Ways to check if user is active on remote machine before RDP'ing

Solution 1:

We can use qwinsta to Query WINdows STAtion and get a list of all active sessions.

State column shows if a user is active or not. This do require admin access on the target machine.

Got it on TechTalkz: How to View / Disconnect Remote Desktop Sessions from Commandline

Solution 2:

Similar to the accepted answer you can also use Query.exe like this:

quser /server:<COMPUTERNAME>

This will result ins the following:

Solution 3:

Create a BAT file the generates a file on a share saying the computer is in use. When a user logs in, it runs and creates that file. When a user logs out (can be done by GP script), it deletes the file. Check the share for that file before connecting

Solution 4:

You could use the NET SEND command to send a message to the machine to see if anyone's on it. This can be made easier by using a GUI app - the link below is the first free one I found by doing a Web search so it comes without any specific endorsement.

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/net_send.mspx

http://www.fomine.com/netsend.html