How to remotely enable remote desktop

• Last updated: Feb 3, 2021

Here is a way to remotly enable the remode desktop thanks to psexec.

Configuration

• OS : Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 2016, Windows 2019
• pstools : psexec

Commands

• First download the Microsoft psexec tool :

• Unzip the archive wherever you want :

• Open a command prompt and move inside the unzipped PsTools folder :

Enable remote desktop

• From there, enable remote desktop service, with the reg add arguments :
• /v : The value name, under the selected Key, to add
• /t : RegKey data types
• /d : The data to assign to the registry ValueName being added
• /f : Force overwriting

PS C:\Users\Administrator> PsExec.exe /accepteula \\remote_computer -u administrator reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" /v fDenyTSConnections /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

• Add Firewall rule to allow 3389 TCP protocol :

PS C:\Users\Administrator> PsExec.exe /accepteula \\remote_computer -u administrator netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="RDP" dir=in localport=3389 remoteport=0-65535 protocol=TCP action=allow remoteip=any localip=any

Misc

• We can check RDP service status :

PS C:\Users\Administrator> PsExec.exe /accepteula \\remote_computer -u administrator query termservice

• And start it if needed :

PS C:\Users\Administrator> PsExec.exe /accepteula \\remote_computer -u administrator sc start termservice