Msg.exe Error 5 Getting Session Names
Ok after 2 days of research and messing with policys i still have yet to resolve this issue. Due to vista not having netsend anymore I tried using the msg.exe command. So far I have got it to work just on my local computer. But sending it to other vista computers It gives me an error: Error 5 getting session names I am computer Atlantis Destination: computer designated as "Challenger" Both running Vista Business SP1 msg /server:atlantis admin "Test Message" (local to local pc works) msg /server:challenger admin "Test Message" ---> Response: "Error 5 Getting Session Names" We are in the same work group, we are not part of a domain Any help would be appreciated. From reading it seems to be a policy edit that needs to be changed, but I do not know what to change, so any detailed instructions would be greatly appreciated... Alternative i tried: Also i downloaded netsend by czero.com and I can only send the message to XP computers. I cannot send a message to even myself.
June 25th, 2008 9:53pm

Hello, Msg.exe can only send message to a terminal server role, based on my test. Both Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 with terminal service correctly configured can receive the message sent by Msg.exe from Windows Vista-based PC. Hope it helps! Regards, Lionel
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July 1st, 2008 12:34pm

So if this only works as a terminal service role then what is the alternative to netsend because the program from cezeo as the netsend replacement doesn't seem to work either.
July 2nd, 2008 8:50pm

Hello, Based on some discussions about this topic, some community members provide the following tool as the replacement of net send that is not included in Windows Vista: http://www.cezeo.com/products/netsend/ Its said to support Windows Vista. Please give it a try. Important Note: This response contains a reference to a third party World Wide Web site. Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. Microsoft does not control these sites and has not tested any software or information found on these sites; therefore, Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. There are inherent dangers in the use of any software found on the Internet, and Microsoft cautions you to make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any software from the Internet. Regards, Lionel
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July 3rd, 2008 2:12pm

Actually based on my research and use of this tool, this seems to only work for machines doing Vista->XP machines VistaBusiness -> Vista Business doesn't seem to work with this at all thats why i tried using msg.exe to do vista to vista communications Also XP -> Vista communcations doesn't seem to work either. Looks like the messenger service is the key for recieving in Vista or some kind of permission setting
July 3rd, 2008 10:38pm

is this fixed yet?i agree with Viper0402 and think it has somthing to do with the workgroup or domainmy vista business machines are on the same lan and workgroup and can easily share files but i dont have a domain. A domain was not needed for net send though!
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July 21st, 2008 12:07am

Just an update on this issue that I forgot to post on this thread.The cezero netsend allows you to send netsend messages but it doesn't actually allow receiving because there is no winpopup installed on vista. As an alternative, msg.exe does work only in a domain environment.For those of you on a workgroup environment such as me, I have found a solution that actually works....http://wareseeker.com/Communications/winsent-1.1.10.128.zip/430735Program called WinSent 1.1, install that czero netsend and just run this program, it is a freeware basic messaging window that is the closest thing I can find on the web to resemble netsend. It pops up and can be closed down. Issue I ran into working at a library environment, patrons tend to turn the program off, work around I found...I'm sorry I can't find the tiny program, but there is a program that can be found on google, its about 50k big, what it does is search for a particular instance of a program of your choice and if its closed it reopens it to your system tray, the little program runs as a hidden process and you can set it to whatever time you want it to check... ex: 1 second, 5 seconds etc....Other issue that I have yet to fix nor will I be able to fix, once the pop up message window actualyl opens, it can be dragged out of the viewable range and that is the end of that... Only work around I found is that when you log off using steadystate and log back into the profile it is reset....Hope this helps anyone out.
February 3rd, 2009 11:38pm

This is a lame method/work around for a product that worked in previous versions. ~silentpete
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May 14th, 2009 7:47pm

Found a solution in this page: http://blog.netnerds.net/2007/05/vista-net-send-is-gone-use-msg-console- instead/ posted by an user called console. To make it short, in order to work (in my experience win7 to win xp) I had to add a key to the registry in the xp machine. (...) the following registry key must be activated (as described by Consoles above): HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server Name : AllowRemoteRPC Type : REG_DWORD Value : 1 (...) After a restart no more "Error 5" with the 'msg /server 192.168.0.4 * asdasd' command. Works like a charm!
April 21st, 2010 9:41am

I have tested this with Win 7 -> Win 7 machines in a Workgroup environment (no domain). Gaby appears to have identified that by default, in XP, Vista, and Win 7, this Terminal Services AllowRemoteRPC registry setting is disabled by being set to 0 (probably to prevent you from getting these spammed to you), and if you update this registry key to 1 on any of those above operating systems, the normal msg.exe command will work just like the net send command did in the golden days ;) Thanks, Gaby!
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May 18th, 2010 8:08am

For some reason it doesn't work for me. I changed the value on both computers, then restarted them and it still gives me error 5. I can send a message to the computer I'm on just fine, but I can't send a message to the other one and vice-versa. Both computers are in the same workgroup. Any ideas? UPDATE: It's back to error 1825 for me. I'm even kind of relieved now, at least I know it's something else and can stop hitting my head against the wall (that hard). Could it be an issue with router? I don't know what else could be since it doesn't work on any computer. All computers are in the same workgroup, is there any other requirement?
May 24th, 2010 8:20am

I'd like to learn how this works too.
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July 14th, 2010 7:20pm

I've got the same problem. Applied the registry key to the target system running Vista Business and I still can't sent a message to that computer.
November 15th, 2010 10:03pm

Worked like a charm for me too. Thanks a lot.
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January 5th, 2011 3:09pm

Changing the registry , in particular, the REG_DWORD value in terminal server (AllowRemoteRPC) to 1 from 0 is the solution. It's also important to follow the syntax exactly for this command. For instance, specify the server, user, and put message in string format (in quotes). So, if you wanted to send a message for peter smith to contact the help desk, for instance, user psmith(or whatever the naming scheme is for your domain) who is using petersmith-PC (the name of his machine) the syntax for msg.exe would be: C:\ msg /server:petersmith-pc psmith "Please contact the help desk" This worked like a champ for me. Thanks, gabyregistrado!
January 26th, 2011 3:55pm

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