Cannot RDP using OSX. RpcOverHttpEndpointException: 2, Your connection was denied because of a Resource Access Policy (TS_RAP). Please contact your server administrator

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Mark Pace

After spending many hours trying to resolve a Mac OSX system remoting to a 2012 R2 RDS/TS Server, we have found the fix.

When remoting in you may get the following error:
Cannot RDP using OSX. RpcOverHttpEndpointException: 2, Your connection was denied because of a Resource Access Policy (TS_RAP). Please contact your server administrator

This error is with Microsoft Remote Desktop on a Mac with version 8.0.28 that had been upgraded from 8.0.26.

Interestingly we didn’t have the problem on a fresh client that had 8.0.28 installed fresh and not upgraded from an earlier version.

Navigate and delete or move the following folder: (NOTE: doing so will delete all your preconfigs saved currently)

/Users/username/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.rdc.mac/

Then the next time that you load the client, you get a completely fresh client version, including first run prompts etc. You will need to re-create the profile and gateway however.

After doing that, we no longer get the ‘login failed’ popup.

It seems that something in the version upgrade doesn’t correctly upgrade the settings files, causing the issue. But a fresh setup works.

We haven’t yet found out exactly which file causes the issue however we have tested and can confirm this fix allows the system to connect and work.

Credit: Tony “tbigby” Bigby

No audio device found in Remote Desktop Terminal Server client redirection on 2008 or 2012 server

Posted on March 21, 2016September 20, 2017 by Mark Pace

Having a problem getting audio sound redirected over terminal server or remote desktop server 2008 or 2012 to the client?

Here are a couple of things to check to enable audio redirect, even when server has no audio sound card.

When you connect the client to the server, it will redirect all sounds to be played via your local sound card however this may fail due to the following issues.

Make sure the client has Audio enabled.
- In the Remote Connection (MSTSC.EXE) , under LOCAL RESOURCES – > REMOTE AUDIO SETTINGS, make sure PLAY ON THIS COMPUTER is enabled
Make sure that on the 2012 Server, DESKTOP EXPERIENCE is installed. This can be found under Server Manager under Roles and Features
Right click the speaker icon and make sure you can test a PLAYBACK SOUND. There should also be a VIRTUAL SOUNDCARD listed
If you still get NO AUDIO DEVICE FOUND at this stage, you will need to go back to server manager, under the SERVER COLLECTIONS, make sure that the REMOTE USER has Audio enabled.

If you require further assistance or more technical information, please make comment and we will be happy to further assist.

How to make printer default in terminal server ( TS ) / remote desktop server ( RDS )

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Mark Pace

If you are wanting to use your printer on a Terminal Server (TS) or Remote Desktop Server (RDS), ensure you have allowed your connection to redirect your printers or they will not been seen on the remote server.

To set your remote session default printer, please ensure that if you want a local printer to be the default printer on the server, it must be set to the DEFAULT printer on your computer.

To select a default printer

Open Devices and Printers by clicking the Start button , and then, on the Start menu, clicking Devices and Printers.
Right-click the printer you want to use, and then click Set as default printer. (You’ll see a check mark on the printer’s icon signifying that it’s now your default printer.)

If you are running a Thin Client device, you will need to either have a VPN setup or the printer needs to have its port and IP address open to the internet.
Setting default printers on Thin clients, (unless there is an OS or is capable of seeing the local printer in its OS), is a little more complex and not discussed here.

If you still need assistance, please contact Sterling IT via our contact form or call our office.

Video on how to create a new profile and setup Office 365 Exchange email account with Outlook 2013 or 2016 profile

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Mark Pace

1. Create an Outlook profile

This is NOT required if adding a second account – skip to point 2

A profile consists of accounts, data files, and settings that specify where your email messages are saved.

Exit Outlook.
In Control Panel, click or double-click Mail.Where is Mail in Control Panel?
Mail appears in different Control Panel locations depending on the version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, Control Panel view selected, and whether a 32- or 64-bit operating system or version of Microsoft Outlook is installed.

The easiest way to locate Mail is to open Control Panel in Windows, and then in the Search box at the top of window, type Mail. In Control Panel for Windows XP, type Mail in the Address box.

Note: The Mail icon appears after Outlook starts for the first time.

The title bar of the Mail Setup dialog box contains the name of the current profile. To select a different existing profile, click Show Profiles, select the profile name, and then click Properties.
Click Show Profiles.
Click Add.
Type a name for the profile, and then click OK.

2. Add an email account in Outlook for Windows

In Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 for Windows, you can add Exchange and Office 365 email accounts, as well as IMAP or POP accounts like Outlook.com (Outlook on the web), AOL, Gmail, MobileMe, Yahoo! Mail, and more.

What do you want to do?

(2a)Set up my first email account
(2b)Set up an additional email account

2(a)Set up my first email account

To add an email account to Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 for Windows for the first time, the Auto Account Setup starts automatically when you first run the app.

Start Outlook for the first time.
From the Welcome screen, click Next.
To add an email account, click Yes, and then click Next.
Enter your name, email address, and password, and then click Next.Note: If your computer is connected to a domain for an organization that uses Microsoft Exchange Server, your email information is automatically inserted and the password box doesn’t appear because your Exchange account uses the same password as the one you use to log on to your computer.
Click Finish.

2(b)Set up an additional email account

Click the File tab, and in the right pane, click Add Account.
In the Add Account box, with Email Account selected, enter your name, email address, password, retype your password, and click Next.Tip: Outlook will complete the set-up for your account.
Do one of the following:
- Click Finish to close the Add Account box.
- Click Add another account, and follow steps 1 – 3 of this procedure.

Note: Sometimes Outlook 2013 can’t automatically set up a new account and might ask you to try again using an unencrypted connection to the mail server. If that doesn’t work, you can still add the account manually. Contact your email administrator or provider or for help with any settings you’re unsure of.

How to fix Error 0x80042412 with Windows 7 or 8 Virtual Disk Image Backup and Restore – Sterling Solution

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Mark Pace

When trying to recover from a Windows Image Backup, you may encounter error 0x80042412.

After researching a number of articles mentioning about disk clean, setting active partitions etc, it was found that the majority of people have this issue because of disk type and size.

How to fix

After a bit of time, the simple fix is use the same size disk drive or larger for the recovery.
If using a smaller disk, the original backup partition needs to be same or smaller than the replacement drive.

If you need any assistance with your recovery, please contact us for help.

CEO CFO and other management caught up in scam emails to transfer funds using fake accounts

Posted on January 12, 2016February 12, 2025 by Mark Pace

Scammers are reportedly claiming to be corporate CEOs in email scams designed to steal up to hundreds of thousands of dollars from targeted companies.

Sterling IT has had one of its clients be hit with this twice and we believe they phished the email addresses from their website.
The staff also had their titles with their email addresses making it very easy.

Stay Smart Online has received a report that scammers misrepresenting themselves as corporate CEOs are sending fake emails to the CFOs of targeted companies. These emails request that up to hundreds of thousands of dollars be transferred urgently from targeted businesses to apparently legitimate bank accounts held by third-party individuals. However, these bank accounts may have been established using the details of people who have been victims of identity theft.

The relatively sophisticated scam appears to be identical to, or a recurrence of, the ‘Business Email Compromise’ or ‘Wire Fraud’ scam that Stay Smart Online provided an Alert about in October 2014. Details of the 2014 scam were provided by CERT Australia. The FBI has published similar reports regarding the ‘Business Email Compromise’ scam.

Businesses are advised to be suspicious of unexpected, urgent demands for large sums of money by any person – including CEOs and other senior leaders. You should always verify these requests directly with the person involved and follow all governance and due diligence processes.
CERT Australia provides the following advice:

Consider adding a second method of verification for large financial transfers, such as verbal verification between employees.
Alert employees to be vigilant with regard to these incidents, especially those conducting or authorising wire transfers or similar financial instruments.
Do not reply to the email.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) checking should be implemented to detect and prevent sender address forgery.
Review network logs for evidence of the indicators provided in this Alert.
Configure mail servers and mail scanners to block and remove emails with the indicators provided in this Alert.
Report identified activity to CERT Australia.

If a company has been defrauded as a consequence of these emails, report the matter to local police for investigation and escalation as appropriate.

Source: staysmartonline.gov.au