Remote Desktop Connection Cannot Verify the Identity

Also what version of RDC for mac are you using? is it 2.0 beta 3

I had tried that before, but I tried deleting them again with no change.

The computer I'm connecting to is Windows Vista Ultimate SP 1 - I have been successful from a computer running XP on the same LAN, however I have not tested from Windows machines running outside the lan. It's obviously able to contact the computer, as it gives me the first "cannot verify" warning.

The version of Remote Desktop for mac is 2.0.0 (080530) - I'm not seeing anything about a beta build.

I have an early version of Remote Desktop 2.0.0 Beta3 (090530). Let me try with the version you are using to see if it gives me the same problem.

I am noticing that you are saying from Outside your LAN. Is the mac your are using in another part of the LAN?

I meant verison (080409) Beta 3

Nope, it's on a separate LAN entirely, at work. I just verified the port and I can indeed telnet to port 3389 on my home LAN.

Okey, The mac you are using is at work. The Windows Vista computer you are connecting is at home. The port is open since you can telnet to it. Can you try an Windows computer at work? To see if you can connect. In some weird cases some home network hub do not forward ports correctly. Meaning stuff can go in but it doesn't come out. This has happened to me when my internal computer goes trough another exit (I have two different DSL providers). I set up my port forwarding in one hub but the gate way would go out the other. So first I want to establish if it is a Mac RDC thing, or a router configuration thing. If you can connect successfully from a PC in the same place where your Mac is that would discard the router thing. The telnet is not good enough, because it doesn't simulate the whole remote desktop protocol.

Also do you have multiple computers at home, and one of them is an XP?

I ask this because of the following. The first error you are getting that we all get, to connect and then you click next, only happens when you are connecting to an XP computer or a Windows 2000 computer, but it does not happen with a VIsta or 2003 Server computer. So to me that also tells me you might not be connecting to your vista machine.

Now that's a very interesting point. I remember reading that Vista should not give that identity error, but it has since I installed it.

I know that my XP machine is not configured to accept incoming remote desktop connections. Is there some step in Vista remote setup that I have missed that would provide that identity? Like a certificate setup or something? I love microsoft networking products, they always explain how to do something in like 4 steps but it hardly ever works in all situations that way.

As for the PC, I can try a machine running parallels later today, but we're a fully mac environment (design) so that's the best I can do.

If it helps at all, I recently ran the same machine on XP with Remote Desktop enabled and was able to connect from my Mac to it fine. The ports, computers and LANs are unchanged; the only change in my setup has been Vista.

No the error of cannot verify the identity yadayadya, is strictly based on the version of remote desktop of the receive machine. The version of Vista and 2003 Server NEVER display it, the versions of 2000 Server or Desktop or XP always display it and there is no fix for it. The other version of the error you get is that you have an old client, and you set up that only new types with Network Level Authentication are permitted. But this wouldn't be the case of the Mac Client since it can do NLA.

I would check your router config, because as it is I am leaning toward it is pointing to an XP machine. Easiest way to know, turn off all your machines except the Vista one and try to connect. That would make it certain it is not connecting to anything else. The parallels test would also be a good one to do.

I should've of course mentioned that my other computers are indeed off right now, so it couldn't possibly be connecting to them. The router is correctly configured to send incoming RDP requests to the Vista machine. So how could this be? Is it possible something is cached somewhere on the mac that, once it sees ANY machine respond, it's following it's old protocol assuming it's an XP machine?

No, that's probably not it either, as I've tried it on a different mac that never connected to the XP machine and I get the same error.

I would try the parallels test then to rule the router out of the equation. To see if you can connect using windows would answer this.

Other than that? maybe a firewall at work is blocking you? But I don't believe it is possible to cache RDP connection information. Maybe you are connecting to someone else house (assuming your dynamic ip got changed)

I just tried parallels, and it connects fine (without a warning about not being able to verify identity) - and it was indeed my house. So, connecting through Mac RDP still gives me the error like it's looking at XP even though on the same network a PC is able to connect normally.

Hmmm..... How about trying the old client 1.0.3.. or maybe a beta version? I guess there is something wrong with the release version for osx... I have Beta3 I can place it in a public download place if you want it. Since I am not sure you can get the beta now the release is out. It is like 7.7 megabytes

I just tried using 1.0.3 - I got the same error I used to get on XP before I updated to the 6.0 client - which is it says the remote computer cannot be found. I imagine this has something to do with the improvements in Vista.

Could you post that beta and I'll give it a whirl?

In vista in the remote desktop there is a place to choose if you if you allow connecting older clients. Check it there and try the older client. Let me upload the old beta to a fileshare service, too big for this site (limits 5 megs)

http://rapidshare.com/files/154665702/RemoteDesktop.dmg.html

Erase /User/username/Documents/RDC COnnections

And justa a little crazy idea, is the time and date in the computers correct? That sometimes throw off the Remote Connections.

btw do not run the microsoft update, or it will update you to the recent version

Sigh - same error. I checked the clock (I had it on the buddhist calendar for kicks) and tried the beta client with the same results.

Have we narrowed it down at all? It's not just this mac, it's any mac on our network. It's gotta be a vista problem with serving to the mac, correct?

Honestly, Vista has been bugging me royally. I had the server formatted with XP and could successfully mount SMB, VPN and RD. Now, with Vista, I can barely VPN and can't do either of the others.

Yep, I had installed vista on all my computers, since the beta, I tried for 10 months. Made my computers twice as slow with no other benefit than the nagging UAC that pop out every 10 minutes. Right now I only have one computer with vista, (so I can keep in touch with the platform and help out clients) all my other computers went back to XP. It felt like an upgrade. I mean come on vista uses like 1Gb just to load the os. My laptop battery times was cut like 30%. The dealbreaker for me was, I also do a lot of Graphical Design, and have special calibration software and hardware. Vista would loose color calibration on the display if I wen to sleep, hibernate, or if the stupid UAC popped out. Still in SP1 this is not solved. I am used too seeing my grays netual, and when vista looses calibration I see them bluish.

Well, thanks so much for your help anyway. Have any recommendation for another third-party remote desktop application? And should I just accept your solution to make sure you get the points?

You could try VNC.....  I like the TightVNC, but I seems not to work with vista. Ultravnc suports vista so you can give it a try. VNC support is already integrated into osx leopard. Just use vnc:// from the safari window.

http://www.uvnc.com/

Also what I have a lot of success using is Teamviewer. I use it to give one time support to my clients. It is crossplatform so it is OSX and Windows aware. It works in vista, xp, osx, leopar, tiger. Nothing to setup no ports to forward and free for non commercial use. I think there is a way to set it up so it is an always on connection it is called TeamViewer Host.

I personally love this product, sinces it autoconfigures and it is cross platform on the platforms I support. It also has nifty features as file transfer, really quit, and remote swap, where the remote controller becomes the controlled. Give it a try, I bet you will like it.

Downside, it costs money but for the price believe it is worth it. Plus it is free to try, free for non comercial use. Give it a spin.

Forgot to give you the url

www.teamveiwer.com

I would try teamviewer, it is great in bothe mac and pc. And I have tested it with vista so it is sure to work.

Plus no install needed if just one time use.

Thanks - I'll definitely check that out!

Hi Guys, not sure if you're still having problems with this issue, but I have just solved it syncing the time with the Domain controller.
Thanks.

@jeremypemberton - Thanks, that worked for me too!!

The problem is that you cannot put your domain in the credentials, anywhere, even in the domain box. just leave it blank and it will connect. This is for vista, windows 7 and server 2008, when connecting from the microsoft rdp for mac program