How to use Remote Desktop on an alternative Port

Mike — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:09:17 +0000

By default, Remote Desktop is setup to run under port 3389. You may want to change this port for any reason, I’ve done it to be able to have multiple Remote Desktop connection at home without paying for extra IP addresses.

I’ve tested this successfully on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Seven RC, Windows Server 2003 R2 and Windows Server 2008.

Here’s how to do it on the server:

Open the Registry Editor ( Start » Run » regedit )
Go to
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- System
- CurrentControlSet
- Control
- TerminalServer
- WinStations
- RDP-TCP
- PortNumber
Rick Click on PortNumber
Select Modify
Change the Base from Hexadecimal to Decimal
Modify the value to whatever port you want (Make sure it is not a reserved port!)

And now on the client:

Open Remote Desktop ( Start » Run » mstsc )
Type in the address:port ( ex: 64.233.161.104:3388 )

That’s it!

Windows 7 RC: Speed Up Aero Peek

Mike — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:08:54 +0000

Microsoft has updated the task bar in Windows 7, for the better. This new task bar includes a neat feature, Aero Peek, which previews the hovered item, but this feature requires 400 milliseconds of hovering before it is fired… For more people that might be fast enought, but for me this is way too long!

After about 5 minutes of Googling I found the solution:

1. Click on the Start Button and type in regedit and hit Enter.
2. Navigate through HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse.
3. Right click on MouseHoverTime and select Modify.
4. Set the new value. The default value is 400 milliseconds. I like to set mine to 100 for a 100 millisecond delay.
5. Once changed, click OK and restart your computer.

MIKE » Windows 7

How to use Remote Desktop on an alternative Port

Windows 7 RC: Speed Up Aero Peek