Remote Desktop and custom resolutions

7/10/2006

I use remote desktop a lot. But 800x600 is too small, and if I use 1024x768 then it goes full screen and its not convenient to move between host and guest easily. To compound this, I run multiple remote desktops as well as virtual PC's. What I really want to do is run remote desktop in about 1000x720 so I get a large screen but still have quick access to the task bar and system tray of my host. Remote desktop has no options for these custom resolutions, but you can edit the RDP file.

Create a remote desktop connection and save the profile. It makes a file with an .rdp extension. This file is just a text file, so now open it in notepad. The first few lines should look something like this:

    screen mode id:i:1
    desktopwidth:i:1015
    desktopheight:i:715
    session bpp:i:16
    winposstr:s:0,3,0,0,1015,725

I have done some testing and I found 1015x715 to be just about right for a 1024x768 host. The winposstr line specifies the initial size of the window on the host. Setting the second parameter to 3 makes it auto fit, and thus the other numbers are not needed.

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