Disable RDP authentication functionality that Windows Vista

[guest]

To disable the new Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) authentication functionality that Windows Vista provides, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type mstsc.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
2. Click Options.
3. On the General tab, click Save As.
4. In the Save As dialog box, specify a location and a name for the file, and then click OK.

Note The saved file will have the .rdp file name extension.
5. Click Start, type notepad in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
6. In Notepad, open the file that you saved in step 4.
7. Locate the line that resembles the following:

authentication level:i:x

Note The x placeholder represents the current authentication level.
8. Change the authentication level to 0 so that the line becomes the following:

authentication level:i:0

Note When you set the authentication level to 0, RDP 6.0 does not check for server authentication.
9. Add the following line to the end of the file:

enablecredsspsupport:i:0

Note When this line is present, users do not have to enter credentials before they establish a remote desktop connection.
10. Save the file.
11. To connect by using Remote Desktop Connection, run the file that you saved in step 10.

Note After you follow these steps, RDP 6.0 becomes incompatible with Windows Vista-based computers that have the Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication option enabled in the system properties.