WIn XP remote desktop

[KrisC]

What are the pros and cons of windows remote desktop app?

 

[JonnyBlaze]

no cons i can think of. it works great.

 

[randym431]

What does it do. I've never used it. Dont know how (or why).

 

[Gerbil333]

Originally posted by: randym431
What does it do. I've never used it. Dont know how (or why).

Remote desktop is great. The remote computer's video signal (and audio, optionally) is transmitted over the LAN/internet allowing you to use the remote machine as if you were sitting there, except full motion videos and games are slide shows, even on my gigabit LAN.

 

[ivwshane]

It allows you to access your computer, as if you were right in front of it, from anywhere.

 

[KrisC]

Do I need a static IP? What if I want to have multiple users accesing the same machine?

 

[ivwshane]

You don't need a static IP but you will need to know your current IP at the time. A dns service like dns2go allows you to have a domain name tied to a dynamic IP which makes it allot easier to connect via remote desktop.

If you are running winXP then you are limited to one connection at a time, whoever is logged on locally will be kicked off once a remote user logs on.

 

[KrisC]

Thanks, but if I have a static IP I just use that as the "Target?"

 

[Varun]

Yes, you just enter your IP in the Remote Desktop client, and press connect.

You'll have to be sure port 3389 is forwarded to the right computer behind your router if you use a router.

 

[Chaoticknight16]

if you are using the internet make sure port 3389 is forwarded, also you have to be running IIS. (to use the browser based RD) I love it and use it all the time. There are a bunch of great walkthroughs on the internet, just search the internet

 

[Digobick]

Make sure you take precautions to secure your remote desktop connection as well.

 

[ColKurtz]

I suggest using Hamachi with RDC. It's a secure P2P VPN app. You install it and are assigned "permanent" (on Hamachi's servers anyway) addresses in the 5.x.x.x subnet. By doing this you:
1) Don't have to worry about your ISP changing your address, b/c you're connecting to the Hamachi 5.x.x.x address
2) Encrypting your remote desktop connection sessions
3) Don't have to worry about forwarding any ports. Hamachi's servers initiate secure handshaking from outbound connections, then bows out.

It's really one of the coolest applicatons to come out in a long time, IMO. It requires almost no configuration. If you end up looking into it, I suggest you run the installation simultaneously on all machines you want to connect to. Since you're assigned a permanent address, if you install simultaneously you have a better chance of getting concurrent addresses.

 

[scottws]

I use Remote Desktop constantly. I can't believe I went so long without using it. I set up long downloads from my g/f's or from work, and then when I get home, it's finished. Or I'll use it to check my POP3 e-mail and newsgroups without having to configure anything on another PC. Or do my programming assignments without having to install anything on another PC and transport files back and forth.

The only problem I have is rebooting my PC remotely. It never seems to work. I can never reconnect after doing so. Never figured out why because my PC reboots fine when I'm sitting there. It's not a IP problem, because I have a static IP. Something goes wrong with the reboot. I'll come home and turn on my monitor and move my mouse and the screen is just black.

 

[ryan256]

Something I've also done is use the NAT ability of my router to help with security. I've got more than 1 computer I remote into at home. All of the machines are listening on port 3389. But the router is configured to send traffic to a specific machine on the LAN side based on the incomming port number. Using a high uncommon port number like 54632 reduces the risk of getting hacked.

 

[MeltedPanzy]

Besides lowering the res and the color depth, does anyone know how to kick some more performance out of remote desktop?

 

[KrisC]

I only have one machine htat I want to connect to. So with the Hamachi software, I just make the connection and then access the computer just as if I was on hte local network?