# The Ubuntu Forum Community > Ubuntu Official Flavours Support > New to Ubuntu > [ubuntu] xrdp or how to RDP from Windows to Ubuntu 14.04

## daveygabc

Hi all,

I am considering dual booting my Win8 machine with Ubuntu. The way I currently operate is by using my lower spec laptop to RDP to my higher spec desktop both running Win 8 (64).
Before trying Ubuntu I found a few pages describing how to RDP from windows to Ubuntu using xrdp. So, I downloaded 14.04 and ran it as "try" live CD. I search app center for xrdp and also tried the apt command to install with no matches.

Can this still be done ?

So, I want to use mstsc to connect to Ubuntu.

Any suggestions are welcome  :Smile: 

Thanks
Dave

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## HermanAB

Howdy,
The better way is to install Cygwin with OpenSSH on Windows, and sshd on Linux, then open an X window shell on Windows, ssh to Linux and run whatever you want directly.

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## Double.J

Hi there!

A warm welcome to the forums!

I would recommend remmina to connect to the windows desktop. If you don't already have it, you can install remmina from the software centre. Of course, if you got xrdp working from the live CD and were happy with it, then there is no reason you can't use xrdp as before!

There's a pretty detailed on remmina from here, but to be honest, If you're used to RDP it should be pretty straight forwad!

Jj

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## daveygabc

HI,

Thanks both for the reply.

Herman, would that method allow use a GUI or would it all be command line?

Double.J , I am after operating the other way around. RDP from Windows to Ubuntu.

Thanks,
Dave

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## Double.J

> Double.J , I am after operating the other way around. RDP from Windows to Ubuntu.
> 
> Thanks,
> Dave


Sorry my mistake!

You could also just use ubuntu's VNC server - set up vino on ubuntu then download real VNC on the windows machine?

Jj

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## daveygabc

> Sorry my mistake!
> 
> You could also just use ubuntu's VNC server - set up vino on ubuntu then download real VNC on the windows machine?
> 
> Jj


Sounds like a plan. Will test it in "try" mode. I have 100gb partitioned ready to install for when I get it sussed.

Do you have any idea why xrdp is not showing up on repo ?

Thanks
Dave

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## Double.J

> Do you have any idea why xrdp is not showing up on repo ?
> 
> Thanks
> Dave


That is strange, as far as I know it's still in the standard repos - it may be worth checking the sources in synaptic to check it's not just searching the CD (i had this bug in an earlier build of 14.04)

JJ

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## daveygabc

> That is strange, as far as I know it's still in the standard repos - it may be worth checking the sources in synaptic to check it's not just searching the CD (i had this bug in an earlier build of 14.04)
> 
> JJ



I was able to install java and another couple of apps from the GUI (Application App). search for rdp returned matches but search for xrdp never. Are you on 14 ? Do you return matches for xrdp ?

Also, is 14 (latest version on site) a good version for n00b ? Well, n00b ish. I need to work on RHL at work sometimes, but just to install files and navigate around. 

Thanks
Dave

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## daveygabc

Kind of given up Ubuntu for now as I can't get xrdp to work,, tried a few configs but still get a kind of a gridded screen with a black X for mouse pointer,, tried a few 2D gnome commands I found on sites but still same issue.
VNC is no good due to screen resolution and scrolling.
Has anybody successfully used xrdp with 14.04 ?

Thanks

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## Anders_Olofsson

> still get a kind of a gridded screen with a black X for mouse pointer
> Has anybody successfully used xrdp with 14.04 ?



Bump, exactly my problem!

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## Anders_Olofsson

After some googling I found: http://c-nergy.be/blog/?p=5305
Trying that now.

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## Anders_Olofsson

> After some googling I found: http://c-nergy.be/blog/?p=5305
> Trying that now.


Works.

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## zemega

Well, it works, but I guess the you cannot xrdp into the Unity interface anymore then?

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## matt_fussell2

> Well, it works, but I guess the you cannot xrdp into the Unity interface anymore then?


As far as I have read, Unity won't work in xrdp. I would actually recommend LXDE for remote access; it isn't nearly as heavy as Unity. Should you decide to give it a try with xrdp (assuming you don't already have it installed:



```
apt-get install lxde xrdp
```

Then make sure to add the .xsession file as so:



```
echo "lxsession -s LXDE -e LXDE" > /home/[your_username]/.xsession
```

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## monkeybrain20122

> As far as I have read, Unity won't work in xrdp. I would actually recommend LXDE for remote access; it isn't nearly as heavy as Unity. Should you decide to give it a try with xrdp (assuming you don't already have it installed:
> 
> 
> 
> ```
> apt-get install lxde xrdp
> ```
> 
> Then make sure to add the .xsession file as so:
> ...


In 13.10 pdf reader (evince) crashes in remote lxde session, does it work now in 14.04?

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## 5-tim

> As far as I have read, Unity won't work in xrdp. I would actually recommend LXDE for remote access; it isn't nearly as heavy as Unity. Should you decide to give it a try with xrdp (assuming you don't already have it installed:
> 
> 
> 
> ```
> apt-get install lxde xrdp
> ```
> 
> Then make sure to add the .xsession file as so:
> ...


I get an error when I need admin access when using this.  It won't prompt for the sudo password, and I get an error.

Authentication Error
Software can't be installed or removed because the authentication service is not available (irg,freedesktop.PolicyKit.Error.Failed: 9'system-bus-name', {'name':'1.64'}): org.debian.apt.install-or-remove-packages.

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## matt_fussell2

> In 13.10 pdf reader (evince) crashes in remote lxde session, does it work now in 14.04?


I don't know - I haven't had the occasion to try it out. I'll give it a shot next week (the machine I'm working with is in the office).

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## matt_fussell2

> I get an error when I need admin access when using this.  It won't prompt for the sudo password, and I get an error.
> 
> Authentication Error
> Software can't be installed or removed because the authentication service is not available (irg,freedesktop.PolicyKit.Error.Failed: 9'system-bus-name', {'name':'1.64'}): org.debian.apt.install-or-remove-packages.


Did you install this as root? If you did, you might try uninstalling it as root and re-installing the packages as your user. Forgive me if my code was misleading; I've been writing server scripts all day. There is also a thread on the Ubuntu forums related to this error that can be found here.

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## cwmoser

How does xrdp compare with nxserver?
When I was working at a job administrating Microsoft systems, I used an nxclient on Win XP to
remote desktop into my home Ubuntu PC.  Worked great, was fast, and used ssh underneath.

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## yannella

> After some googling I found: http://c-nergy.be/blog/?p=5305
> Trying that now.


This works!  Sweet.

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## 5-tim

> Did you install this as root? If you did, you might try uninstalling it as root and re-installing the packages as your user. Forgive me if my code was misleading; I've been writing server scripts all day. There is also a thread on the Ubuntu forums related to this error that can be found here.


I installed it normally I think.  I had the same problem with XFE4 (or whatever that other desktop was).  I think it's more an issue with the sudo plugin that prompts you for your password for your admin access.  You also can't change desktop resolution from inside the app because the desktop resolution app is too new (yes, you get a version error expecting 1.1 when it's 1.2).  

I managed to get X11VNC to run at startup and stay up, which gives me the unity desktop if I connect using VNC, which seems to work better than any RDP options.  I'll writeup what I did for others later.

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## matt_fussell2

> I installed it normally I think.  I had the same problem with XFE4 (or whatever that other desktop was).  I think it's more an issue with the sudo plugin that prompts you for your password for your admin access.  You also can't change desktop resolution from inside the app because the desktop resolution app is too new (yes, you get a version error expecting 1.1 when it's 1.2).  
> 
> I managed to get X11VNC to run at startup and stay up, which gives me the unity desktop if I connect using VNC, which seems to work better than any RDP options.  I'll writeup what I did for others later.


I'm glad you found a solution to your problem.

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## Matthew_Rutledge-T

> Bump, exactly my problem!


I'm not an expert, but I can share what I was able to do to get xrdp in 14.04 working.  Basically, I just had to use a different desktop-environment for xrdp sessions.

I installed Mate 1.8: http://www.webupd8.org/2014/03/how-t...in-ubuntu.html

Then edited .xsession to include the line

mate-session

Then I restarted xrdp.

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