Remote Access To Another Computer

[Mr Lee]

[Mr Lee]

Or GoToMyPC software which I believe will still work that way.

[Norseman]

Windows 7 makes this really easy now. It use to be so hard.

[FlyAway]

Or GoToMyPC software which I believe will still work that way.

You can also use "Teamviewer" or "LogMeIn". They have their free versions. The free ones do not let you transfer files. He made it sound like all you need to do is type in the name of your PC anywhere you have an internet connection. The video failed to mention a few things. The way he showed the PC and the laptop being connected was through a common router. This is by no means a 100% complete guide to Remote Desktop. I am still learning to effectively write up things so please bare with me if a few things were overlooked. There are many variables that can come into play when setting up a Remote Desktop/RDP connection. After typing everything below, I remembered Remote Desktop is not available on Windows 7 Starter or Home Premium Edition :hystery: . Oh well, already typed up so might as well leave it. http://windows.micro...asked-questions. If you want to access the PC from any internet connection, there are a few more steps to set it all up. Most likely you will have what is called a DHCP internet address from your internet service provider. This is an address that is "Leased" to you for a pre-determined number of days. It could last 7 to 14 days or might last until you shut off your PC. Now this same DHCP address could be leased to a home router. The router would then assign its own DHCP address to PC's, laptops, Cell phones, or any other internet accessible device. Normally they will assign numbers starting with 192.168.x.x. Depends on the manufacturer. If your IP address starts with those set of numbers, you can count on being assigned a DHCP address through the router not the service provider. What does all this have to do with Remote Desktop? Best example I can use is if you want to access your home PC and you are on vacation. If you get an internet connection from where ever you are with your laptop, entering the "PC's Name" like he mentioned in the video will get you nowhere. First you have to know the real IP address of the Home PC. You can find this by using http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm Of course you have to do this from your home pc. Geobytes will show you the address provided by your internet service provider. Second you will need to know the IP address of your home PC. Find this by Start - Run cmd.exe then type ipconfig in the window. Look for the IPv4 Wireless LAN or Ethernet adapter settings. These are the ones that will normally read 192.168.x.x. That will be the IP address of your PC if it is behind a router. A router does not care about PC names you type into the "Computer" box. What it cares about is IP addresses. The Computer Name could be substituted with the IP address you got from the cmc.exe ipconfig. Now if you are in The Philippines with your laptop, you would enter the IP address you got from Geobytes. But you then need to tell the router where the PC is. Most routers are capable of doing what is called "Port Forwarding". In the setup of the router, you have to program it to forward Port 3389 to the IP address of your PC. Port 3389 is how remote desktop communicates. The difficult part is if your service provider changes your IP address. Usually if you keep your PC and router on, then the addresses will not change. Using a service like LogMeIn or Teamviewer you can log in and see what the settings are. I use remote desktop a lot when in Philippines. Irritating part is the crappy connection speeds. In Mindanao I go to a cafe with an HP DM1 mini laptop. They let me unplug the network cable and monitor from their PC and let me use my laptop. Then I can use an extended dual monitor :mocking:. Even when on vacation I still work.