Important Notice: Changes to Remote Desktop Sign-In Used to access J1 Desktop and PowerFAIDS
Microsoft recently updated Windows to show new security warnings when you open a Remote Desktop (RDP) connection file. You may see unfamiliar dialogs the next time you connect to your Student Information System. This notice explains what you will see and what to do.
What Is Changing?
Starting with the April 2026 Windows security update, when you open an RDP file to connect to a remote computer (such as J1 Desktop or PowerFAIDS), Windows will display one or two new security dialogs before your connection is established.
These dialogs are a Microsoft security improvement - they are not a sign that anything is wrong with your computer or our systems.
What You Will See
First-Time Dialog (One Time Only)
The very first time you connect after this update is installed, you will see an informational dialog explaining what RDP files are and warning about phishing risks. This dialog appears only once per user account. Simply read it and click through to allow RDP connections to continue.
Connection Security Dialog (Every Time)
Every time you open a connection to J1 or PowerFAIDS going forward, you will see a security dialog showing:
- The address of the remote computer you are connecting to
- A list of local resources the connection is requesting access to (such as drives, clipboard, printers)
- Checkboxes for each resource — all are turned off by default
The dialog will look slightly different depending on whether our RDP file is digitally signed: If the
| If the file is digitally signed |
If the file is NOT digitally signed |
| You will see the publisher name and a banner reading “Verify the publisher of this remote connection.” This is the normal experience for our connections. |
You will see “Caution: Unknown remote connection” and the publisher will show as “Unknown.” If you see this for our SIS connection, please contact the Help Desk before proceeding. |
What You Should Do
When the connection security dialog appears:
- Verify the remote computer address matches what you expect – this should look as follows:
- Enable only the resources you need — for most users, this is the Clipboard (for copy/paste) and Printers (to access local printers) and Drives (so that you may save information locally to your PC). You do not need to enable Other supported PnP devices, Camera, or Microphone for typical SIS use.
- Click Remember my choices and the selections you make will appear the next time you sign in. You will still need to click ‘Connect’ each time.
- Click Connect to proceed as normal.
What You Do NOT Need to Do
- You do not need to change any settings on your computer.
- You do not need to install anything.
- You do not need to change how you normally access J1 or PowerFAIDS— just follow the prompts as described above.
Questions?
If you have any questions or the dialog looks different from what is described here, please contact the IT Support Center before proceeding. We are happy to walk you through it.
For more technical detail, see the Microsoft documentation: Understanding security warnings when opening Remote Desktop (RDP) files