With the introduction of the DameWare Mirror Driver, the DameWare Mini Remote Control (DMRC) program is able to retrieve the screen information/updates directly from the Kernel, instead of having to "scrape" the screen by reading the Video Card's Memory via Microsoft API calls.   This increases the performance as well as decreases CPU load for the DMRC Client Agent Service on a remote machine.  In testing, it is very near real-time and it is even possible to watch video over the DMRC connection without any degradation.

In this article:

Requirements
Installation Instructions
Removal Instructions
Important Notes

 

Requirements:

Minimum Operating System Requirements for Mirror Driver Installation

• Windows 2000 Workstation
• Windows 2000 Server
• Windows XP
• Windows 2003 Server
• Windows Vista

 

Installation Instructions:

For version 6.0 and above:

Simply install the most current version of the DMRC Client Agent Service on the remote machine.  The first time a connection is made, a message stating, "Configuring for first time use. This may take up to 2 minutes." is displayed as the Mirror Driver and the Virtual Keyboard Driver is installed.  Once completed, the connection will occur automatically.


For 5.x versions of the software:

PLEASE NOTE: The Mirror Driver setup program may or may not require a reboot of the remote machine to complete the install.

1. Connect to the remote Windows 2000/XP/2003 machine with the DameWare Mini Remote Control (Note: Windows Vista is only supported in version 6 and above).
2. Login to the Desktop.
3. Select File / "Mirror Driver Installation" from the DMRC menu.
4. Follow the instructions of the installation program.

For 5.x versions of the software there is no way to silently deploy (mass deploy, script, etc.) the Mirror Driver install, because it requires User Interaction.  This functionality is only available in version 6.x and above of the software.  Also, the File / Mirror Driver Install menu option will not be available if:

1. The remote machine is not running Windows 2000 or above
2. The Mirror Driver is already installed on the remote machine

Removal Instructions:

PLEASE NOTE: The removal of the Mirror Driver may require a reboot of the remote machine before it  can be completely removed.

1. Open the Operating System's Device Manager.
2. Expand Display Adapters.
3. Select the DameWare Mirror Driver.
4. Select the Uninstall Option from the Action Menu, Toolbar or Context menu.

Important Notes:

1)  The DameWare Mirror Driver is designed to run on Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows.  Mirror Drivers are not compatible with older versions of the Microsoft Windows Operating System.

2) The DameWare Mirror Driver supports remote control of multiple monitor systems, however, due to a documented flaw in Windows Operating Systems prior to Vista, negative coordinate monitors are not supported by the driver.  Negative coordinate monitors are secondary monitors that are installed above or to the left of the primary display.  When the DMRC detects a remote monitor that has a negative beginning coordinate it will drop out of Mirror Driver mode and use the standard DMRC client agent instead.  This appears to be corrected in the Vista Operating System.

Please note: The remote machine's multiple monitor configuration can be easily adjusted through the Operating System's Display Properties dialog.  Right click on the remote machine's desktop and choose Properties -> Settings Tab.  Here Multiple Monitor Settings can be adjusted as well as specified which monitor is the primary monitor.  In order for the Mirror Driver to work, the upper left monitor must be the primary display with all other monitors installed directly below it, or to the right.

3) Desktop wallpaper is not supported by the mirror driver on multi-monitor sytems (prior to Vista), due to the same flaw mentioned in note #2 (above).  The DMRC will automatically disable the background image when using the Mirror driver to connect to a remote machine that has multiple monitors attached.  The background image will be restored on disconnect.  This also appears to be corrected in the Vista Operating System.

4) The DameWare Mirror Driver is not supported when connecting to remote machines with the "Media Center" portion of Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) running.  Unfortunately, at the present time it is not known if this will ever be supported.

A connection can be made to a remote machine running Windows XP MCE without using the Mirror Driver.  A connection to the same machine can be made using the Mirror Driver when "Media Center" is not running.  The only time a connection cannot be made using the Mirror Driver to a machine is when "Media Center" is running.