Help with access suggestion!!

Hello,

I found a post that give some recommendation for remote access but I want different features. So I am looking for a simple application to access desktop. For one case, we have a router connected with 4 computers with my brother and cousins . For case two, my parents live at another house.

For both theses cases, I am looking for a remote access app that allows me to access without the remote user authorization - eg: I want to access the computer through username and password (like remote desktop) AND it also allows both users to see the same desktop eg: My brother and cousins can see what I am doing with their computers (I dont want walk to their rooms ... it gets tiring) or my parents can get some assistance walkthrough visual to both computers (like remote assistance).

For both these cases (router/lan with cousin & parents on internet) and features (user+password & visual to both computers), which applications are suggested for the those situations??? Also .. which is simple and light on installing and processing??? Best features on lan or internet connection??

Thank you in advance .. I really appreciate it!!!

 

The Remote Desktop application? All you have to do is enable it in Control Panel>System>Remote and check the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer checkbox under XP, or right click on My Computer, select Properties>Remote Settings, and select Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop in Vista.

You can then access the PC in question using the Remote Desktop application under Start>All Programs>Accessories.
If you are using XP Home, Remote Desktop might not be there. You might then have to use a workaround, such as the one listed here: http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/...le-remote-desktop-in-windows-xp-home-edition/

Alternatives to Remote Desktop include VNC clients. You will have to install a VNC Host program on the computer you want to access, and a VNC client on the computer you are accessing from. There are plenty of free VNC hosts and clients available, so you might want to do some research into that.

 

Well ... remote desktop does not allow visual display for the remote computer - i mentioned above! I cannot show my parents how to fix any problem on their computer because - if not changed - remote desktop will set display to welcome screen.

 

You are correct that you cannot use Remote Desktop Connection and have both the local and remote user viewing the desktop at the same time - the remote user takes over the desktop, and all console I/O (i.e., screen, keyboard and mouse) go to/from the remote user.

What OS(es) are all of the computers involved running? XP, _Vista, or a mix of XP and _Vista?

I suppose you could try enabling remote assistance and use that as a means of getting control of, say, your parents' system remotely in order to do something so that both you and they can see the desktop at the same time. Microsoft has a KB article, KB300546 that gives an overview of remote assistance in XP. There's also a Microsoft FAQ on Remote Assistance for XP here, and for Vista here.

 

There are things like TightVNC that don't log out the local user when you connect to them. I'd suggest that for your teaching purposes.

To connect to it remotely, you'll probably want to set up an address with DynDNS or some other similar service, and you will definitely need to forward a port or two. You'll need a different port forwarded to each computer you want to control remotely.