Configuration Tips to Overcome Hurdles with RDP Windows 7

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a proprietary technology from Microsoft that allows a computer running an RDP client to connect to another computer running an RDP server. All Windows consumer OSs beginning with Windows XP came with the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) RDP client. On the other hand, all Windows Server OSs from Windows NT 4.0 and higher have built-in RDP servers, although only certain Windows versions built for the consumer market came with RDP servers. Among these OSs are the Professional and Enterprise versions of Windows 7.

How to Enable RDP in Windows 7

RDP on Windows 7 Professional and Enterprise is disabled by default. You first need to enable RDP if you’re using Windows 7 Professional on a client or remote desktop.

To enable RDP in Windows 7, follow the steps below:

Click the Windows Start button, right-click Computer and then click Properties.

Click the Remote tab.

Under the Remote Desktop section, select either the second or third option. For wider compatibility with various RDP versions, including older ones, select the second option. Otherwise, select the third option, which requires newer Remote Desktop versions with network-level authentication.

Click OK.

Once you have enabled RDP on Windows 7, you shouldn’t have a problem using it to connect to another desktop over the network, so long as you’re an administrator on the remote machine. In the same manner, the Windows 7 computer should be able to handle an incoming connection from an administrator on another computer.

How to Check the RDP Version on Windows 7

Microsoft provides RDC clients that allow computers still using older OSs, like Windows 7, to connect to and take advantage of the improved RDP server software in newer Windows OSs. You may also want to update RDP on Windows 7 due to security issues in older RDP versions.

Prior to updating, you should check which RDP version is installed on your device. To do this:

Use Windows Search to look for the RDC client on your Windows 7 computer.

Run RDC.

Left-click the RDC icon on the top-left of the RDC window, then left-click About. You should see the version number on the bottom.

RDP: Updating from Windows 7 to Windows 10

Some users have complained about RDP not working after updating their Windows 7 computers with the latest RDP version. This is particularly true when trying to connect from a Windows 7 client to a Windows 10 remote desktop. If you encounter the same issue, try any of the following to resolve the problem:

Check that RDPs on the Windows 7 and Windows 10 computers are enabled.
Update the Windows 10 computer.
Allow RDP connections through your firewall, e.g., Windows Firewall.

Understand RDP Versions Supported in Windows 7

Windows 7 came with RDP version 7 when it was released in 2009. Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) came with RDP 7.1.

When Microsoft released Windows 8 in 2012, it also released an RDP 8.0 add-on containing client and server components for Windows 7 SP1, allowing Windows 7 desktops to connect to Windows 8 and vice-versa. The latest Windows 7-compatible RDP version is RDP 8.1, which has client and server components that can be installed separately on Windows 7 SP1.

New features in RDP 8.0 that are supported in Windows 7 SP1 include Adaptive Graphics, dynamic in-session USB redirection, automatic transport protocol selection using either Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User Datagram Protocol (UDP), multi-touch support, DirectX 11 support for virtual graphical processing units (vGPUs), and improved single sign-on (SSO) experience using Remote Desktop Web Access.

RDP 8.1 features several improvements, including back support for session shadowing and fixes for visual glitches when using Microsoft Office 2013 on the remote desktop. It also fixes connection reliability issues, improves connection-failure error messages and resolves a timeout issue when the RDP connection becomes idle for more than four minutes.

Enhance the Remote Desktop Experience with Parallels RAS

Parallels® Remote Application Server (RAS) delivers full-fledged clientless access to remote applications and desktops via any HTML5-compatible browser, including Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Safari. It also supports and provides a productive user experience via mobile devices.

Parallels RAS allows streamlined management of not only RDP but also your Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Windows Virtual Desktop. It provides various server tools, such as FSLogix Profile Container configurations and image optimizations, to help facilitate the work of your IT staff.

Moreover, Parallels RAS improves CPU load balancing, maximizes resource usage, and generates and deploys virtual workspaces on the fly. It uses High Availability Load Balancers (HALBs) to facilitate front-end traffic to Secure Client Gateways and allows RD Session Hosts and virtual desktops to auto-scale on-demand using workload-based group provisioning and de-provisioning services.

Parallels RAS also supports all major hypervisors, including Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESXi, and hyperconverged infrastructures such as Nutanix Acropolis and Scale Computing.

Download the trial and check how Parallels RAS can enhance your organization’s use of RDP.