Running Windows 7 applications in Surface RT

The above screen shot shows HandBrake, a tool used to create MP4 or MVK from any other video format or DVD, running in my Surface RT. Ok, I'm cheating. In reality I'm using a new feature introduced in Windows Server 2008 called RemoteApps or Remote Applications. This feature allows a machine with Remote Control enabled to connect to another machine, server, with Remote Control enabled and run just one specific application resident in the Server Machine. The trick is that some users found that this feature from Windows 2008 Server is hidden but present in Windows 7 if they change some registry keys. Later on somebody created this tool to make the life of the rest of us easier.

The whole process is really simple. You enable Remote Desktop in your Windows 7, you install Remote Desktop in your Surface RT, search in your App Store for it, it's free. Once you have that, download and install the above mentioned tool in your W7 and run it. You fill all the fields needed, create the Application Settings in W7 and then hit the create the RDP file button. That will create a file that you are going to copy in your Desktop in Surface RT. The rest is just double clicking on it and after establishing the connection you will see the application opened in your WinRT device.

People has tested this approach with other applications as complex as Visual Studio and it works perfect. The feeling is like you are running that application in your WinRT machine.

Update: 2014-05-04. Still one of the most useful tricks to be used in Windows RT. Here is a screen shot taken in a Surface 2 of iTunes.