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Send ctrl+alt+del to remote desktop

 
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Send ctrl+alt+del to remote desktop
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Jason



Joined: 29 May 2001
Posts: 27

Post Send ctrl+alt+del to remote desktop Reply with quote

I have a remote desktop Windows 2000 that I is typically "locked"
I need to be able to send a ctrl+alt+del followed by a password to unlock
system before I execute the rest of my JAL script.

I have tried to send the keys but because it doesn't behave correctly.

Anyone have any ideas on how i can accomplish this?

Fri Apr 02, 2004 7:45 pm View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7951

Post Re: Send ctrl+alt+del to remote desktop Reply with quote

You are really having 3 problems:
1. How to access the logon window.
2. How to send Ctrl+Alt+Del.
3. How to do it on a remote computer.
The rest is really simple.

Problem 1. Windows Logon screen runs on a separate virtual desktop (screen) called WinLogon which is not accessible by regular programs and you cannot send keyboard or mouse events to that screen the way you can do it for other interactive programs. We have a utility called BindDesktop (see http://www.softtreetech.com/24x7/archive/43.htm) that can be used to run processes bound to a specific desktop. For example you can run a program or 24x7 job from a 24x7 service on the interactive user desktop using "WinSta0\Default" as the first parameter. I haven't' tried that but I think if you use "WinSta0\WinLogon" you can run a process on the Logon desktop.

Having said that here is the problem 2.

Problem 2. It is not possible to "press" Ctrl+Alt+Del by simulating keyboard events because winlogon.exe
talks to the keyboard driver at a lower level. Ctrl-Alt-Del causes a hardware interrupt to occur, via direct wiring from the keyboard. It is a hardware interrupt generated by the keyboard. It's not the Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke that is the problem, but that the keyboard makes a special type of hardware interrupt request to the CPU that SendKey (or any similar keyboard event simulation function) cannot duplicate.

To bypass that some remote control programs like pcAnyWhere install special drivers that intercept system calls and chain into security procedure basically substituting certain system services. For more information see http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/pca.nsf/docid/1997101214333

Problem 3. How to do it on a remote computer.

And finally here is the solution.
1. Install and run 24x7 software on the remote computer and set it up to run in the Remote Agent mode.
2. Download and copy our Logon utility (http://www.softtreetech.com/24x7/archive/51.htm) to the remote computer.
3. On your server or workstation running 24x7 Scheduler schedule a job to run on the remote computer. This could be for instance a script type job like the following

Dim ( pid, number )
RunAndWait( "logon.exe -p [password here]", "", 0, pid )
RunWithInput( "notepad.exe", "", 60, "hello world", 60, pid )

---------------------------

: I have a remote desktop Windows 2000 that I is typically "locked"
: I need to be able to send a ctrl+alt+del followed by a password to unlock
: system before I execute the rest of my JAL script.

: I have tried to send the keys but because it doesn't behave correctly.

: Anyone have any ideas on how i can accomplish this?

Sun Apr 04, 2004 11:24 am View user's profile Send private message
James



Joined: 19 Apr 2004
Posts: 4

Post Re: Send ctrl+alt+del to remote desktop Reply with quote

: I have a remote desktop Windows 2000 that I is typically "locked"
: I need to be able to send a ctrl+alt+del followed by a password to unlock
: system before I execute the rest of my JAL script.

: I have tried to send the keys but because it doesn't behave correctly.

: Anyone have any ideas on how i can accomplish this?

In Remote Desktop, you'll need to use CTRL+ALT+END
instead of CTRL+ALT+DEL

Mon Apr 19, 2004 8:24 am View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7951

Post Re: Send ctrl+alt+del to remote desktop Reply with quote

Don't do it "in Remote Desktop". Do it on the remote computer by scheduling Logon.exe. Please see section 3 in my previous message.

: In Remote Desktop, you'll need to use CTRL+ALT+END
: instead of CTRL+ALT+DEL

Mon Apr 19, 2004 9:03 am View user's profile Send private message
Nick Olivo



Joined: 04 May 2004
Posts: 1

Post Re: Send ctrl+alt+del to remote desktop Reply with quote

Hi

I'm using the logon.exe to unlock my desktop, but I'm having a problem with passwords that have ! in them or capital letters

For example: Pass123! doesn't work, but the log still says the logon was successful. If I change the password to pass123, it unlocks fine.

Any help you can give is most appreciated.
Thanks,
Nick

: Don't do it "in Remote Desktop". Do it on the remote computer by
: scheduling Logon.exe. Please see section 3 in my previous message.

Tue May 04, 2004 9:22 am View user's profile Send private message
SysOp
Site Admin


Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 7951

Post Re: Send ctrl+alt+del to remote desktop Reply with quote

I think the logon utility sends password keys using keyboard scan codes rather then ASCII codes. As a result all keys are always sent in lower case (as if the SHIFT key wasn't used). That's why upper case letters, !, and other symbols above numbers in the first keyborad row cannot be used for the password. Consider using alpha-numeric passwords in lower case.

: Hi

: I'm using the logon.exe to unlock my desktop, but I'm having a problem with
: passwords that have ! in them or capital letters

: For example: Pass123! doesn't work, but the log still says the logon was
: successful. If I change the password to pass123, it unlocks fine.

: Any help you can give is most appreciated.
: Thanks,
: Nick

Tue May 04, 2004 10:14 am View user's profile Send private message
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