This Computer is in use and has been locked...

[vacunita]

This has started to happen intermittently.
The Server suddenly becomes locked for unknown reasons.
The Problem is I can't unlock it after it somehow becomes locked. Pressing control-alt-del on the physical keyboard attached to it does nothing. The dialog box just stays there. Stating the Computer is in use and has been unlocked and only Domain\Administrator or an Administrator can unlock it.

I can however log in remotely.
Checking the Terminal Services Manager I can see 3 sessions.

Session    |  User         |     State   |
Console    |  Administrator|   Active    |
RDP-tcp    |               |   Listen    |
RDP-tcp#7  |  My User      |   Active    |

If I try to Force the Log off of administrator nothing happens.

I can send a message to the Console session and it will appear on the screen at the server. But I still cannot unlock it.

Any ideas what's going on, how to unlock it without having to restart the server.

Nobody here can log on remotely to the server except me.
Both by permissions and technical know how. As this is a small financial institution and I'm the only one with the actual knowledge to do it and the only user aside form the Administrator that is allowed to RDP.

So I'm at a loss as to what could be happening.



----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[gavm99]

This might sound silly but its just a dodgy keyboard or PS2 port is it?

How about trying a new USB keyboard instead?

Gavin Moorhouse

http://www.lucidcomputersolutions.co.uk

Interested in my personal blog?

http://www.thelucidview.co.uk

 

[wahnula]

It could be locking itself through the screen saver, there's an option for "on resume, password protect" on the screen saver dialog. This would lead to Gav's suggestion about the dodgy keyboard.

I would say reboot the server through RDP after replacing the keyboard, then un-checking that password-protect option. It could also be a one-time glitch...

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[vacunita]

The keyboard is brand new. Came with the server straight from Dell.
But I guess I could try a USB keyboard the next time it happens.

Yeah thought about the Screen Saver too, however if I let the screen saver lock it, I can unlock it fine. control-Alt-Del brings up the user screen to type in the password. Type it in and it unlocks.

It has happened a couple times before this.

Though after having rebooted the server it hasn't happened again.



----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[noveyron]

Is there any loss of functionality to users on the network, or any other adverse effects?

 

[vacunita]

None, that I could appreciate. All users could access shares and print to the printer attached to the server just fine while it is locked.




----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[ShackDaddy]

The only other options is that someone else is logging on to the server at that time, and taking the console session using the /console switch. That would lock the console, but I would expect you to be able to unlock it, unless some special trick is being used to disable input from the local devices. Sounds a little bit freaky to me, and I'd start to wonder if it was a security issue.

When you RDP in, check the system/app logs and see if it says that there were any terminal server logon events before yours...

Check the list of running processes and see if there are any there that might be a remote desktopping tool. You might also do a netstat -an when you are terminaled in and see what connections the server has to the outside world, and on what ports.

Dave Shackelford
Shackelford Consulting

 

[vacunita]

There's nothing I can find that would indicate a extraneous log-on causing the lock out.

No user's but my own are shown to have RDP'ed in.

There was an Audit Failure event for one of the computers in the Network. But other than that everything seems to be in order.





----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.