How To Increase Color Depth and Quality of Windows XP Accessed Via Remote Desktop or Terminal Services
When a Windows XP system is accessed via Remote Desktop or Terminal Services connection, the default maximum color resolution (color depth or color quality) is set to 16-bit on Windows XP. The color depth is limited in order to improve connection performance especially on slow link, and reduce server load.
In Windows XP era, high quality of video display of remote computer or remote virtual machine over a Remote Desktop or Terminal Services connection is probably not important or makes no difference. However, with the advance of high definition graphics display, connect to a Windows XP system on 16-bit color quality will make some colors to appear strange, or not properly drew.
It’s possible to increase and up the limit on the color depth of any connection to a Terminal Server or Remote Desktop Server via Remote Desktop Services session. Changing the color depth or color quality allowed over Remote Desktop or Terminal Services connection is useful especially in the case of Windows XP Mode which can be used to run virtualized apps such as IE6 natively on Windows 7 host desktop, where Windows 7 host connect to the virtual machine via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
Tip: If you’re trying to change the color depth limit on Windows XP Mode, click on Tools menu of the virtual machine window, and select Disable Integration Features before continuing with the procedure. After changing the maximum color depth limit, re-enable the integration features.
- In the Windows XP operating system (remote system), click on Start menu, then Run.
- Type GPEdit.msc to open Group Policy Editor.
- Navigate to Local Computer Policy -> Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Terminal Services.
- In the right pane, double-click on the Limit Maximum Color Depth setting.
- In the Properties dialog, select radio button of Enabled, and then set Color Depth value to 24 bit or Client Compatible.
- Click OK when done.
- Restart the computer.
The steps to allow Remote Desktop and Terminal Services connection to connect at higher color depth is basically done. However, for users who are connecting to Windows XP in virtual machine (such as Windows XP Mode) should check that the Color Quality setting should be set to 24-bit or 32-bit color in high screen resolution.
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- Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) Client 6.0 for Windows XP and 2003
- How to Remote Desktop to Connect And Access Console Mode Session
I have windows 7 and followed these steps until Terminal Services, I don’t have or can’t find it, so what do I replace it with or where else can I go after Windows Components?
I have been on computers for over 10 & did not know that I could get the computer to look this great, I would like to thank you for your time in help people out all around the world,
You, my friend, rock
After several hours on various MS sites and downloading their
DOC’s you are the ONLY one with a working solution
Thank you
Perfect; thanks!
Thank you! This is a game changer!
Absolute genius, this worked first time. Cheers!
The concept sounds great, was instantly "short circuited" when I tried it. I clicked on tools >disable integration. . . and this is what happened, instantly: A dialog box appeared saying that the computer was locked, enter username and password, exactly like the results when you hit contorl alt delete on a locked managed XP machine. Since I never was offered an opportunity to set up a username or password for my virtual XP Mode machine, I was stumped. I tried my administrator user name and password from the host machine (Win 7 64), but no go. The only way out was to close out of XP Mode and reopen it. This doesn't help at all. Amazing the stuff Microsoft just expects users to "know" by "some means". Felt like the jaws of a steel trap.
Thanks for the great tip! I was able to run my business software on the xp mode using this configuration!
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Thanks for this great tip. It seems to work on most of my virtual XP machines, all but one. I can't understand why either. It's definitely configured identically as per all of the other working machines, but it simply won't integrate with 24bit colour, insisting on 16bit.
Any idea's what else could require configuring?