ASTER Software: Features and Limitations

This section lists the program's fundamental requirements and technical limitations, as well as restrictions related to the Windows operating system's specific behavior and resource sharing.

ASTER does not support “Mirror mode.” To correctly assign monitors to workplaces, the system should only have the “Extend these displays” mode active.

Windows combines monitors into a single logical output stream when duplicating, which makes it impossible to divide them into independent workplaces using software.

If you leave mirroring mode enabled, ASTER will not recognize the second monitor as available.

Before enabling ASTER services, ensure that the “Extend these displays” option is selected in the display settings of all target monitors in Windows.

ASTER is not compatible with the “Memory Integrity” feature enabled in Windows.

This feature uses virtualization to protect the kernel, causing it to block low-level ASTER drivers. Without direct access to the kernel, the program cannot control graphics cards or map input devices.

Go to Windows Security → Device Security → Core isolation details and disable the “Memory Integrity” setting. Be sure to restart your PC afterward.

To ensure a stable system boot with ASTER, the Secure Boot feature in the BIOS must be disabled.

The Secure Boot protection mechanism may block ASTER driver initialization during startup, interpreting it as an unauthorized modification. This often results in the operating system failing to boot, causing the system to automatically enter recovery mode.

Enter the BIOS/UEFI settings using the Del, F2, or Esc keys. Locate the “Secure Boot” option in the “Security” or “Boot” sections and set it to “Disabled”. Save the changes (F10) and restart the computer.

Using sleep mode, hibernation mode, or the “Fast Boot” feature is incompatible with ASTER's multi-user operation.

Since all ASTER workplaces share the same PC hardware resources, activating sleep mode or hibernation (by a user or automatically) shuts down the computer completely for all other workplaces. The “Fast Boot” feature may also cause driver initialization errors during startup.

When “Fast Boot” is enabled, Windows does not shut down completely. Instead, it saves part of the kernel data to a hibernation file. This often prevents the ASTER driver from resetting the graphics cards properly before a new session, causing additional workplaces to freeze.

• Go to Control Panel → Power Options and select the “High Performance” plan.
• In the plan settings, set the sleep mode option to “Never”.
• Click “Choose what the power buttons do” on the left, then uncheck the “Turn on fast startup” option.
• An alternative to the system-wide shutdown is the Monitor Power Saver. Use the built-in ASTER screensaver instead of the standard Windows monitor timeout feature. On the “General Settings” tab, check the box labeled “Turn off the monitor when the workplace is idle.” This allows you to turn off unused monitors individually without interrupting other users' work.

Some devices cannot be properly shared between ASTER workplaces due to driver limitations or specific operational designs.

ASTER separates devices based on standard system events. However, if a device driver bypasses standard Windows mechanisms by working directly with desktop coordinates, it is not possible to split its input among users.

For example, graphics tablets use absolute cursor positioning, or screen coordinates. Often, the tablet driver does not account for desktop virtualization, resulting in an attempt to control the cursor on all connected monitors simultaneously. Similar issues may arise with certain USB controllers or audio interfaces.

It is recommended that you use this type of equipment only at your primary workplace. If you need to use it at additional workplaces, check if the device drivers include a “Mapping” feature, which binds the device to a specific monitor. Try to restrict the operating range of such devices via software.

When multiple users work simultaneously, the load on the hardware components is distributed among all workplaces. This can lead to interference between running processes.

Unlike full-fledged server virtualization, ASTER runs within a single operating system. While this setup provides high performance, it requires careful management of resources. For example, a single “heavy” process can cause input micro-delays for neighboring processes due to the queue of requests to the storage device.

Disk Load: All workplaces use a single physical disk subsystem (HDD or SSD). Running a resource-intensive process (such as downloading files, installing software, or rendering) by one user slows down read/write speeds for everyone else.

Network Address: All workplaces use the same system IP address by default, which can be critical for certain network applications and gaming services.

• To minimize delays (freezes), it is recommended that you use fast NVMe SSDs and avoid using HDDs for the system partition.
• If you need different IP addresses for work or gaming purposes, use the “Assign IP Address” feature on the “Workplaces” tab in the ASTER Control Panel. This feature allows you to assign a unique static IP address to each workplace from those configured in the system.

On additional ASTER workplaces, issues may arise when using Microsoft accounts that require online authentication.

Microsoft Authentication Services (MSA) sometimes fails to properly handle simultaneous sign-in attempts from multiple sessions running simultaneously within a single instance of Windows. This can result in synchronization errors, sign-in lockouts, or an inability to launch built-in apps from the Microsoft Store on additional devices.

To ensure stable performance for all users, we recommend creating and using local Windows accounts. If you need access to Microsoft services, such as OneDrive or email, you can sign in to them separately under your local profile after the desktop has loaded.

Local profiles operate independently, so they are not dependent on network response times from Microsoft servers or the status of system authentication services. This ensures an instant login at all ASTER workplaces simultaneously.

When ASTER is active, the standard Windows “Fast User Switching” feature becomes unavailable at an individual workplace.

ASTER is a mechanism that enables multiple users to work simultaneously within a single operating system. The program's architecture prevents users from logging into a second account on the same monitor without first logging out of the first account. This prevents conflicts when allocating access rights to the graphics card and input devices.

Using Quick Switch in a single workplace may result in the ASTER session terminating unexpectedly or the Windows graphical shell freezing, as the system will be unable to adjust the graphics card's priority settings properly.

Each workplace in ASTER requires a separate local Windows account.

Create the desired number of accounts by going to “Settings” → “Accounts” or through the Control Panel.

Set up automatic login for each workplace on the “Workplaces” tab in the ASTER panel to prevent users from interfering with each other during startup.

While it is technically possible to use the same account in multiple workplaces simultaneously, it comes with a number of critical limitations.

It is not recommended to use a single account for multiple ASTER users due to potential conflicts regarding data access.

If users share the same account, any changes to settings, such as desktop wallpaper, shortcuts, or program settings, will be instantly applied to all users. This eliminates system personalization and increases the likelihood of software malfunctions.

Additionally, most modern programs (such as browsers like Chrome and Firefox, as well as office suites) lock their profiles upon launch. Trying to open them on a second workplace under the same user account will result in an error. Furthermore, saving files simultaneously in shared system folders (Desktop, Documents, and Cache) can lead to data overwriting or loss. When working under a single Windows account, multiple instances of cloud clients (OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive) will conflict over access to the sync folder.

Create and always use individual Windows accounts for each user.

This will ensure program stability, protect your personal data, and enable you to have separate Outlook settings. It will also prevent “File is in use by another user” errors in Word and Excel.

To make it easier to log in to different accounts at each workplace, configure automatic login (Autologon) for each workplace via the ASTER Control Panel (For more information, see Configuring Automatic User Login).

Special Setting:

If necessary, enable the restriction on simultaneous logins to workplaces using the same account to eliminate the risk of errors.

To do this, go to gui_specialsettings and apply the sameuser0 setting.

If you need to disable this restriction, use the special setting sameuser1 (used by default).

Using the standard RDP protocol may result in conflicts or force the termination of active ASTER sessions.

The RDP protocol takes control of the entire graphical console at the system level. For ASTER, this appears as an attempt by the operating system to monopolize the graphics card's resources, disrupting the monitor splitting logic.

The built-in Remote Desktop service in the Windows Home and Pro editions is not designed for multi-user mode. When attempting to log in remotely, the system treats the session as exclusive, logging off the local RDP workplace.

Unlocking Terminal Access: If RDP is required, an “unlocked” terminal server (Concurrent RDP) is needed, which allows remote users to connect without disconnecting local users.

Using server editions of Windows or third-party RDP patches requires caution and does not guarantee ASTER's absolute stability.

A password is required for an account used for RDP connections—this is a basic Windows security requirement for network sessions.

You may encounter a warning or error 2(31) when installing or launching ASTER. This is due to Windows 11's strict security mechanism, the built-in Windows Driver Policy.

Starting with the Windows 11 update (build 26300 and later), Microsoft has imposed strict restrictions in its security policies, blocking the installation of third-party drivers. These drivers now require a complex hardware certification process to function. You can read more about this change in the official Microsoft document.

The ASTER development team is working to resolve this issue, which will take some time.

To use ASTER, you need to restore the default Windows Security Policy settings.

To do this, follow these simple steps carefully, following the instructions:

1. Download the patch archive from the official link.
2. Extract the archive to any convenient folder on your hard drive.
3. Create a system restore point for security purposes.
4. Run the script.bat as an administrator (right-click and select “Run as administrator”).
5. After running the scripts and updating the policies automatically, restart your computer and check that the program is working properly.