Description: Want to have themes in a remote desktop session to Windows Server 2008, but you can only use the Windows Classic theme. There is already a topic on the Microsoft TechNet Forum about this issue.

Tips
- When you interrupt the connection while connected (for example pull out your network cable for a few seconds), you often get the Vista themes.
- Install the Terminal Services Server Role using the Server Manager.

Partial Solution
- Play a little with the registry to get Vista Basic. (Thanks to Massoud)

- Patch the tstheme.exe dll using this tutorial. Now you got Vista Basic theme in Remote Desktop; Aero isn't working (yet). Note that even if you uncheck the "Themes" checkbox in the Remote Desktop Client you will get themes after applying this patch. Forum member lars has made a nice little utility to patch the file automatically. This utility can be downloaded here (89,1KB) and works on Windows Server 2008 x86/x64 SP1/SP2.

What about themes in Remote Apps? (full Terminal Server role)

I thought theme is enabled by default? I can remote to the same machine and get Vista Basic, just not Aero.
Same with Remote App

You probably installed the Terminal Services Server Role to use Remote App, so because of that you have themes when you connect to that Windows Server 2008. Most people don't want to install the Terminal Services role, but just use the option "Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop (less secure)" or "Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (more secure)" in Start -> Run -> SystemPropertiesRemote.

Also, we 'd like to get Aero in Remote Desktop when we are connecting from a Vista (or later) client that has Aero enabled, like Vista. It is one of Vista's remote desktop features.

I believe it's one of the selling points of server 2008 r2:
http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:iMXNi6j618YJ:download.microsoft.com/download/f/2/1/f2146213-4ac0-4c50-b69a-12428ff0b077/Windows_Server_2008_R2_Reviewers_Guide_(BETA).doc&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

That's possible but it must be a module or registry setting that we just can't have themes/Aero when using Remote Desktop. If you have an Aero enabled Vista client and Vista server it IS possible. Also as you can see in my first post, it is possible to get themes in remote desktop by interrupting the connection. It looks that by interrupting the connection it skips some check it does at the rdp start up and so enables themes.

The only problem to find out what we have to patch is difficult while there are many files/settings accessed when opening a Remote Desktop Connection.

Arris

I have discovered that there is a registry key created at first logon using RD, HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager\Remote
When the network is interupted and RD is forced to reconnect, that key and it's contents are not present, and themes work. I deleted the key from within the RD session, then enabled the aero theme just fine. I then created a self extracting .exe file consisting of 2 files, enable.theme.bat, and enable.theme.reg. When you run the file, enabletheme.exe , it will delete the offending reg key, then simply apply aero theme normally.
You can download my enablethemes.exe here: http://www.pcdocsplace.com/files/enablethemes.exe This isnt a virus or anything, you can extract the .exe and look at the 2 files to see exactly what I have done before running the .exe file, so don't worry . I hope this helps....pcdoc_

I have also posted this information here: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/for ... f=required

Wow, nice discovery pcdoc_! That's indeed the registry key we are looking for! Good to see we have progress in this wish. Probably with this information we can find a more clean method of permanently enabling themes in Remote Desktop. Found out using Sysinternals Process Monitor that the registry key HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager\Remote is created by C:\Windows\System32\TSTheme.exe.

Maybe someone who knows how to dissasemble/patch this file can make a permanent solution for this. Anyway, I will take a look at this as soon as possible!

Thanks again for this information!

Arris

Arris, it was your original post that let me know themes were even possible with your 'network interuption' trick . Thats also some great info on the TSTheme.exe thing, i'll look into that myself...if we all keep working together, we'll whip this thing

Also, special thanks to sudeepg from this thread: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/for ... f=required , for pointing us to the correct reg key.

doc

Got some progress but will look into it deeper as soon as I have time. Here is the method to have the Vista Basic theme in Remote Desktop in Windows Server 2008 x64 SP1 without having to interrupt your connection or use an other trick. I couldn't get Aero via Remote Desktop working yet.

1. Go to %windir%\System32 and make a backup of tstheme.exe (e.g. tstheme.exe.bak).
2. Copy tstheme.exe to an other directory (e.g. your Desktop) and open it in an Hex Editor like Hex Workshop.
3. At offset 0x00006B7A replace the hex values "8D 15 80 A7 FF FF" with "C7 C2 01 00 00 00".
4. At offset 0x00007324 replace the hex values "75 0D" with "90 90".
5. Save the file and copy it back to %windir%\System32 overwriting the existing one. (Check this page if you can't overwrite it)
6. Delete the registry key HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ThemeManager\Remote.
7. Log in using Remote Desktop and enjoy the Vista Basic theme!

I'm not sure if this is the most elegant way but at least it works. Maybe it's also possible with just a reghack... Will look for x86/x64 SP1 and SP2 patches later.

Good luck!

Arris