Configure Network Level Authentication for Remote Desktop Connections

I was trying to RDP from a WIN XP SP3 box to one of our W2K8R2 servers and got an error.
Went ahead and checked the RDP setting on the server and adjusted - see below...All set now..

Network Level Authentication completes user authentication before you establish a remote desktop connection and the logon screen appears. This is a more secure authentication method that can help protect the remote computer from malicious users and malicious software. The advantages of Network Level Authentication are:

• It requires fewer remote computer resources initially. The remote computer uses a limited number of resources before authenticating the user, rather than starting a full remote desktop connection as in previous versions.
  
  
• It can help provide better security by reducing the risk of denial-of-service attacks.
  
  

To use Network Level Authentication, you must meet the following requirements:

• The client computer must be using at least Remote Desktop Connection 6.0.
  
  
• The client computer must be using an operating system, such as Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP with Service Pack 3, that supports the Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) protocol.
  
  
• The RD Session Host server must be running Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2008.

For now, I just lowered the security, but if you'd like to do it right, follow the procedure below:
To configure Network Level Authentication for a connection

1. On the RD Session Host server, open Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration. To open Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, point to Remote Desktop Services, and then click Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration.

2. Under Connections, right-click the name of the connection, and then click Properties.

3. On the General tab, select the Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication check box.

   If the Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication check box is selected and is not enabled, the Require user authentication for remote connections by using Network Level Authentication Group Policy setting has been enabled and has been applied to the RD Session Host server.

4. Click OK.