Network / Sharing :: Remote Desktop Connects Once On Windows 8.1 Then Restore

I did NOT create a restore point before doing the upgrade.

About a week ago, I updated my Windows 8 laptop (a year-old Lenovo Ideapad) to Windows 8.1. At first, it appeared that the upgrade went flawlessly. After a couple of hours though, the crack started showing. I found two issues:

1. I could connect to the internet after a reboot, but if I didn't ACTIVELY continue working on the internet, the connection would die. The only way that I could get it to 'resume' was to reboot. I was using a wireless connection. Tried a wired connection with the same issue. No other machine on the network were experiencing the issue.

2. I use Remote Desktop EXTENSIVELY to connect to client machines. All connections work EXCEPT for one which uses an RD Gateway within the connection. That connection will appear to start connecting after I enter the credentials, then simply close. No error. No message. The RDP connection simply closes. I tried building the connection again from scratch. Same issue.

3. Meanwhile, I noticed that my email (via Outlook 2010) never stopped...THAT part of the internet connection remains 'solid'. Very odd.

No matter what troubleshooting I did, I couldn't solve the problem. So, I decided to see if it was Windows 8.1 or my machine.

I went out an purchased (albeit probably temporarily) a brand new Toshiba Satellite (L55-A5284) with Windows 8.1 ALREADY INSTALLED. No upgrade required. I turned on the machine, and did NOTHING ELSE, but create a Remote Desktop connection to my client. I was able to connect instantly. YEAH! Must be MY upgrade on the Lenovo, not Windows 8.1.

Then, things get REALLY weird (or weirder). I signed off of the client site (I mean, after all, I'd proven that it was my old machine and NOT Windows 8.1, hadn't I?). Almost as soon as I'd signed off and shut the computer off, I realized that I needed something from the client machine. Since it will take me a while to restore my Lenovo, I figured that I'd get work taken care of first, and went to turn on and use the new laptop (Toshiba). Well, imagine my surprise when I could NOT CONNECT again via RDP on the new Toshiba with nothing additional installed on it except for the Remote Desktop connection.

I had let the system update Windows when I shut down and figured that it must be the update that was just installed, so I restored the machine back to factory (I mean why not...I had only created one Remote Desktop connection on the machine). After the restore THE CONNECTION WORKED AGAIN. Sign on, check. Sign off, check. Sign on again, NOPE. Restore computer (again), Sign on, check. Sign off, check. Sign on again, NOPE. So, while I am far from being a hardware specialist, it seems to me that something isn't 'releasing' when I sign off. EVEN A REBOOT (hard or restart) doesn't work. The only thing which solves the issue is a RESTORE - either the kind that saves your files or the one that resets to factory...either one 'resets' the connection, so that I can get on again ONE TIME.

I'm guessing that whatever's the issue with the new laptop (Toshiba) is also causing the internet instability AND the RDP problem on the old laptop (Lenovo).