Enable Remote Desktop on Windows XP Home Edition

Windows XP Home Edition does not come with Remote Desktop, or Terminal Services feature.

There is Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client which allows user to connect to remote host, but not accepting any remote desktop connection to the Windows XP Home.

However, there is way to install and enable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in Windows XP using the steps below

Video Tutorial:

1. Click the “Start” menu, then select “Run.” Type “regedit” into the box and press the “Enter” key to launch the Registry Editor tool.

2. Select the “+” icon next to the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES” folder to expand the directory. Scroll down and expand the “SYSTEM” folder located inside the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINES” folder

3. Expand the folder named “ControlSet00X” folder located inside the “System” folder. Open the folder with the highest number in the “00X” part of the file name. Then expand the “Control” folder underneath it.

4. Click to open the “ProductOptions” directory, then locate the “ProductSuite” registry key on the right window panel. Right-click on the “ProductSuite” key and select “Delete.”

5. Right-click an empty area of the right window panel and select “New.” Then click “DWORD Value” and type “Brand” as the name for the new value.

6. Double-click on the “Brand” value, set the “Value data” box to “0” and click “OK.” Then click the “Start” menu and select “Turn Off Computer.” Click “Restart” to reboot the computer.

7. Press the “F8” key on the keyboard after the BIOS screen to display the Windows XP Startup Menu. Select “Last Known Good Configuration” and press the “Enter” key.

8. Download devcon.exe, a free command-line utility that also doubles as a replacement for the standard Device Manager. Double-click the DevCon.exe file and select a folder to unpack the files. DevCon will create two folders inside the chosen directory: “i386” and “ia64.”

9. Click the “Start” menu and select “Run.” Type “cmd” and press “Enter” to launch the command prompt window. Type “cd c:DevConi386” and press the “Enter” key. Change “c:DevCon” to the actual path of the directory where the DevCon files were unpacked. Type “devcon.exe -r install %windir%\inf\machine.inf root\rdpdr” once inside the “i386” directory to reinstall the rdpdr driver. Restart the computer

10. Download “enable_tsxp.bat,” then run it. This is a batch script that will create a .reg file and re-enable the Terminal Services missing from the Home Edition. Restart the computer

11. Now enable Remote desktop in windows firewall using port 3389.

Done!! you should be able to access windows XP home via Remote desktop.