Windows PE support of Remote Desktop Protocol

Products

• Deployment Solution

Issue/Introduction

I would like to create a WinPE boot image to support RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). I have tried several scripts but have not been successful. The ideal situation would be to have a client boot into WinPE and then be able to use Remote Desktop in automation.

Resolution

Windows PE Limitations

Source: http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/31fc1e66-2843-484f-a964-2c3b031920e91033.mspx?mfr=true

Windows PE is a subset of Windows Vista, and has the following limitations:

• To reduce its size, Windows PE includes only a subset of the available Win32 application programming interfaces (APIs). I/O (disk and network) and core Win32 APIs are included.
• To prevent its use as a pirated operating system, Windows PE automatically stops running the shell and reboots after 72 hours of continuous use. This time period is not configurable.
• Windows PE cannot act as a file server or terminal server. (Remote Desktop is unsupported.)
• Distributed File System (DFS) name resolution is supported for standalone roots only. Domain roots are not supported.
• The tested methods of gaining network connectivity to file servers are TCP/IP and NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Other methods, such as the IPX/SPX network protocol, are not supported.
• All changes that you make to the Windows PE registry while running Windows PE are lost the next time you restart the computer. To make permanent registry changes, you must edit the registry offline before starting Windows PE.
• Drive letters are assigned in consecutive order as you create partitions in Windows PE. However, the drive letters are reset to the default order when you restart Windows PE.
• Windows PE does not support the Microsoft .NET Framework or the Common Language Runtime (CLR).
• Windows PE does not include the “Windows on Windows 32” (WOW32), “Windows on Windows 64” (WOW64), Virtual DOS Machine (VDM), OS/2 or POSIX subsystems.
• To install a 64-bit version of Windows you must use a 64-bit version of Windows PE. Likewise, to install a 32-bit version of Windows, you must use a 32-bit version of Windows PE.
• Windows PE can be used to configure and to partition a computer's disks before starting Windows Setup. If any hard disks are converted to dynamic disks with Diskpart.exe before you start Windows Setup, then those hard disks are recognized as "foreign" when the operating system is installed, and any volumes on those hard disks will not be accessible.
• Windows PE does not support applications packaged with Windows Installer (.msi).
• WIM File System Filter (WIM FS Filter) driver is not supported in Windows PE.

Applies To
All builds of Deployment Solution and Microsoft Windows PE*.