Why can't I physically access my machine after a remote session?
- by Steve Crane
I have a Dell Optiplex 960 desktop running Windows 7 64-bit at work. I typically leave it locked rather than logged off when I go home, so that I'm able to remote in from home and continue working if I wish. This is where the problem comes in.
If I don't remote in there is no problem and I can simply unlock the next morning. It's when I do remote in that I have a problem. Remote sessions work as expected but when I get to work the next morning the machine appears to have gone into a sleep or hibernate state, from which no amount of mouse moving or keyboard pounding will wake it. The machine is not hanging as remote sessions to it are still possible; it seems that physical access from it's own mouse and keyboard are lost. The only way to gain access is to press and hold the power switch for several seconds until the machine shuts down. Of course this means Windows does not gracefully shut down and after powering up it takes several minutes for the machine to boot and reach the login prompt; presumably while it checks the disk.
Has anyone else seen something like this?
