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How to edit RDP Profile user downloads


Ciaran McCarthy

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Hi, 

 

We are having an issue where user sessions are being terminted are logging on, the following box pops up: 

Quote

 

The System cannot find the file specified

This initial program cannot be started: DefaultAltShell

 

We can connect to the RDP server locally just fine, it is only when going through the gateway that we have the above issue. I read that removing the reference DefaultAltShell in the RDP file may fix the issue but I am unable to determine how I edit this file for end users. Does anyone have any advice? 

 

Thanks

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I have a customer with the exact same problem - Case with Citrix is open but progressing slowly and no bug aknowledgement as of now.

 

Carls section on Bookmarks includes a passage on how you can alter the RDP file https://www.carlstalhood.com/citrix-gateway-rdp-proxy/#createrdpbookmarks

However, with that it didnt replace but added and we ended up having two lines:

Alternate Shell: explorer.exe or empty (our custom value)

Alternate Shell: DefaultAltShell

...and RDP honored the second line - so error persisted.

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On 11/9/2021 at 6:28 PM, Jeroen Schouten said:

Same issue after upgrading to 12.1 63.22

I submitted the case to Citrix support, however no reply yet.

 

In the mean time i attempted to solve it by setting the rdp parameter manually in the file llike Manuel mentioned. I also end up with two rows in the rdp file and the client only reading the DefaultAltShell.

 

So i tried fixing it on the server side. I made a copy of explorer.exe to the windows folder and renamed it to exactly DefaultAltShell (without extension) Then i added this registry key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services] "fAllowUnlistedRemotePrograms"=dword:00000001

 

It now succesfully starts the copy of explorer named DefaultAltShell

 

However, please fix this Citrix

 

Update the software of the ADC to 12.1.63.23 

Edited by Jeroen Schouten
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15 hours ago, Jeroen Schouten said:

I submitted the case to Citrix support, however no reply yet.

 

In the mean time i attempted to solve it by setting the rdp parameter manually in the file llike Manuel mentioned. I also end up with two rows in the rdp file and the client only reading the DefaultAltShell.

 

So i tried fixing it on the server side. I made a copy of explorer.exe to the windows folder and renamed it to exactly DefaultAltShell (without extension) Then i added this registry key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services] "fAllowUnlistedRemotePrograms"=dword:00000001

 

It now succesfully starts the copy of explorer named DefaultAltShell

 

However, please fix this Citrix

 

That didn't work for us. What worked for me was to modify UserInit under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Added the explorer.exe path at the end so it looks like this: C:\Windows\system32\userinit.exe,c:\windows\explorer.exe

The error still appears but the desktop loads. No obvious issues with that so far

 

Removing the DefaultAltShell line also works  but it wasn't ideal for our users.

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Same for one of my clients for latest 13.0 release to mitigate the critical CVE. While troubleshooting and comparing different setups one more information:

 

when connecting to a Desktop directly via RDP Proxy, everything works (even with the two additional lines within the rdp file downloaded, when downgrading the netscaler again, these lines are not inserted into the rdp file!!). When connecting to a Terminalserver Desktop (server with terminal server role installed) the connection fails with the mentioned issues regarding DefaultAltShell. So this issue only persists when using Terminalserver Desktops. Static Desktops without terminalserver role are not affected as far as I could test everything

 

deleting the two additional lines within the rdp file worked, but obviously thats not a workaround suitable for clients

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