Blank screen on console after CTRL-ALT-DEL

Hi All,

This has happened twice within the last week.

2003 x64 Server, with no known changes. Server appears to be running fine,
then pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL causes a blank screen (gray) with a mouse
pointer. The pointer moves but that's about it. Right clicking does
nothing. CTRL-ALT-DEL does nothing. Caps lock and Num lock work fine.

Otherwise the server seems to be working ok. I am not getting any
complaints from users and I can RDP into it. The event viewer shows nothing
of any help.

Any idea what I can do to identify the cause of this problem?

Thanks in advance,
Ken

 

Ken Richmond <richmond@news.postalias> wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Hi All,
>
> This has happened twice within the last week.
>
> 2003 x64 Server, with no known changes. Server appears to be running
> fine, then pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL causes a blank screen (gray) with a
> mouse pointer. The pointer moves but that's about it. Right
> clicking does nothing. CTRL-ALT-DEL does nothing. Caps lock and Num
> lock work fine.
> Otherwise the server seems to be working ok. I am not getting any
> complaints from users and I can RDP into it. The event viewer shows
> nothing of any help.
>
> Any idea what I can do to identify the cause of this problem?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Ken<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

Same results when you RDP directly to the console session?

 

here is what I have found when you RDP and changes made to the registry,
create a *.reg file for the following between lines.
----------------------

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors]
"ActiveBorder"="212 208 200"
"ActiveTitle"="10 36 106"
"AppWorkSpace"="128 128 128"
"Background"="102 111 116"
"ButtonAlternateFace"="181 181 181"
"ButtonDkShadow"="64 64 64"
"ButtonFace"="212 208 200"
"ButtonHilight"="255 255 255"
"ButtonLight"="212 208 200"
"ButtonShadow"="128 128 128"
"ButtonText"="0 0 0"
"GradientActiveTitle"="166 202 240"
"GradientInactiveTitle"="192 192 192"
"GrayText"="128 128 128"
"Hilight"="10 36 106"
"HilightText"="255 255 255"
"HotTrackingColor"="0 0 128"
"InactiveBorder"="212 208 200"
"InactiveTitle"="128 128 128"
"InactiveTitleText"="212 208 200"
"InfoText"="0 0 0"
"InfoWindow"="255 255 225"
"Menu"="212 208 200"
"MenuText"="0 0 0"
"Scrollbar"="212 208 200"
"TitleText"="255 255 255"
"Window"="255 255 255"
"WindowFrame"="0 0 0"
"WindowText"="0 0 0"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" wrote:
<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Ken Richmond <richmond@news.postalias> wrote:<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
> > Hi All,
> >
> > This has happened twice within the last week.
> >
> > 2003 x64 Server, with no known changes. Server appears to be running
> > fine, then pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL causes a blank screen (gray) with a
> > mouse pointer. The pointer moves but that's about it. Right
> > clicking does nothing. CTRL-ALT-DEL does nothing. Caps lock and Num
> > lock work fine.
> > Otherwise the server seems to be working ok. I am not getting any
> > complaints from users and I can RDP into it. The event viewer shows
> > nothing of any help.
> >
> > Any idea what I can do to identify the cause of this problem?
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> > Ken<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
>
> Same results when you RDP directly to the console session?
>
>
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

Hi Lanwrench,

No. When I RDP in things look normal.


"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
<lanwench@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmailatyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:OgnQAmBpJHA.3984@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Ken Richmond <richmond@news.postalias> wrote:<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>> Hi All,
>>
>> This has happened twice within the last week.
>>
>> 2003 x64 Server, with no known changes. Server appears to be running
>> fine, then pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL causes a blank screen (gray) with a
>> mouse pointer. The pointer moves but that's about it. Right
>> clicking does nothing. CTRL-ALT-DEL does nothing. Caps lock and Num
>> lock work fine.
>> Otherwise the server seems to be working ok. I am not getting any
>> complaints from users and I can RDP into it. The event viewer shows
>> nothing of any help.
>>
>> Any idea what I can do to identify the cause of this problem?
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>> Ken<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
>
> Same results when you RDP directly to the console session?
> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

Hi Tpatel

Thanks for your reply.

I RDP'd into the server and confirmed that all of the registry entries you
listed below were the same. Not sure where to go from here.

Cheers,
Ken


"TPATEL" <TPATEL@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A58BDAC3-4ED1-4EA2-9C9C-822E3C1CD986@microsoft.com...<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> here is what I have found when you RDP and changes made to the registry,
> create a *.reg file for the following between lines.
> ----------------------
>
> HKEY_USERS.DEFAULTControl PanelColors]
> "ActiveBorder"="212 208 200"
> "ActiveTitle"="10 36 106"
> "AppWorkSpace"="128 128 128"
> "Background"="102 111 116"
> "ButtonAlternateFace"="181 181 181"
> "ButtonDkShadow"="64 64 64"
> "ButtonFace"="212 208 200"
> "ButtonHilight"="255 255 255"
> "ButtonLight"="212 208 200"
> "ButtonShadow"="128 128 128"
> "ButtonText"="0 0 0"
> "GradientActiveTitle"="166 202 240"
> "GradientInactiveTitle"="192 192 192"
> "GrayText"="128 128 128"
> "Hilight"="10 36 106"
> "HilightText"="255 255 255"
> "HotTrackingColor"="0 0 128"
> "InactiveBorder"="212 208 200"
> "InactiveTitle"="128 128 128"
> "InactiveTitleText"="212 208 200"
> "InfoText"="0 0 0"
> "InfoWindow"="255 255 225"
> "Menu"="212 208 200"
> "MenuText"="0 0 0"
> "Scrollbar"="212 208 200"
> "TitleText"="255 255 255"
> "Window"="255 255 255"
> "WindowFrame"="0 0 0"
> "WindowText"="0 0 0"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]" wrote:
><!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>> Ken Richmond <richmond@news.postalias> wrote:<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
>> > Hi All,
>> >
>> > This has happened twice within the last week.
>> >
>> > 2003 x64 Server, with no known changes. Server appears to be running
>> > fine, then pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL causes a blank screen (gray) with a
>> > mouse pointer. The pointer moves but that's about it. Right
>> > clicking does nothing. CTRL-ALT-DEL does nothing. Caps lock and Num
>> > lock work fine.
>> > Otherwise the server seems to be working ok. I am not getting any
>> > complaints from users and I can RDP into it. The event viewer shows
>> > nothing of any help.
>> >
>> > Any idea what I can do to identify the cause of this problem?
>> >
>> > Thanks in advance,
>> > Ken<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
>>
>> Same results when you RDP directly to the console session?
>>
>>
>> <!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

Ken Richmond <richmond@news.postalias> wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> Hi Lanwrench,
>
> No. When I RDP in things look normal.<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

To the same *console* session?
If so, I'd be looking at monitor or video card stuff.<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
>
>
> "Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"
> <lanwench@heybuddy.donotsendme.unsolicitedmailatyahoo.com> wrote in
> message news:OgnQAmBpJHA.3984@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...<!--coloro:green--><span style="color:green <!--/coloro-->
>> Ken Richmond <richmond@news.postalias> wrote:<!--coloro:darkred--><span style="color:darkred <!--/coloro-->
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> This has happened twice within the last week.
>>>
>>> 2003 x64 Server, with no known changes. Server appears to be
>>> running fine, then pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL causes a blank screen
>>> (gray) with a mouse pointer. The pointer moves but that's about
>>> it. Right clicking does nothing. CTRL-ALT-DEL does nothing. Caps
>>> lock and Num lock work fine.
>>> Otherwise the server seems to be working ok. I am not getting any
>>> complaints from users and I can RDP into it. The event viewer shows
>>> nothing of any help.
>>>
>>> Any idea what I can do to identify the cause of this problem?
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance,
>>> Ken<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->
>>
>> Same results when you RDP directly to the console session?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc--><!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

 

On 3/13/2009 6:06 PM, Lanwench [MVP - Exchange] wrote:<!--coloro:blue--><span style="color:blue <!--/coloro-->
> To the same *console* session?<!--colorc--><!--/colorc-->

You will need to run the mstsc command, i.e.:

mstsc /v:<server> /console

(At least I have yet to find a way to connect to the console from the GUI.)



Grant. . . .

 

Couple more points here...

First, you can use Remote Desktop to remotely take over the console
session of any Win2003 server by adding " /console" (note the leading
space) behind the server name in the computer name box. So if you're
using RDC to connect to a server named EMAILSERVER, you would enter the
name as "EMAILSERVER /console" in the RDC computer name box.

Second, one of the later Remote Desktop updates from Microsoft changed
the switch to use for the console session from /console to /admin. The
usage is identical in both RDC or with the command line MSTSC. Windows
Server 2008 came with this update, so it's always /admin with Win2008.


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