Bizarre Remote Desktop question ...?

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OK, someone has to give me an answer to this...

Before leaving my last job, I used to RDP into several of the servers from home occasionally to make sure all was well. As you know, the Remote Desktop feature in XP keeps a list of most recently RDC'd IPs or computer names. Fine and handy.

So here's the strange bit. Since leaving that job, I had cause to fully format my home PC from scratch - I even re-isntalled on a completely seperate hard drive, so no connection at all could exist with the old installation. So, once I'm all back up and running, I fired up Remote Desktop on my machine, so's I could connect to my daughters PC (where my backups are stored).

Lo and behold, there, entered in the Remote Desktop window, is the IP address of the last server I connected to at my old job ?!?!?!!!! WTF ????

So can someone PLEASE tell me how this is happening (I noticed this once before, after reinstalling XP) ?

 

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You installed it on another hard drive and it still worked? Wow! I have no idea but when/if you find out, let us know. Maybe there's an article in this somewhere.

 

Yup, that sure is wierd

 

Tell me about it !!! The reason I mention the second HDD is that I noticed this before, when re-installing on the same HDD. Still odd, as I carried out a FULL NTFS format (not quick)

But this time it was on a completely separate drive, as the original one died !!!

Think this is one for Mulder and Scully

 

Are you sure this information is stored on the hard drive? Is it possible that somehow, the server remembers your IP and is sending it's IP to your PC? I don't know. I'm shooting from the hip, here.

 

I see where your coming from here, Trip, but I can't see how this could be the case upon reflection (this next bit is gonna freak you)...

I wasn't even online at this point !!!!! Was fresh after the install, and I was connecting to the other PC for my backups, which include my AV software. I don't even go near the Net till I'm protected up....

 

I was thinking maybe the information was somehow transfered when the original disk was put in as a slave. Perhaps when you tried to recover some data, that happened?

 

As I recall, Andy - at this point I didn't have the old drive hooked up yet. Like I say, I get the main drive full up first, then goose around with different setups after that

 

It's haunted!

 

I think Trip might be right lol

Maybe you coul contact MS?

 

Yup, AJ - I always delete the partition before an install.

Gonna Google a bit on this guys - thanks. Keep the thoughts coming tho ...

 

For this one, he'll have to give up the Internet and contact them with a medium.

 

Jak, did you restore your My Documents folder? I copied the text below from Microsoft. You can see where the info is stored. I reckon you must have restored your documents and the .rdp file too without realising. It is the ONLY explanation, nothing happens by magic

Note A Remote Desktop file (.rdp) file contains all of the information for a connection to a remote computer, including the Options settings that were configured when the file was saved. You can customize any number of .rdp files, including files for connecting to the same computer with different settings. For example, you can save a file that connects to MyComputer in full screen mode and another file that connects to the same computer in 800x600 screen size. By default, .rdp files are saved in the My Documents\Remote Desktops folder. To edit an .rdp file and change the connections settings it contains, right-click the file and then click Edit.

 

You know, Pete - I thought you were onto the answer there ..BUT...

I just checked the .rdp file in My Docs, and the only entry in it is for my daughter's PC. Also, bear in mind that the work server IP address appeared before I connected to her PC to restore my backups in the first place, so close, but no cigar, my Aussie friend

 

OK, Jak, did you do anything before you tried the remote desktop connection. It must have come from somewhere before you opened it.

 

No mate, not a thing. And bearing in mind I was made redundant from the place, I had zero reason to be accessing the servers anymore anyway.

I promise you, I installed XP, fired on SP2, set my NIC to the network (192.168.x.x, so private) then hit RDP. That's it - nothing else...

 

Just out of interest, I take it that you log onto the local machine at home, you don't have a server anywhere that you log onto/have a profile on? That is the only other way I can think of the info being placed there.

I of course assume that you don't log onto a network as you back-up were held on your daughters machine, but you have to ask.

At the end of the day, if it is new HD, freshly rebuilt, then it must have come from an external source. I of course don't know for sure, I am far from an expert, but google has givin me nuthin, and I just don't see how it could happen, unless of course your machine is haunted!!!

 

Hmmm, interestingly my .rdp files are not stored in that folder. I just did a search for *.rdp and apart from one on my desktop (not a shortcut) they are all in My Documents folder. I am running W2K Pro, so maybe there is a difference?

Try doing a search and see what you get

Pete

 

@ Andy - no, it's a straight peer-to-peer at home, and a direct logon to the work machine.

But will do some more searches on this - thanks to all of you so far