Locked out of Remote Desktop on your Windows server? You might not be as sung as you thought..
Try to access your web administration home: https://[YOUR SERVER IP HERE]:2101/
If you get this:
You can use your administrator credentials to login. This is the first hurtle!
Click on "Network":
Click on "Telnet":
Enable Telnet by Checking the box:
Then click OK at the bottom:
Reboot the server by going to the Maintenance tab and click
on Shutdown:
Click "restart":
When you get to this screen:
Click OK again:
You have not given yourself access back to your server!
Now we have to edit the registry remotely!
Click start --> run --> type "regedit"
Click File --> Click Connect Network Registry
Enter your servers IP address then click OK:
This will take few seconds but you will be promoted for your credentials again... just enter as if you are logging in:
Now browse HKLM on SRV to find the following
Registry key
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server
Under the Terminal Server key, you'll find a REG_DWORD value named fDenyTSConnection. Double-click on that value to open the Edit DWORD Value box and change the value data from 1 (Remote Desktop disabled) to 0 (Remote Desktop enabled)
Not there yet, now we have to disable the firewall temporarily...
Same routine as above only its a different key...
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SharedAccess\Parameters\FirewallPolicy\StandardProfile
Edit the "EnableFirewall" Key... set it to 0
If there is more than one profile set them all to 0 just to be sure...
Now, get to command prompt (start --> run --> type "command")
Once in the command window type "telnet"
Now type "Open [YOUR SERVER IP HERE]"
Login when prompted, ignore the messages about the password being in plain text.
Type "netsh" [enter]
Type "firewall" [enter]
Type set "portopening ALL 3389" [enter] (or whatever port you Remote Desktop is supposed to use, 3389 is the default but it could be anything depending on your dedicated host setup)
Your back in!
Now, log back into your Remote Desktop, re-enable the firewall but make sure to leave open your remote desktop port.
Also, disable the Telnet access using the same method we did at the beginning... hey, if we can use it to get in so can someone else!
My host wanted to charge me $75 to reopen the port after I ran the Windows Security Wizard" and it locked me out of Remote Desktop! I hope this helps someone else save some money!