When a remote desktop connection between a Windows desktop and its host fails, it’s time to troubleshoot Remote Desktop issues by checking firewalls, security certificates, and more. Administrators can face a variety of Remote Desktop Connection issues, including network failure, Secure Sockets Layer certificate issues, authentication issues, and capacity limitations.
Network error
The lack of a valid communication path can prevent the client from connecting to the remote desktop session. The easiest way to diagnose this problem and fix the error remote desktop can’t find the computer. First, try establishing a session from a client that has been able to connect successfully in the past. The goal is to find out if the problem is specific to an individual Windows client, network, or Terminal Server / Server.
If you suspect the network is at fault, try narrowing down the problem to find the root cause. In doing so, you may find that the problem affects wireless connections, but not wired ones.
Firewall issues
It’s easy to dismiss the idea that a firewall can cause Remote Desktop to stop working, but it’s fairly common. To avoid firewall issues, make sure the port used by the Remote Desktop software is open on all firewalls between client computers and the server to which they connect. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) -based tools use RDP port 3389 by default. You may need to configure multiple firewalls.
SSL certificate issues
Security certificates can also cause Remote Desktop Connection issues. Many VDI products use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption for users who access VDI sessions outside of the network perimeter. But SSL encryption requires the use of certificates, which creates two problems that might prevent Remote Desktop from working.
DNS problems
Many Remote Desktop Connection issues can be related to DNS issues. If the administrator changes the IP address of the host, clients will not be able to connect to the host until the client DNS resolver cache expires.
Clients may also experience host connectivity issues if they use an external DNS server that cannot resolve hosts on the organization’s private network. To resolve this issue, you need to change the client’s IP address settings so that it uses one of the organization’s DNS servers rather than external DNS.
Insufficient permissions
For users to be able to access a remote resource through Remote Desktop Services, formerly known as Terminal Services, you must assign them the Remote Desktop Services logon right. Otherwise, users will receive an error message when they try to connect to a remote resource. To ensure that you have been assigned the appropriate permissions.
Capacity exceeded
You may also experience Remote Desktop Connection issues if you exceed your infrastructure bandwidth. For example, in an organization with virtual desktops or VDIs, clients may not be able to connect if the available licenses are exhausted. Some VDI implementations also refuse client connections if the server is too busy or if starting another virtual desktop session will degrade the performance of existing sessions.
Broken connections
Sometimes a client can establish an RDP session, but the available bandwidth is insufficient to support the session’s requirements. Depending on the RDP client you are using, this issue can manifest itself in different ways.
The session may hang or you may see a black screen. In a few cases, the customer might drop the connection and display a “Reconnect” message. The reconnect message can also be displayed if the host reboots during a session. This could happen if you recently installed a Windows update. The best way to fix the error remote desktop can’t find the computer this is to make sure client and host are running supported versions of Windows and systems are fully up to date. You can access Windows Update.