Troubleshooting RDP Connection Issues

If you are having issues connecting to a computer remotely, please look for your specific error message below and follow the resolution steps listed.

IMPORTANT

• Repeated failed attempts to a single computer will trigger automatic blocking of the PC you are attempting to connect to for 15 minutes.
• Repeated failed attempts to multiple machines will trigger automatic blocking of your home IP address for 24 hours. This means that all future attempts from any computer in your household will continue to fail for 24 hours. If your connection to a lab computer does not work, go ahead and try one or two more machines. DO NOT continue to attempt connections to multiple computers or you run the risk of being blocked for 24 hours. If your IP address has been blocked, you may also lose access to other NDSU online resources for 24 hours.
• If your computer or IP address has been blocked, we are unable to remove the block, nor can we tell you if it has been blocked. You will need to wait either 15 minutes, or 24 hours to try again.
• Unfortunately, since all NDSU computers are on the world wide web, hacking attempts can, and do, come from all over the world and may cause an NDSU computer to be blocked for 15 minutes at a time, continued attempts on the same computer can cause it to become blocked repeatedly. If you have been able to connect at one time, you will most likely be able to connect again. Verify that your username is correct and try again in 15 minutes if it fails.

Be sure your NDSU account has been set up for MFA

Windows PCs have the RDP client pre-installed and the software will start automatically after clicking on the downloaded connection file for each PC. Mac systems will need the Microsoft Remote Desktop app from the App Store to connect to a PC.

Normal

KeyReporter lab availability website (also known as KeyServer).

The KeyReporter website lists the computers in the selected lab.
Computers with a green shaded icon and a clickable "Address" link are available for remote connection. Computers with a red shaded icon are in use and will not display an "Address" link. Click the "Address" link in the right column of an available computer. A file will be downloaded to your computer with the name: "address.rdp". Locate and execute (double-click) the downloaded address.rdp file (you may need to look in your "downloads" folder) to connect remotely to the selected computer.

Uncommon

"Failed - Server problem" after link download attempt

Resolution

If the KeyReporter link download fails, click the login button in the top right of the KeyReporter web page, select "Guest", and try again.

Normal

"The publisher of this remote connection can't be identified. Do you want to connect anyway?", or "Unknown publisher"
 

Resolution

You can proceed by clicking the "Connect" button. (If you will be connecting to the same computer repeatedly, you can click the "Don't ask me again for connections to this computer" radio button to keep your system from displaying this message for the selected computer in the future.)

Normal

"Enter your credentials"

Resolution

Enter your credentials as shown below:
User name: Use your normal desktop login username with @ndsu.edu added to the end (username@ndsu.edu).
Password: Enter your normal desktop login password.
If you have issues, contact CoE Tech Support.

WARNING: Repeated failed attempts will disable remote access to this machine for a period of 15 minutes. Repeated unsuccessful attempts to multiple machines will block your IP address from accessing all NDSU online resources for 24 hours.

Uncommon

"Remote Desktop can't connect to the remote computer for one of these reasons:"

Resolution

1) Remote access to the server is not enabled
This is rarely the case, especially for listed lab computers, and computers that you have been able to access in the past.

2) The remote computer is turned off
This is possible, but unlikely for a lab computer that is showing as "Available" on an updated KeyReporter list.

3) The remote computer is not available on the network
This is the most likely reason for this message to appear. The KeyReporter list shows computers that are ready for connections, but it cannot determine if a network hurdle exists between your computer and the remote computer. All lab computers are on the world wide web, as a result they are subjected to hacking attempts that originate from around the world on a regular basis. NDSU has network security measures in place to mitigate hacking attempts and will block machines that are under attack for 15 minutes at a time, it will block the IP address of apparent hackers for 24 hours. In order to not be perceived as a threat, take care when entering your username and password, and do not try more than a few machines if your connection is failing. 

Uncommon

"We're sorry, access is not allowed because you are not enrolled. Please contact your organization's IT help desk for assistance"

Resolution

The account you are logging in with is authorized to login to this computer, but you have not yet setup Duo Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for your username. Click here to enable MFA on your account: Duo MFA

Uncommon

"Access Denied. The username you have entered cannot authenticate with Duo Security. Please contact your system administrator."

Resolution

The account you are logging in with is authorized to login to this computer, but you have not yet setup Duo Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for your username. Click here to enable MFA on your account: Duo MFA

Uncommon

"The connection was denied because the user account is not authorized for remote login"

Resolution

It is likely that you have not been set up in our system as a student in the department of the lab you are attempting to connect to, or that your office PC has not yet been configured properly.

Please contact CoE Tech Support.

Uncommon

"Your credentials did not work"

Resolution

Verify that the username entered is correct (shown in the sample error message above as: "wrong.username"). If entered incorrectly, click on "More choices" and try again.

User name: Use your normal desktop login username with @ndsu.edu added to the end (username@ndsu.edu).
Password: If the username appears to be correct, try entering your password again.
If you still have issues, contact CoE Tech Support.

WARNING: Repeated failed attempts will disable remote access to this machine for a period of 15 minutes.

Normal

"The remote computer could not be authenticated due to problems with its security certificate. It may be unsafe to proceed."

Resolution

You can proceed by clicking the "Yes" button. (If you will be connecting to the same computer repeatedly, you can click the "Don't ask me again for connections to this computer" radio button to keep your system from displaying this message for the selected computer in the future).

Normal

Success!

Resolution

Once logged in, you may now use the remote computer as if you were sitting in front of it.

Normal

At the top of the remote window, you will see a blue connection bar to remind you that you are viewing a computer remotely, you can click the pushpin icon to minimize the bar.

Resolution

To restore the bar, move your mouse to the top center of the screen.
Once you are finished using the computer, please remember to log off. Closing the RDP window without logging off will result in your account tying up the computer unnecessarily and could cause your next connection to fail.

Rare

"An internal error has occurred."

Resolution

This message appears immediately after clicking connect, or executing an .rdp file. It typically indicates that something is wrong on the remote end, not your computer. Additional troubleshooting will need to be done on the remote computer, please contact CoE Tech Support.

WARNING: Repeated failed attempts will disable remote access to this machine for a period of 15 minutes.

Please keep in mind that there is typically no configuration that needs to take place on your PC or your home network equipment in order to use RDP. All RDP features are available within the RDP Client app. All necessary connection configuration has already been completed on the lab PCs, if you are experiencing any issues with your connection contact CoE Tech Support for assistance.