How to Prevent Terminal Services from Announcing the Service to the Browse List (262852)

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SUMMARY

This article describes how to prevent Terminal Services servers from announcing the service to the browser list.

The list of Terminal Services-based computers in the browse list may be too large. You may want to prevent some Terminal Services-based computers from being able to announce the Terminal Services service; yet, at the same time, you may want to enable the computer to be displayed as a server on the browse list.

By default, only Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services-based servers and Windows 2000-based servers with Terminal Services installed in either Application Server mode or in Remote Administration mode advertise themselves as Terminal Services servers. Windows XP-based computers and Windows Server 2003-based computers with only Remote Desktop enabled do not advertise themselves as Terminal Services servers.

MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
When a Terminal Services-based computer makes a host announcement, it includes the SV_TYPE_TERMINALSERVER bit. When a program (such as the Terminal Services-based client), attempts to obtain a list of only the terminal servers, it performs a NetServerEnum function with a SV_TYPE_TERMINALSERVER server type. To prevent a Terminal Services-based computer from including this bit in the host announcement, you can add the following registry setting:

Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
Locate and click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server
Add the following registry value: TSAdvertise
Data type: REG_DWORD
Radix: Decimal
Value: 0
Quit Registry Editor.

NOTE: This registry change can cause the modified server to also become inaccessible in the Terminal Services Manager snap-in. Do not use this setting if you want this functionality.