For Windows administrators needing to check active sessions remotely, the built-in query user command provides the most straightforward solution. When you receive the "Another user is currently logged on" message during RDP connection attempts, run this from an elevated command prompt:

query user /server:SERVERNAME

Example output showing two active sessions:

 USERNAME              SESSIONNAME        ID  STATE   IDLE TIME  LOGON TIME
 jsmith                 console             1  Active      none   5/15/2023 8:32 AM
 mwilson                                    2  Disc       3:12   5/15/2023 10:15 AM

For more flexibility, use PowerShell with the qwinsta (query session) command:

$computer = "REMOTE_PC_NAME"
qwinsta /server:$computer | Where-Object { $_ -match 'Active' }

Or using WMI for structured data:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LoggedOnUser -ComputerName REMOTE_PC | 
    Select Antecedent,Dependent | Format-List

Create a PowerShell function to check multiple machines:

function Get-RemoteSessions {
    param(
        [string[]]$ComputerNames,
        [pscredential]$Credential
    )
    
    $sessions = @()
    foreach ($computer in $ComputerNames) {
        try {
            $sessionInfo = Invoke-Command -ComputerName $computer -Credential $Credential -ScriptBlock {
                query user
            }
            $sessions += [PSCustomObject]@{
                ComputerName = $computer
                Sessions = $sessionInfo
            }
        } catch {
            Write-Warning "Failed to query $computer : $_"
        }
    }
    return $sessions
}

To reset stale sessions remotely:

logoff SESSION_ID /server:SERVERNAME

Or through PowerShell:

Reset-RDSession -HostServer SERVERNAME -SessionID SESSION_ID -Force

Remember these critical points when checking remote sessions:

• Always use encrypted connections (RDP over SSL/SSH tunnel)
• Audit session query activities in your security logs
• Configure proper firewall rules to limit RPC/WMI access
• Consider implementing Just-In-Time admin access

When administering Windows 7 or Vista machines remotely, you'll often encounter the vague "Another user is currently logged on" message during RDP connections. As a domain admin, you need precise session information before taking any disruptive actions.

The most straightforward method uses the built-in query session command:

query session /server:SERVER_NAME

Sample output:

SESSIONNAME       USERNAME                 ID  STATE   TYPE        DEVICE
console           jsmith                    2  Active
rdp-tcp                                 65536  Listen

For scripting scenarios, use this PowerShell snippet to get comprehensive session data:

$computer = "REMOTE_PC_NAME"
$sessions = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LogonSession -ComputerName $computer
$logonUsers = Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_ComputerSystem -ComputerName $computer | Select-Object -ExpandProperty UserName

foreach ($session in $sessions) {
    $user = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_LoggedOnUser -ComputerName $computer | 
            Where-Object {$_.Antecedent -like "*$($session.LogonId)*"} | 
            Select-Object -ExpandProperty Dependent | 
            ForEach-Object { $_.Split('"')[1] })
    
    if ($user) {
        [PSCustomObject]@{
            ComputerName = $computer
            UserName = $user
            SessionType = $session.LogonType
            AuthPackage = $session.AuthenticationPackage
            LogonTime = $session.StartTime
        }
    }
}

For environments with WMI restrictions, try this registry-based approach:

reg query "\\REMOTE_PC\HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI" /v LastLoggedOnUser

Remember these techniques require:

• Admin privileges on target machine
• File and Printer Sharing enabled (for remote registry)
• Windows Management Instrumentation service running (for WMI)
• Proper firewall rules for DCOM/RPC (TCP 135 + dynamic ports)

Create a scheduled task that logs active sessions hourly:

$logPath = "C:\Admin\SessionLogs\$((Get-Date).ToString('yyyy-MM-dd')).csv"
$sessions = query session /server:$env:COMPUTERNAME | 
    Where-Object { $_ -match "^\s*\d+\s+(\w+)\s+(\S+)" } | 
    ForEach-Object { 
        [PSCustomObject]@{
            Timestamp = Get-Date
            Username = $matches[2]
            SessionID = $matches[1]
        }
    }
$sessions | Export-Csv -Path $logPath -Append -NoTypeInformation