Troubleshooting Terminal Services

Last reviewed: 04/08/2010
Article ID: R10855

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows Terminal Services
All Versions Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Software

Summary

This article provides troubleshooting guidelines for issues arising when running the software using Microsoft Windows Terminal Services.

Troubleshooting for Terminal Services vs. Traditional Network Installations
Known Issues with Terminal Services

Troubleshooting for Terminal Services vs. Traditional Network Installations

Because of the unique relationship between the terminal server (i.e., the Windows 2003 Terminal Services server) and the workstations, procedures for troubleshooting errors that occur when using Terminal Services may differ somewhat from traditional troubleshooting procedures. The following are some examples:

If you need to rename STI.INI, start up the Terminal Services Client and look for the STI.INI file in C:\Documents and Settings\<username> \<Windows directory> (where <username> represents the user logged in to the terminal server and <Windows directory> represents the directory where the Terminal Server's operating system is installed). For example, if the user who logged into the Terminal Services Client is JOHNT and the Windows directory on the terminal server is C:\Windows, the STI.INI file is probably located in C:\Documents and Settings\JOHNT\Windows on the terminal server (as opposed to the user's local hard drive). This is the default path used by the Terminal Services Client if no Terminal Services Profile, User Profile, Terminal Services Home Directory or Home Folder is specified. If one of the preceding is specified, the STI.INI file will be located in the operating system directory within the specified path. Consult your network administrator if you need assistance. More information is available in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:
- Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 816313 - HOW TO: Assign a Home Folder to a User (Windows 2003 Server)
- Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 246132 - User Profile and Home Directory Behavior with Terminal Services
If it becomes necessary to make edits to the system registry, the Terminal Services Profile or User Profile must be considered when locating the registry keys to be edited. Depending upon whether a Terminal Services Profile or User Profile is specified when logging into the Terminal Services Client, the registry keys that relate to the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software may be in different registry locations. Consult your network administrator if you need to edit the system registry when using Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software with a Terminal Services Client.

CAUTION: Editing the Windows registry is typically not recommended because of potential problems that can occur when not done properly. We are not responsible for edits made to the registry. Any registry changes should be made by your network administrator or a qualified professional.

If it becomes necessary to reboot a workstation, you may need to reboot the terminal server in addition to or instead of the workstation experiencing the problem. Either machine could be affected by memory or resource issues, but since the application is being executed at the terminal server rather than the workstation, it is likely that you will need to reboot the terminal server.

If you need to move files out of the DropBox, "drag and drop" and "copy and paste" functionality may be limited depending on what add-ons are installed with your terminal server.

Known Issues with Terminal Services

The following are known issues with Terminal Services:

Symptom

Status

Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Version 12 or later icons and buttons appear to be distorted or using the incorrect colors.

Windows 2003 Terminal Services does not have color limitation, although for performance reasons, we further recommend not using a color depth greater than 16-bit color on a Terminal Services platform. For more information on increasing the color resolution to greater than 256 colors when using Terminal Services with Microsoft Windows Server 2003, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 323353, "How to Connect to Terminal Services with a Color Resolution of Greater than 256 Colors in the Windows Server 2003 Family".

Tabs3 and PracticeMaster applications do not retain printer information between sessions. During the initial session, all printer settings are retained. However, on subsequent sessions, the printer is no longer shown in the printer selection window. Therefore, the new printer name must be selected and all the settings reconfigured.

Microsoft Terminal Services supports redirecting printers with either automatic or manual redirection, allowing applications to print to a local printer attached to the LPT and COM ports on the client workstation. After the initial manual redirection, the printer connection will be reestablished on subsequent connections. However, the format used for the printer name for each session is "Client Printer Name/Client Computer Name/Session Number" (e.g., "LaserJet 2100 on LPT1 Session 35). When the client reconnects through Terminal Services, a new session number is applied. Therefore, the printer information written to the STI.INI file is no longer applicable. In order to retain printer settings for a local printer, do one of the following:

Manually install the print driver on the server so that automatic printer redirection may be used
Configure the printer to use a standard TCP/IP printer port
Share the printer over the network.

For more information regarding printing with Windows 2003 Server, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 818758, "White Paper: Terminal Services and Printing".

Note: Printer redirection capabilities vary with the Operating System on the Terminal Services server. Microsoft recommends that the server's built-in printer drivers (also referred to as native drivers) are used for each printer, as they have been thoroughly tested and approved for Terminal Services environments.

REFERENCES

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 818758 - White Paper: Terminal Services and Printing (Windows 2003 Server)
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 818528 - Problems When More Than One User Accesses the Same File Through Terminal Services
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 816313 - HOW TO: Assign a Home Folder to a User (Windows 2003 Server)
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 323353 - How to Connect to Terminal Services with a Color Resolution of Greater than 256 Colors in the Windows Server 2003 Family
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 294816 - Programs Run from Network Share on TS Close or Generate Errors
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 246132 - User Profile and Home Directory Behavior with Terminal Services
KB Article R10849 - Terminal Services Connection Settings

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