The remote device or resource won't accept the connection problem in Windows 8.1. How do I solve this problem?

To solve the issue of the remote device or resource not accepting the connection when trying to connect to a Windows 8.1 machine using Remote Desktop, you can follow these steps:

Enable Remote Desktop on the Windows 8.1 Machine

Ensure that Remote Desktop is enabled on the Windows 8.1 machine. You can do this by:

• Going to System properties (right-click on Computer or This PC and select Properties).
• Clicking on Advanced system settings on the left side.
• In the System Properties window, go to the Remote tab.
• Make sure the option Allow remote connections to this computer is checked. Also, uncheck the option Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (recommended) if the connecting machine does not support NLA15.

Check Firewall Settings

Ensure that the Windows Firewall and any other firewalls are configured to allow Remote Desktop connections. You need to allow traffic on port 3389.

• Go to Control Panel > Windows Defender Firewall > Advanced Settings.
• Create an inbound rule to allow traffic on TCP port 3389 if it does not already exist5.

Verify Group Policy Settings

Check if Group Policy is overriding the Remote Desktop settings:

• Open a command prompt as an administrator and run the command gpresult /H c:\gpresult.html.
• Open the generated HTML file and navigate to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Remote Desktop Services\Remote Desktop Session Host\Connections.
• Ensure the policy Allow users to connect remotely by using Remote Desktop Services is enabled. If it is disabled, it may be blocking the connection3.

Check Network Connectivity

Ensure there are no network issues preventing the connection:

• Use the psping tool to test connectivity to port 3389 on the remote machine. Run the command psping -accepteula <computer IP>:3389 from a command prompt as an administrator to see if the port is reachable3.

Restart Remote Desktop Services

Sometimes, restarting the Remote Desktop Services can resolve the issue:

• Open the Services console (services.msc), find the Remote Desktop Services service, and restart it3.

IP Configuration

If there are any IP configuration issues, you can try releasing and renewing the IP address on the client machine:

• Open a command prompt as an administrator and run the commands ipconfig /release followed by ipconfig /renew24.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the issue of the remote device or resource not accepting the connection when trying to connect to a Windows 8.1 machine using Remote Desktop.