Accessing/using PC remotely

Greenlizard0 · 16 Dec 2009 at 08:05

I wish to leave my pc on for a day or two and remotely access software and files if required. It'll be left on a wireless network.

I have heard of e.g. the software with the pigeons in the advert etc.

Can anybody recommend something (preferably free) please?

The PC in question has Vista 64 Pro installed, and the machine will have either XP Home or Vista Home Premium 32.

bledd · 16 Dec 2009 at 09:24

logmein.com

just what you want mate

it installs a 'listening' service on your machine

then on another machine, when you login to logmein.com, you can control your desktop through the browser

sign up for an account, login, then click 'add computer' to add your desktop to it

---

teamviewer.com

an alternative, works a bit differently

Greenlizard0 · 17 Dec 2009 at 04:25

Could I not just use remote desktop? Or is that not as good?

Is Ultra VNC worth a crack?

Zarf · 17 Dec 2009 at 04:54

Remote desktop is fine on a LAN (and indeed over the net, if you forward port 3389), enable it from system properties (hit WIN+break, go to advanced system settings if you use Win7, remote tab, and then enable remote desktop connections.

On the client pc type MSTSC in the run box (it's also in the start menu somewhere under "Remote Desktop connection") and enter the ip address or hostname of the server, should be easy to figure out from there.

advantage over UltraVNC/logmein is that the desktop properly resizes to whatever res you want, rather than just zooming. My home server has an ancient gpx card that won't manage better than 1024x768 at crappy colour depth, but remote desktop lets me control it in full 1920x1200 glory on my main box. Slight Disadvantage is that it's session based, the local desktop will be locked whilst you use it, so it's not useful for controlling things like HTPC's.

I'm fairly sure you need Vista or Win7 business (or better) to get the server feature though, can't remember if XP Pro has it or not - I use Server 2003 on my server and Win7 on my other machines.

malcolm · 17 Dec 2009 at 07:10

Zarf said:
I'm fairly sure you need Vista or Win7 business (or better) to get the server feature though, can't remember if XP Pro has it or not - I use Server 2003 on my server and Win7 on my other machines.

XP Pro does have the Remote Desktop server, XP Home does not. XP Media Centre is built on XP Pro so it has the Remote Desktop server as well.

Win 7 Home Premium and Vista Home Premium do not have the Remote Desktop server feature, as zarf said.

Greenlizard0 · 17 Dec 2009 at 07:28

Ah bum ok. Cheers lads.

Greenlizard0 · 17 Dec 2009 at 08:20

Tried out logmein. That seems pretty simple. Doesn't seem to hold the connection very well though (I'm only testing it over the network atm).

Guest2 · 17 Dec 2009 at 09:57

What would be the best way for me to remote into my pc from home over xmas? Would it be possible to use VNC instead of logmein? Or could i setup VPN to gain access to my machine from home?

bledd · 17 Dec 2009 at 10:02

my preferred method is using hamachi, and then remote desktop

remote desktop on it own with a forwarded port isn't secure, but over hamachi it

but you need to install hamachi on the client end too, wheras with logmein, you just use a website to do it.

hamachi/remote desktop (or vnc) works well, very well, but it's only ideal if you have a laptop to take around with you with hamachi on it already (imo)

Guest2 · 17 Dec 2009 at 11:16

So if i put hamachi on my Desktop pc, when I go home i can connect to it using RDP/VNC on my dads laptop? Cant be that easy surely

Or do you mean Hamachi needs to be on both client and server to work?

Logmein needs to be installed on all server pcs too (but not on the viewer)

Paul11 · 17 Dec 2009 at 11:26

teamviewer

so easy to use,

bledd · 17 Dec 2009 at 11:31

hamachi is a very basic msn messenger, but it creates a vpn (virtual network) between all your 'friends' on it

it's basically a secure tunnel over the internet

you can then use windows filesharing, rdp, vnc, play LAN games etc over this network

you can create a network and set a password on it, then other clients can only join it if they have the name and password of it

very handy tool

Guest2 · 17 Dec 2009 at 14:51

Yeh, i remember using hamachi a couple of years ago for a lan game of something with a mate (game only had lan option i think) ill install a new version of it tonight on my pc

I take it then i would just have to put VNC server on it and hamachi and VNC viewer on the laptop i would be using to control it?

Guest2 · 17 Dec 2009 at 21:49

how do you setup ultraVNC to be able to accept connections from outside the LAN?

Theres a million and one options!

bledd · 18 Dec 2009 at 11:36

I've never used ultra

I use tightvnc server, and real vnc viewer (this is standalone)

Guest2 · 18 Dec 2009 at 11:41

bledd. said:
I've never used ultra

I use tightvnc server, and real vnc viewer (this is standalone)

tightvnc??

I tried hamachi and rpd/vnc and seemed like a bit of a ballache to get working. I got the latest free version, created a network and then joined my mates pc to it. I then tried to VNC onto his machine with the ip of his machine and it wouldnt work - (maybe because vnc is already installed and works just as local 192.168.10.110 or whatever)
When i pressed the cross on hamachi im not sure whether it stopped it working or just minimised it, there was a hamachi2 service running so i ended that then it wouldnt start back up.

I used to use logmein but i dont like programs running services and 'listeners' that i dont know what they are doing. Same reason i havent installed teamviewer

Goes this 'tightvnc' work outside of local network?

apatia77 · 18 Dec 2009 at 11:47

logmein is easy to use and free (to do things you require).

Guest2 · 18 Dec 2009 at 11:54

apatia77 said:
logmein is easy to use and free (to do things you require).

Ive used it before. Was easy to use and free but i didnt like it adding all the services.

Im looking for something more on the lines of VNC for outside a lan or setting up VPN for home.

How many people have set up VPN connections? People use it to login to work but i know nothing about the cost/setup of it

Cheers

bledd · 18 Dec 2009 at 11:57

Guest2 said:
tightvnc??

I tried hamachi and rpd/vnc and seemed like a bit of a ballache to get working. I got the latest free version, created a network and then joined my mates pc to it. I then tried to VNC onto his machine with the ip of his machine and it wouldnt work - (maybe because vnc is already installed and works just as local 192.168.10.110 or whatever)
When i pressed the cross on hamachi im not sure whether it stopped it working or just minimised it, there was a hamachi2 service running so i ended that then it wouldnt start back up.

I used to use logmein but i dont like programs running services and 'listeners' that i dont know what they are doing. Same reason i havent installed teamviewer

Goes this 'tightvnc' work outside of local network?

works every time for me

install hamachi, don't click 'disable windows services' upon install

setup remote desktop as normal
or install a vnc server

worked with every router I've tried on, Windows Firewall.

all vnc's work over the internet, but it's not advisable to simply forward the port

creating a VPN is one way of making it secure, hamachi makes it childsplay

just use logmein and teamviewer, they're quite safe.

Guest2 · 18 Dec 2009 at 12:11

How about ringing Sky and getting them to set a static IP address? Then i could just use VNC to remote

If they did set it static, how would other machine in the house work? e.g Sky set static to 80.25.62.23, i could remote onto my computer but what ip would my mates machine in our house have?