Question

Cannot connect with Remote Desktop

Asked by: bugsnbre2

I just got a new computer with Windows Home Edition.  It is a Dell Dimension E521.  I upgraded to Windows XP SP2.  It came with Norton Internet Security which I uninstalled and installed Zone Alarm.  I cannot connect to this computer using Remote Desktop (I had no problems with my previous computer) even when I disable Zone Alarm and have the Windows Firewall turned off.  It can be pinged, but Remote Desktop cannot connect.  I get the standard error message "The client could not connect to the remote computer.  Remote connections might not be enabled....."

I can't figure this one out.  I also looked at the Zone Alarm log and the most interesting thing is that it has logged no access attempts to my computer.  I have a DSL modem and noticed when I have my friend, who is helping me troubleshoot this problem, (I got his IP address unblocked) access the computer, the lights blink once and then he gets that message.  So, he is hitting the PC.

When I had Norton Internet Security installed, I noticed that it said something about blocking access for Zone Alarm.

Here is what I've tried:
1) Turning off Zone Alarm
2) Uninstalled Norton Internet Security
3) Made sure the Windows firewall is off.
4) Made sure the client computers IP address was unblocked (shouldn't matter if firewalls are turned off)

Only 1 other thing.  I do use the VPN Client (I think it is by Cisco) to connect to a network computer at work, but I made sure it wasn't loaded also.

Help!!!!

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2007-06-13 at 08:14:29ID22631317
Tags

remote

,

connect

,

desktop

,

cannot

Topics

Home Security

,

Miscellaneous Networking

,

Remote Desktop/Terminal Services

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
3

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. zone alarm not allowing remote desktop
    I just upgraded my zone alarm (free version) and now it won't allow me to use remote desktop to my office servers (I'm using Windows 2003 server and Win 2000 at home). The security is set to medium, which is the same as before I did the upgrade. How can I set it to allow Re...
  2. CISCO VPN and Remote Desktop simultaneously
    Hi, I have a set up where I am required to connect to a third party supplier using cisco VPN 4.60 over the internet. It is the case sometimes that I would like to run this process in remote desktop mode. Ie whilst I am off site. When trying this my screen freezes and I lose ...
  3. Remote Desktop with Cisco VPN client Issue
    I have been looking at the posts on configuring Remote Desktop access for vpn clients on Cisco Pix 501. I am trying to figure out instead of mapping one IP to one host how can I give vpn clients full access to remote desktop to mulitple computers. I have only one static IP....
  4. Connected  to Cisco VPN but cannot Remote Desktop from …
    Hi everyone, we have a cisco router/firewall setup at my work and VPN setup for it. I have the Cisco VPN client installed at my home and I can successfully connect through that and then use Microsoft's Remote Desktop Connection to access my computer here at work. To do this ...
  5. Remote network printing with Cisco VPN
    Have a remote location with 7 PC's with a dsl and a simple Netgear firewall. The Main location with the domain has a Cisco 515E firewall. Am using Cisco VPN software 5.0 to connect to the site. The PC's at the remote site are receiving IP"s from the firewall for the tunn...
  6. CISCO VPN - remote desktop
    I have noticed that when I try to connect to different computers (in the office), by using remote desktop and entering in the Computer Name; I have no problem doing so when I am not connected to the Cisco VPN. However, when I am connect to the Cisco VAN I can only connect t...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: bugsnbre2Posted on 2007-06-13 at 11:19:40ID: 19276748

One more thing.  When I obtained my IP address I used http://www.whatismyip.com.  However, when I do an IP config, I get a different IP address.  It reads: 192.168.1.2.  I think this is a reserved IP address though.  If I try to remote desktop into that IP address from the console it says, I'm already connected, but even from the console I cannot get any type of connection back to the console when I use the IP address I get from www.whatismyip.com.  I know the connection is making it to the modem because the light blinks, but that is all.

 

by: OleksiyGPosted on 2007-06-13 at 14:08:31ID: 19278201

1. Make sure that Remote Desktop is enabled on your computer (you can follow these steps to do so http://www.helpwithwindows.com/windowsxp/howto-14.html). If that doesn't fix the problem - continue to step 2.

2. Considering that you haven't had problems with the old computer it's probably not the issue, but from your IP I can see that you have a router between you and the internet. For example, Internet Server Providers such as Telus - use a 2WIRE router that gets the public IP address from the ISP and then serves private IP addresses to all computers connected to it at home. Usually most ISP-provided routers (as well as most D-Link, Linksys, 3com and so on) come with built-in firewall as well.

What you need to do in this case is enable Network Address Translation (NAT) on that router (so that it knows that requests that come in to the public IP from outside to TCP port 3389, should be forwarded to your internal 192.168.1.2 IP). You should be able to configure this by opening your router's web-interface (when you do ipconfig - Default Gateway address is usually the address of the router you're connected to).

Hope this helps,

Oleksiy G.

 

by: rssddsPosted on 2008-10-10 at 14:21:16ID: 22690884

I want to point out that ZONE ALARM does not work with Dell E521 computers with 64 Bit AMD Athlon processors. For those not in the know Take note of this -

Norton 2009 Internet Security does support 64 bit  according to the more official channels.
Unfortunately Symantec/Norton is lame and has not updated their support people to the fact that their products support this environment or so they claim.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...