Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) implements clipboard redirection through virtual channels. When working between Windows XP (client) and Server 2003 (host), several components must align:

// RDP clipboard architecture components
1. rdpclip.exe - Clipboard manager
2. Terminal Server service
3. Virtual channel driver
4. Network-level authentication

From my sysadmin experience, these cases frequently break clipboard sync:

• Firewall blocking port 3389
• Group Policy restrictions
• rdpclip.exe process crashes
• Mismatched RDP versions

First, verify running processes on both systems:

@echo off
:: Client-side check
tasklist | find "rdpclip"
:: Server-side check (run via RDP)
tasklist /s %SERVERNAME% /u %USER% /p %PASSWORD% | find "rdpclip"

Try this sequence when clipboard stops working:

taskkill /f /im rdpclip.exe
start "" "%windir%\system32\rdpclip.exe"

For persistent issues, modify these registry values:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\Wds\rdpwd]
"fEnableClipboardRedirection"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services]
"fDisableClip"=dword:00000000

When packet inspection tools interfere:

1. Add RDP exception in antivirus
2. Verify MTU settings match on both ends
3. Test with basic RDP file (remove all optimizations)

When native clipboard fails, consider:

# PowerShell alternative using Win32_Clipboard
$clip = New-Object -ComObject WScript.Shell
$clip.SendKeys("^c")

When working with remote desktop connections, clipboard functionality is one of those things you expect to "just work." However, when it fails between Windows XP SP3 and Server 2003 despite having the Clipboard option enabled in mstsc.exe, it's time to dig deeper.

Before diving into complex solutions, verify these basics:

1. Check Local Resources tab in MSTSC → Clipboard is ticked
2. Ensure both machines have clipboard redirection enabled in Group Policy
3. Verify RDP clipboard service is running on both ends (rdpclip.exe)

Service Restart Sequence

On the Server 2003 machine, run this batch script:

@echo off
taskkill /f /im rdpclip.exe
timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
start %SystemRoot%\system32\rdpclip.exe

Group Policy Settings

For enterprise environments, check these GP settings:

Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → 
Remote Desktop Services → Remote Desktop Session Host → Device and Resource Redirection → 
"Do not allow clipboard redirection" → Set to Disabled

If standard fixes don't work, try these registry modifications on both machines:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\Wds\rdpwd]
"fEnableClip"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp]
"fDisableClip"=dword:00000000

When native clipboard fails, consider these workarounds:

1. Use third-party tools like Clipboard Fusion or Ditto
2. Transfer via network shares: \\client\share → \\server\share
3. Implement a simple socket-based clipboard sync tool (Python example below)

# Python 2.7 clipboard sync script
import socket
import pyperclip

def sync_clipboard(host, port=5000):
    s = socket.socket()
    try:
        s.connect((host, port))
        while True:
            data = s.recv(1024)
            if data: pyperclip.copy(data)
    except Exception as e:
        print "Connection failed:", e
    finally:
        s.close()

After applying fixes, verify:

• No firewall blocking port 3389 (or your custom RDP port)
• User has sufficient permissions on both systems
• No antivirus software interfering with RDP components