Just had a thought..

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while installing various tools & apps on SIL's laptop, it occurred that remote desktop would be very useful when she needs help in the future, (and she will.
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..).

Can someone direct me to a easy to follow set of instructions for doing so?

Thanks,

Wayne
 
I know Windows features a Remote Desktop server (for the screen you want to control), but I am unsure which program you would use to actually control the screen. I am sure someone with a little more Windows experience than I will chime in soon with some more useful information. In the interim, this page looks like a good start:

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Using-Remote-Desktop-Windows-XP-Pro.html

Personally, I use the built-in VNC servers and clients when administering Linux and Mac systems, and for the one or two Windows systems I have to fix from time to time, I use TightVNC, which sports both a server (for installation on their machine) and a client (for installation on your machine). It's free, and it's here.

Note that in both cases, you'll probably have to open up port 5900 in your firewall(s) on both the server and client machines.

EDIT: This seems to be my 100th post... Where do I pick up my merit badge, decoder ring and bumper sticker?
 
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Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
while installing various tools & apps on SIL's laptop, it occurred that remote desktop would be very useful when she needs help in the future, (and she will.
smirk2.gif
..).

Can someone direct me to a easy to follow set of instructions for doing so?

Thanks,

Wayne


This is exactly why I strongly encouraged my parents (in their seventies) to replace their PC with a Mac.

Haven't had a "help desk" call from them since!

I'm still a PC guy myself, because I like tinkering with the hardware.
 
Quote:
EDIT: This seems to be my 100th post... Where do I pick up my merit badge, decoder ring and bumper sticker?


100? Maybe a small atta-boy..
grin2.gif


pable is the king!
thumbsup2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Ok, good place to start. Thanks.

Hmmmm.. I wonder what effect a router will have on this? There are routers on both ends.


I think Remote Desktop is based on IP addresses and if they are behind routers, the IP addresses will be assigned by the router and invisible from outside. There is another method as part of Windows that allows someone to take control of the PC like Webex or iLink. But I don't remember what it was called. The PC that wants to be taken over sends a file to giving permission.

Maybe Googling it will help.
 
I use Tight-VNC as per the suggestion of someone on here and it works great. You can even call out to the person you want to fix your computer and then work backwards through the connection so that you don't have to forward ports in a router... It's really cool and FREE! Thanks to whoever it was. I like that I can access my home computers in a Web Browser too!
grin2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
I use Tight-VNC as per the suggestion of someone on here and it works great. You can even call out to the person you want to fix your computer and then work backwards through the connection so that you don't have to forward ports in a router... It's really cool and FREE! Thanks to whoever it was. I like that I can access my home computers in a Web Browser too!
grin2.gif



Cough, cough.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...rue#Post1313742
 
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
I think Remote Desktop is based on IP addresses


... Which also suggests the convenience of registering for a Dynamic DNS account at DynDNS or one of the other DDNS providers. You can then give people a URL something akin to yourname.dyndns.org using any number of protocols for any number of uses: ftp://, http://, ssh://, and yes, vnc://. That URL will point to DynDNS who keeps a very recent entry for your IP.

Most people's IP addresses tend to change from time to time; my cable IP changes once, maybe twice a year, and the DSL subscribers I know get a new one every time they connect!
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
I use Tight-VNC as per the suggestion of someone on here and it works great. You can even call out to the person you want to fix your computer and then work backwards through the connection so that you don't have to forward ports in a router... It's really cool and FREE! Thanks to whoever it was. I like that I can access my home computers in a Web Browser too!
grin2.gif



Yeah, that was me. I'm pretty sure it was, anyway.

+1 for using it in this application. Would be perfect. Uses almost no memory and runs as a system service.
 
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One minor gripe I have with TightVNC is that when you're in session, when you hover the mouse cursor over an item on the remote desktop (say an icon or a tray icon), the pop-up info will not get transferred. Or maybe I just haven't found an option to enable this feature?

RealVNC has no problem with this, BTW.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
One minor gripe I have with TightVNC is that when you're in session, when you hover the mouse cursor over an item on the remote desktop (say an icon or a tray icon), the pop-up info will not get transferred. Or maybe I just haven't found an option to enable this feature?

RealVNC has no problem with this, BTW.


Hmmmmm... That does sound kinda strange.

I have to admin several ubuntu and a few Windows systems through my Macbook Pro -- I have no way to right click anything! I can't tell you how many times I've had to position the mouse over something, then instant message the party on the other end "can u right click here pls?"
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