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Unable to RDP into VMSS instances after changing the image reference.

Mayoor Shardha 20 Reputation points Microsoft Employee
2026-01-20T20:10:32.4666667+00:00

Symptoms:

  • Remote Desktop connection fails to all VMSS instances
  • Error: "Remote Desktop can't connect to the remote computer" (remote access not enabled / computer turned off / not available on network)

Environment:

  • Azure Virtual Machine Scale Set (Windows)
  • Trusted Launch enabled (Secure Boot + vTPM)
  • Rolling upgrade policy with automatic OS upgrades

Change Made:

  • Before: Standard Marketplace image (MicrosoftWindowsServer/WindowsServer/2022-datacenter-azure-edition)
  • After: Shared Gallery image (WindowsServer.Dotnet.1P/.../2022-datacenter-azure-edition-dotnet8)

Tested:

  • Downloaded RDP file and attempted connection from authorized machine. It was working fine using private IP before config changes and failed post that.
  • Issue affects multiple instances
Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets
Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets

Azure compute resources that are used to create and manage groups of heterogeneous load-balanced virtual machines.

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Answer accepted by question author
  1. Ankit Yadav 12,205 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-01-20T20:58:59.8+00:00

    Root Cause:

    The issue occurred because the VMSS blocked the local administrator login due to a weak password following the OS image change. After performing a hard password reset and configuring a compliant, complex password, access was restored and the issue was resolved.

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