I recently added a speaker to my primary computer. The computer, (I have been using it to remote in to a Windows XP computer running Simian (radio station runner application)), I began to notice was relaying the audio that Simian was attempting to send to the transmitter site at WETA-FM. I have a feeling this unwanted function of MSTSC was hijacking the audio to favor me with a low-fidelity (skipping and stuttering) rendition of what normally would go out the audio jacks at the back of the computer. The transmitter site was getting none of the sound that it was supposed to be getting. Research uncovered a registry setting that is supposed to turn this behavior off. My interest in this is that I remote in to the radio station computer to monitor its behavior. I certainly do NOT want to disrupt the audio signal that is supposed to be going to the transmitter site. So, can anyone assure me that the following change to the Registry is going to prevent such disruption?   Thank you.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp]
"fDisableAudioCapture"=dword:00

Hi,

Could you explain your purpose clearly in order to help you quickly?

The registry subkey you mentioned can disable the Audio Recording Redirection feature:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp

fDisableAudioCapture REG_DWORD 0 | 1

If either the policy or registry subkey on the Windows 7 Remote desktop computer are set to Disabled, Audio Recording Redirection is not available.

My purpose is to completely disable all audio redirection features when using mstsc to establish a remote desktop connection.  (Mstsc creates connections to Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) servers or other remote computers, edits an existing Remote Desktop Connection (.rdp) configuration file, and migrates legacy connection files that were created with Client Connection Manager to new .rdp connection files.)  The audio that emanates from the remote computer (the computer that mstsc connects to over the Internet) should continue to be sent out the audio ports of the remote computer despite the fact of the connection that mstsc establishes.  The connection shall support, per usual, the keyboard, mouse, and visual display screen.  Audio from the remote computer is unwanted at the client computer (the computer that launches mstsc and which connects to the remote/server computer).  If there exist configuration changes on the local computer and/or the remote computer that are able to perform this change from the norm then please specify whether the local or the remote (or both) computers must be changed.

Hi,

The audio that emanates from the remote computer should continue to be sent out the audio ports of the remote computer despite the fact of the connection that mstsc establishes.

 Audio from the remote computer is unwanted at the client computer (the computer that launches mstsc and which connects to the remote/server computer). 

From your description above, it seems that you want disable the audio playing in the local computer. If so, you just configure the remote desktop connection as below:

click "Local Resources" tab, under "Remote audio" section, click Settings..., select "Play on remote computer" entry.

"fDisableAudioCapture" feature allows you to use voice recognition, voice chat, and other software that requires a microphone. And audio capture must be enabled in the Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration on the server before it can be used. However, this is new feature starting with Windows 7 and it's not available on Windows XP.

Very good!  The user interface has a button labeled Options.  To me, Options doesn't have the advertising punch that, say, Session Control, would have had.  But that's a quibble.  What's missing is some really thorough client documentation.  For example, suppose I choose Do Not Play.  Does that mean the audio doesn't play on either computer?  Suppose I choose Play on remote computer.  Does that mean the remote computer's audio functions will no longer be messed with?  That is what I need it to do.  That's what started this issue.  Not only is the audio that plays through the client distorted but the audio that should play on the remote doesn't.  And that's a big problem.  Not a word to be found on that.  Googling the issue didn't turn up the Options solution.  But it did turn up a Registry patch.  Should the default setting permit disabling the remote computer's audio in favor of sending that audio to the client?  I don't think so.  I have no idea what Remote audio recording is about.  Could you elaborate?

Hi,

Not default setting, you just configure it by yourself. It would save your changes for next connections.

Remote audio recording is allows you to use voice recognition, voice chat, and other software that requires a microphone like I said in previous.

For more information, you could read this article:

Whats New in Remote Audio for Windows 7?

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2009/05/11/what-s-new-in-remote-audio-for-windows-7.aspx

Another alternative is to disable Allow audio recording redirection and Allow audio and video playback redirection via Group Policy. See Device and Resource Redirection on the TechNet Library

Brandon
Windows Outreach Team- IT Pro
Windows for IT Pros on TechNet