Accessing local resources

Remote Desktop makes it possible to map your local hardware to respond to events on the remote machine. The settings you can use to map resources as needed. The following list describes each of the resource mapping areas:

• Remote Computer Sound: Lets you bring sounds from the remote machine to your local machine. This setting has three options: You can choose to play the remote sound locally, not play the remote sound at all (effectively muting the remote system), or play the sound at the remote location.
• Keyboard: Controls the use of control-key combinations. For example, when you press Alt+Tab, this setting controls whether you switch between applications on the local machine or the remote machine. This setting affects Remote Desktop only when you have it selected when working in windowed mode. If you press Alt+Tab when Remote Desktop is working in a window and you don't have Remote Desktop selected, the Alt+Tab combination always affects the local machine even when you choose the On the Remote Computer option. Normally, any control key combinations go to the remote machine only when you use Remote Desktop in fullscreen mode.
• Local Devices: Determines which local devices you can access from the remote machine. This may sound like a very odd consideration, but when you're working with the remote machine, Remote Desktop shuts off access to local resources, such as disk drives, printers, and serial ports. Only your display, keyboard, and mouse are active on the remote machine, unless you tell Remote Desktop to perform the required mapping. Check any of these options to make the resources on your local machine available when working at the remote machine.

Running a configuration program

You may find that you want to run a configuration program on the remote machine when you create the connection. This program can perform any task, and you can use both batch and script files, in addition to standard applications. The options work very much like a remote profile. When you want to use a remote program, check Start the Following Program on Connection, type the name of the application you want to use (including full path), and tell Remote Desktop which folder you want to use as a starting point.

Optimizing performance

The connection you use to create a Remote Desktop is important. You can't expect the same performance from a dial-up connection as you do from a high-speed internal network. Consequently, Remote Desktop provides a method for telling it what to expect in the way of connection, to optimize connection performance.

Choosing one of the default options, such as LAN (10 Mbps or Higher), automatically sets the options that Remote Desktop uses - you don't need to do anything else. As an alternative, you can choose Custom from the list and configure the options you want to use. Windows Server 2008 works best with the Custom setting, even if you're working across a LAN.