Tip #2622 - Remote Desktop
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Remote
Desktop
First of all,
what is a Remote Desktop?
With the Remote Desktop
feature in Windows XP, you are able to control a computer from another
office, from home or while traveling. For example, with this feature enabled,
you can use the data, applications and network resources that are on your
office computer, without even being in your office!
Remote Desktop is
the new name for the older Windows based Terminal Services Client that
(like with Windows 2000), would allow you to connect to and manage a server
remotely for up to two connections. It also allows you to do maintenance
on the server and so on. The Remote Desktop in the Windows Server 2003
and XP versions allows the same functionality, except it's now enhanced
and easier to use.
To use the
Remote Desktop, you need the following:
- Windows XP Professional
installed on your office computer, or whichever computer you plan to
operate remotely. This computer is known as the host.
- Display data and
keyboard data are sent over a WAN or Internet connection, so make sure
that you are working over a good connection. To use a Remote Desktop
over a slow connection could be a burden. It will work, but it may not
respond as well as you would like. You can also use low bandwidth connections.
They will also allow you to remotely control a system.
- Both computers
must be connected to the Internet
- To set
up the Remote Desktop, start with the host computer:
1. Verify that you
are signed in as the administrator.
2. Click Start,
click Control Panel, and then click Performance
and Maintenance.
3. Click System.
4. Click the Remote tab, select the "Allow users
to connect remotely to this computer" checkbox and then click OK.
Next, make sure you have the Windows Firewall set up to allow exceptions.
1. In the Control
Panel, click Security Center.
2. Under "Manage security settings for," click Windows
Firewall.
3. Make sure the "Don’t allow exceptions" checkbox is
not selected.
4. Click the Exceptions tab and verify that the Remote
Desktop checkbox is selected.
5. Click OK
and then close the Windows Security Center window.
Your host computer
is now set up to allow remote access. Next, you will need the name of
the host computer.
6. In the Control
Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, click
System and then click the Computer Name tab.
7. Write down the full computer name and then click OK.
8. Close the
Control Panel.
9. Leave this computer running, locked and connected to the corporate
network with Internet access.
Connect your
remote computer to the host computer:
To connect your home
computer, which is the client (or remote) computer to your work (or host)
computer, follow these steps:
1. On your home computer,
click Start, point to All Programs and
then point to Accessories.
2. In the Accessories menu, point to Communications
and then click Remote Desktop Connection.
3. In the Computer box, type the computer name of your
host computer, which you wrote down earlier.
4. Click Connect.
5. When the "Log On to Windows" dialog box appears, type your
user name, password and domain (if required), and then click OK.
The Remote Desktop window will open and you can see the desktop settings,
files and programs that are on your host computer. Your host computer
remains locked and nobody can access it without a password. In addition,
no one will be able to see the work you are doing remotely.
To end your
Remote Desktop session:
1. Click Start
and then click Log Off at the bottom of the Start menu.
2. When prompted, click Log Off.
Remote Desktop
in other versions of Windows:
In continuation to
the previous article on Remote Desktop in Windows XP, we are about to
learn how would other Computers connect to a system running the Remote
Desktop. First of all, we would need to set up our computer as a Remote
Desktop client, for which installation of a Remote Desktop connection
(or Terminal Services Client) is required. Another requirement is that
your computer must be able to connect to the remote computer by means
of a network connection, dial-up or an Internet connection. The following
table will give you a better idea of what I am saying.
Operating
System |
Client
Software |
Availability |
| Windows
XP (all versions) |
Remote
Desktop Connection (installed by default) |
Start,
All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Remote Desktop Connection |
| Windows
2000 Professional |
Remote
Desktop Connection (installed by the user) |
Install
from the Windows XP Professional CD |
| Windows
95/98 |
Remote
Desktop Connection (installed by the user) |
Install
from the Windows XP Professional CD |
| Windows
NT 4.0 |
Remote
Desktop Connection (installed by the user) |
Install
from the Windows XP Professional CD |
To install
Remote Desktop Connection on computers running Windows 95 / 98 / NT 4.0
/ 2000 Server / 2000 Professional:
1. Insert the Windows
XP Professional operating system CD into your CD ROM drive
2. From the Setup menu, click Perform Additional
Tasks and then click Set Up Remote
Desktop Connection.
3. In the Remote Desktop Connection InstallShield Wizard, follow the instructions
until the installation is complete.
Establishing a Remote Desktop Session:
After installing the
appropriate client software on the client computer, you can connect to
the remote computer.
1. Click Start,
All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Remote Desktop Connection.
2. In the Remote Desktop Connection dialogue box, in the Computer
section, type the name or
IP address of a computer running Windows XP Professional for which you
have
Remote Desktop permissions.
3. Click Connect.
4. In the "Log On to Windows" dialogue box, type your user name,
password and domain (if
required), and then click OK.
And there you have
it! Now, you can remotely control your computers from different locations.
How cool is that?!
~ Ramachandran Kumaraswami
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