, we can offer to cancel the whole order and refund the payment, as we are not allowed to change already issued invoices. 
The delivered license will be deactivated automatically.
If you wish to place a correct order, just let our sales team know.

The credit card companies tightened  security measures for payments (3d Secure v2, etc.), recognisable by the following logos:

We would like to ask all our customers to switch to 3D Secure v2 in order to avoid a decline in transactions.
You should have received an information  of your credit card provider  and made aware of the need to implement these new security standards.
The EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2), which has been in force since September 2019, requires strong customer authentication (SCA) for every credit card transaction from January. 3D Secure 2 is the credit card system's answer to these SCA requirements.

You credit card / provider should support this new standard - perhaps must be activated.
Please contact your credit card company.

This is not only an issue with Thinstuff payments !