Say you use multiple users on your local client, but find switching user back and forth between them cumbersome. One option then is to use Remote Desktop (RDP). Unfortunately, it is not completely straight forward to connect to your own machine.

Of course, where there is a problem (and I’m writing about it) there exists a solution. The solution this time is called RDP Wrapper Library.

1. Start by downloading and extracting the library from the RDP Wrapper Releases page. (See links below for a local copy.)
2. In the folder you should find the following files:
   • RDPCheck.exe
   • RDPConf.exe
   • RDPWInst.exe
   • install.bat
   • uninstall.bat
   • update.bat
3. Run install.bat
4. A UAC prompt may request administrator access.
5. Wait until the installation is successfully completed.

   

6. Upon completion run RDPConfig.exe.
7. Another UAC prompt may request administrator access.
8. Tick Enable Remote Desktop and press Apply.

9. The configuration screen should be like the picture below:

   

   Wrapper state: Installed
   Service State: Running
   Listener state: Listening
   

10. Press OK to close

11. Upon completion run RDPCheck.exe to verify.

12. Another UAC prompt may request administrator access.

13. A remote desktop prompt will show, press Connect.

    

14. If the library was successfully installed a window should pop up with a login screen to your local client requesting password.

    

15. Let us now try to connect to localhost again using Windows Remote Desktop Connection.

    

16. But we get the same error as above?

    

17. AS far as I have been able to understand, there is a limitation in Windows Remote Desktop Connection program which disallows connection to either localhost or the loopback address 127.0.0.1.

18. There is fortunately a simple workaround; connect to the server 127.0.0.2

    

Links

Github - RDP Wrapper Library by Stas’M Github - RDP Wrapper Releases Local Mirror - RDP Wrapper 1.6.1 (PW: 12345678)