Improve the performance of connections

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To improve the performance of connections

1. In the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, click Options, and then click the Experience tab.

2. In the Performance box, choose the speed of your connection.

   To improve the performance of the connection, you can allow certain characteristics of the remote Windows session to appear if they are enabled on the remote computer. The characteristics that can be changed depend on the speed of your connection.

   If you choose Custom, you can check any combination of boxes. Your choices are saved in a connection (.rdp) file.

Notes

• To open Remote Desktop Connection, click Start, point to Programs or All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop Connection.

• The default connection speed is Modem (56 Kbps). This speed offers very good performance for most networks. Use the faster speed settings to enable richer graphical features, such as desktop wallpaper or menu sliding and fading. To select a combination of individual effects, use the Custom setting.

• Depending on the speed of your connection, you can specify the following characteristics:

  • Desktop background

  • Show window contents while dragging

  • Menu fading and sliding

  • Themes

  • Bitmap caching

Related Topics

Save your connection settings to a file

Configure bitmap caching

Change Connection Settings

Information about functional differences

• Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.