Tools

Preventing DameWare Mini Remote Control from Recreating Windows Firewall Rules for Centralized GPO Management

By default, DameWare Mini Remote Control (MRC) automatically creates and maintains Windows Firewall rules required for remote connectivity. If these default firewall rules are manually removed or replaced with centrally managed Group Policy Object (GPO) rules, the DameWare service recreates them whenever the service restarts or the system reboots.

First published date

8/5/2026 6:17 PM

Last published date

8/5/2026 6:17 PM

Overview

Organizations that manage Windows Firewall settings through Active Directory Group Policy may want to disable DameWare's automatic firewall rule creation to ensure that centrally managed firewall policies remain authoritative.

This article explains how to disable DameWare's automatic firewall configuration, deploy custom firewall rules through GPO, and verify the availability of the native 64-bit DameWare Mini Remote Control application.

Product section

Dameware Remote Support & Mini Remote Control

Cause

The DameWare Mini Remote Control service is designed to create or repair its required Windows Firewall rules when the service starts, the computer reboots, or the service is installed. Therefore, deleting or modifying the rules manually, including through the Windows Firewall console, registry, or a separate GPO, may not persist.

The most likely cause is a conflict between DameWare’s automatic firewall configuration and the organization’s centralized GPO firewall management. When the service restarts, DameWare detects that its expected rules are missing or changed and recreates them with the default settings.

Resolution

Prevent DameWare from managing the firewall rules

To use centralized firewall rules through Group Policy, disable DameWare’s automatic firewall configuration in the DWRCS.reg deployment template.

  1. On the DameWare administration console or MSI-builder computer, open the DameWare installation folder.

  2. Use the applicable path:

    • 32-bit or standalone installation: C:\Program Files (x86)\SolarWinds\DameWare Remote Support

    • 64-bit Mini Remote Control installation: C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Dameware Mini Remote Control x64

  3. Locate DWRCS.reg.

  4. Create a backup copy of the file.

  5. Open DWRCS.reg in a text editor.

  6. Add the following line at the end of the file:

"Check Firewall Port"=dword:00000000

  1. Save the file.

This setting prevents DameWare from automatically configuring or checking the firewall port during service installation or startup. It prevents the DameWare GPO-style firewall rule from being recreated by the service.

Apply the change to existing computers

For computers where the DameWare service is already installed:

  1. In the DameWare Mini Remote Control console, select File > Remove Service for the target computer.

  2. Confirm that the modified DWRCS.reg file is present on the administration or deployment computer.

  3. Reinstall the DameWare service by reconnecting to the target computer or redeploying the MSI package that uses the modified template.

  4. Confirm that the DameWare GPO firewall rule is no longer recreated after the service or computer is restarted.

Remove the existing rules and deploy centralized rules

After disabling DameWare’s automatic firewall configuration, remove the existing rules and deploy the organization’s approved rules through Group Policy. For example, a startup script can remove the default rules:

Remove-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "DameWare Mini Remote Control Service" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "DameWare Mini Remote Control Service GPO" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Deploy the replacement inbound rule through GPO for TCP port 6129, or the custom port configured in the environment. Configure the required profiles and remote address scope, such as Domain profile only or approved IP ranges.

Ensure that the replacement rule is deployed before disabling DameWare’s automatic firewall configuration. Otherwise, remote control connections may be blocked.

DameWare Mini Remote Control x64 availability

Yes. A native 64-bit DameWare Mini Remote Control build is available.

Use the installation path to identify the installed architecture:

  • C:\Program Files (x86)\... generally indicates a 32-bit installation.

  • C:\Program Files\SolarWinds\Dameware Mini Remote Control x64\... indicates the 64-bit installation.

The x64 installer can be downloaded from the SolarWinds Customer Portal under the DameWare product downloads. Look for the x64 or MRC64 installer.