How to Enable Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) - Windows 7
What is Remote Desktop
The Remote Desktop application connects two computers on a network. When connected, the desktop of the remote computer appears as if you were sitting right in front of it and allows access to the programs and files of that remote computer. This feature is in all editions of Microsoft Windows 7, but you can only connect to computers with Professional, Ultimate editions or Enterprise.
Administrator permission
The Remote Desktop setting requires administrator privileges on the workstation.
How to enable remote connection on the computer I want to connect to
- Open the system window by clicking Start → right-click Computer → Properties
- Click Remote Access Settings (top left menu). If prompted to enter or confirm an administrator password, enter or confirm the password.
- In the System Properties dialog box, select the second or third option under Remote Desktop and click the Select User button. If you are logged into the computer as an administrator, your current user account will be added to the remote user list automatically, in which case you can skip the next two steps.
- In the Remote Desktop Users dialog box, click Add.
- In the dialog box Select an object of type: Users or Groups and then:
- click the Location button to enter the location to search,
- in the text field Enter the names of the objects to be selected, enter the user name you want to add and confirm with the OK button.
You cannot connect to a computer that is in sleep or hibernation mode. Make sure the sleep and hibernation settings on the remote computer are set to never (Start → Control Panel → System and Security → Power Options → Change scheme settings). Hibernation mode is not available on all computers. Remote Desktop Connection cannot be used for PCs running Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium editions.
How to connect to remote desktop
- Start the Remote Desktop Connection program by clicking the Start button → the All Programs command → the Accessories folder → the Remote Desktop Connection item.
- Enter the IP address of the VPS you want to connect to in the Computer text box → click the Connect button.
Instead of IP, you can also enter the DNS name of the VPS if you have one configured.