I just built a new HTPC, put Windows 8.1 on it, has RDP working fine for days. Even out of my house with port forwarding. Once I got everything where I wanted it, the last step was to change the port for security. I changed the registry Port Number (at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, SYSTEM, CurrentControlSet, Control, Terminal Server, WinStations and RDP-Tcp), to a 5 digit number starting with 13 so its within the limits. Restarted and I could not connect. It did not work. So I tried putting it back to 3389 and its broken now too. I have a laptop on 8.1 also and changed it at the same time, now I have the same issues. I have tried everything I can think of. Check and even turned off the Firewall, used netstat -a and it seems to be listening on the correct port. 

It seems to me there is something else at play here. Can anyone help me? This is at a bad time since I have leaving town for a few days and need access, I have to use LogMeIn. 

Help please. 

Hello MRDOYAM,

If my understanding is right, you change the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp\PortNumber, but cant RDP by the new port. Now you have change back to 3389, but still cant use RDP.

Please check if the Windows firewall block the transport, we could go to Control Panel\System and Security\Windows Firewall and click Advanced settings and check if the port  is allowed.

Also, we can use Network Monitor to trace the port.
Microsoft Network Monitor 3.4
http://www.microsoft.com/en-in/download/details.aspx?id=4865

Best regards,
Fangzhou CHEN

Correct. I installed and ran the Network Monitor. I see the RDP come across. It gets a request then a response, the next line shows TCP Flags as: 

TCP:Flags=......S., SrcPort=56040, DstPort=MS WBT Server(3389), PayloadLen=0, Seq=1923476531, Ack=0, Win=8192 ( Negotiating scale factor 0x8 ) = 8192

Does this help?

Any help here? Do you need a screenshot of the program?

Hello MRDOYAM,

Yes, please share us a screenshot.
Please save the capture date and share it with us.
http://support2.microsoft.com/kb/148942
Upload to OneDrive: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/add-photos-files
Share files: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/share-file-folder

Based on my test, if I change the registry key and add the firewall rule, I will able to rdp to the remote compute by the new port.

Please take the following steps for troubleshooting:
1. Check if we can use the command  telnet to connect the 3389 port.
2. Double check if we have the 3389 port in listening.

Best regards,
Fangzho

Here is the picture screen cap: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=7EC85BC23ED5E614!130&authkey=!AOh9B2MA2wL6GvY&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

Here is the file from Network Monitor. My laptop (I am trying from inside my network to simplify things for now) is 192.168.1.104, my HTPC is 192.168.1.181. Ignore 192.168.1.183, thats an AV receiver. 

I will attempt Telnet and report back.

Anything on this?

Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833?wa=wsignin1.0

Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833?wa=wsignin1.0

Thank you for this. I ran the Checker and it didnt not find anything. Is there a way I can re-install the remote desktop program somehow to reset everything?

Hello MRDOYAM,

I apologize for the delay.

Can you use the command telnet to connect to the remote 3389 port?
For example, we could run the command telnet 192.168.2.2 3389 check if we can access the port 3389.

Please save the network monitor capture date upload and share it with us for better analyzation.

Additionally ,we could use the Remote Desktop App in Windows store as a workaround.
For more information about the remote desktop app, please refer to the following article.
http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/remote-desktop/051f560e-5e9b-4dad-8b2e-fa5e0b05a480

Best regards,
Fangzhou CHEN

I cannot connect with Telnet, I think you meant telnet 192.168.1.1 3389 (not 192.168.2.2 3389). Here is the capture:

  Frame: Number = 2042, Captured Frame Length = 66, MediaType = ETHERNET
- Ethernet: Etype = Internet IP (IPv4),DestinationAddress:[10-C3-7B-E2-59-C0],SourceAddress:[40-16-7E-6A-2A-3F]
  - DestinationAddress: 10C37B E259C0 [10-C3-7B-E2-59-C0]
     Rsv: (000100..)
     UL:  (......0.) Universally Administered Address
     IG:  (.......0) Individual address (unicast)
  - SourceAddress: 40167E 6A2A3F [40-16-7E-6A-2A-3F]
     Rsv: (010000..)
     UL:  (......0.) Universally Administered Address
     IG:  (.......0) Individual address (unicast)
    EthernetType: Internet IP (IPv4), 2048(0x800)
- Ipv4: Src = 192.168.1.181, Dest = 192.168.1.1, Next Protocol = TCP, Packet ID = 11837, Total IP Length = 52
  - Versions: IPv4, Internet Protocol; Header Length = 20
     Version:      (0100....) IPv4, Internet Protocol
     HeaderLength: (....0101) 20 bytes (0x5)
  - DifferentiatedServicesField: DSCP: 0, ECN: 0
     DSCP: (000000..) Differentiated services codepoint 0
     ECT:  (......0.) ECN-Capable Transport not set
     CE:   (.......0) ECN-CE not set
    TotalLength: 52 (0x34)
    Identification: 11837 (0x2E3D)
  - FragmentFlags: 16384 (0x4000)
     Reserved: (0...............)
     DF:       (.1..............) Do not fragment
     MF:       (..0.............) This is the last fragment
     Offset:   (...0000000000000) 0
    TimeToLive: 128 (0x80)
    NextProtocol: TCP, 6(0x6)
    Checksum: 0 (0x0)
    SourceAddress: 192.168.1.181
    DestinationAddress: 192.168.1.1
- Tcp: Flags=......S., SrcPort=49484, DstPort=MS WBT Server(3389), PayloadLen=0, Seq=2957377870, Ack=0, Win=8192 ( Negotiating scale factor 0x8 ) = 8192
    SrcPort: 49484
    DstPort: MS WBT Server(3389)
    SequenceNumber: 2957377870 (0xB046014E)
    AcknowledgementNumber: 0 (0x0)
  - DataOffset: 128 (0x80)
     DataOffset: (1000....) 32 bytes
     Reserved:   (....000.)
     NS:         (.......0) Nonce Sum not significant
  - Flags: ......S.
     CWR:    (0.......) CWR not significant
     ECE:    (.0......) ECN-Echo not significant
     Urgent: (..0.....) Not Urgent Data
     Ack:    (...0....) Acknowledgement field not significant
     Push:   (....0...) No Push Function
     Reset:  (.....0..) No Reset
     Syn:    (......1.) Synchronize sequence numbers
     Fin:    (.......0) Not End of data
    Window: 8192 ( Negotiating scale factor 0x8 ) = 8192
    Checksum: 0x842D, Disregarded
    UrgentPointer: 0 (0x0)
  - TCPOptions: 
   - MaxSegmentSize: 1
      type: Maximum Segment Size. 2(0x2)
      OptionLength: 4 (0x4)
      MaxSegmentSize: 1460 (0x5B4)
   - NoOption: 
      type: No operation. 1(0x1)
   - WindowsScaleFactor: ShiftCount: 8
      type: Window scale factor. 3(0x3)
      Length: 3 (0x3)
      ShiftCount: 8 (0x8)
   - NoOption: 
      type: No operation. 1(0x1)
   - NoOption: 
      type: No operation. 1(0x1)
   - SACKPermitted: 
      type: SACK permitted. 4(0x4)
      OptionLength: 2 (0x2)

Anything here? This has been going on for 3 months now!