forum.vdsworld.com

[VDSuser]

I do quite a bit of remote desktop support. It gets really irritating when a user at the other end hijacks my remote session or unceremoniously boots me off. I need a way to temporarily disable the mouse and keyboard while I'm working on the PC via remote.

There's a great registry setting that does the trick, but it requires a reboot to disable the devices and another reboot to enable them. Not a good option.

There's a Windows call named BlockInput() -- does anyone know how to use it within VDS?

Are there other ways to remotely disable the mouse and keyboard?

Any help is appreciated.

[jules]

If you use Ultr@VNC to remote control the machine then I seem to rememeber there is a setting that will do that.

[VDSuser]

Thanks for the speedy reply.

The Dameware Utilities have the function, as well, but we use neither Dameware nor VNC.

I'm really looking for a way to disable the devices from within a VDS program. Ideally, the local mouse and keyboard would become disabled when the program launched; the program then would do other things, and, upon exiting, the mouse and keyboard would be restored.

[jules]

You probably have to some low level system thing, possibly it can only be done using drivers. Not the kind of thing VDS was designed for.

I suggest you search for help on this using Google. You might turn up some code using C or another language, but it will probably be a hard search because I don't suppose C programmers need to do this very often either. Then you will have to find a way to implement it from VDS.

Changing to use Ultr@VNC might be easier...

[Skit3000]

To disable (most of the) keys of the keyboard, just create hotkeys for all of them... When the users presses a button, the HOTKEY event is triggered, after which you can just ignore it. I have no idea how to disable the mouse, but you might be able to use the vdsdll28, which is able to set a specific region for the mouse which it can't leave. Just choose a position which can do no harm, like on the taskbar...

[jules]

The problem with that approach - apart from the sheer kludginess of it! - is that it will probably disable the keyboard and mouse actions being made from the remote controller as well.

I think it has to be a function of the remote control server, which has probably installed hooks already so it can intercept the keyboard and mouse actions and relay them to the client if required.

[vdsalchemist]

Skit,
Jules is right. The best way to disable the keyboard and mouse through software is to use a driver. The only other way I know of would be to remap the keyboard keys to other keys and capture the mouse to a 2x2 pixel area of the screen.

[jrmarquart]

For a non-vds solution you could use AutoIT, a freeware program found here: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/index.php

AutoIt has the function:
BlockInput, On|Off (which blocks keyboard and mouse input - plus it does not require a reboot)

I believe AutoIT will allow you to compile a small .exe and you could call this from a VDS program. Not the cleanist solution, but it should work for your needs.

[suxi]

Has anyone found a VDS solution for this? I have a simular problem. I am moving windows and sliders of a game around from within VDS and if the user moves the mouse during that processs, the mouse movements cause errors and don't work.

Have a nice day everyone

suxi

[roger2005]

You may try this from VDS..

RunDll32.exe KEYBOARD,disable
RunDll32.exe MOUSE,disable

[vdsalchemist]