Remote Assistance

I have Win Vista Home Premium.
My 92 year old father has Win XP Pro SP2

My father needs help sometimes.
1) will this cross platform "remote help" work?
2) how do I get Messenger running on these machines?
I never used it.
Why do I need messenger, I though there was another way.
3) does my father have to do extensive work to allow me access?
or is there some one button method he can use to allow me access?
it all seems more complicated to do remote access than for me tor drive
40 miles and work on his computer.
4) I thought I saw someone at work (several years ago, and he is not
availanble any more) have a button on his desktop that when he clicked on it,
another PC desktop became visible on his. How does that work?
That is one click!
My father and I will both thank you for your assistance.

Lorin wrote:
> I have Win Vista Home Premium.
> My 92 year old father has Win XP Pro SP2
>
> My father needs help sometimes.
> 1) will this cross platform "remote help" work?
> 2) how do I get Messenger running on these machines?
> I never used it.
> Why do I need messenger, I though there was another way.
> 3) does my father have to do extensive work to allow me access?
> or is there some one button method he can use to allow me access?
> it all seems more complicated to do remote access than for me tor drive
> 40 miles and work on his computer.
> 4) I thought I saw someone at work (several years ago, and he is not
> availanble any more) have a button on his desktop that when he clicked on it,
> another PC desktop became visible on his. How does that work?
> That is one click!
> My father and I will both thank you for your assistance.
>
>

You've posted this in the newsgroup for Windows Vista installation
issues, but since you're here...

You can do this easily with a free program like UltraVNC or a commercial
program like Symantec's pcAnywhere. Google for them and go to those
websites and read about setting up these remote desktop control
programs. You can then decide for yourself if your father can handle the
initial setup. If he can't, consider having a local tech go to his house
and do the setup for you.

I can't answer your question about Messenger because 1) I'm not sure
what Messenger to which you're referring; 2) I'm not sure what this has
to do with remote control.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

1:
Yes, you can offer remote assistance to someone with XP while you have Vista.

2:
Windows Live Messenger is not necessary to offer or request remote
assistance, but it is easier when you use WLM. To offer assistance to
someone, you must first have an 'invite' file so you can connect to his
computer.
To create an invite, you should start Remote assistance and follow the
instructions, and send that file via e-mail.

3:
If everything is set up right, it should work without any problems. The
remote assistance program in XP really is difficult to make it work when that
computer is behind a firewall or router, and sometimes it doesn't even work
at all.

4:
I think he doesn't use remote assistance, but remote desktop. Those are 2
different programs that do different things.

Copied from the Windows Help:



What is the difference between Remote Desktop Connection and Windows Remote
Assistance?

Even though they have similar names and involve connecting to a remote
computer, Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance are used for different things.

Use Remote Desktop to access one computer from another remotely. For
example, you can use Remote Desktop to connect to your work computer from
home. You will have access to all of your programs, files, and network
resources, as if you were sitting in front of your computer at work. While
you are connected, the remote computer screen will appear to be blank to
anyone at the remote location who sees it.

Use Remote Assistance to give or receive assistance remotely. For example, a
friend or a technical support person can access your computer to help you
with a computer problem or show you how to do something. You can help someone
else the same way. In either case, both you and the other person see the same
computer screen. If you decide to share control of your computer with your
helper, you will both be able to control the mouse pointer.



"Lorin" wrote:

> I have Win Vista Home Premium.
> My 92 year old father has Win XP Pro SP2
>
> My father needs help sometimes.
> 1) will this cross platform "remote help" work?
> 2) how do I get Messenger running on these machines?
> I never used it.
> Why do I need messenger, I though there was another way.
> 3) does my father have to do extensive work to allow me access?
> or is there some one button method he can use to allow me access?
> it all seems more complicated to do remote access than for me tor drive
> 40 miles and work on his computer.
> 4) I thought I saw someone at work (several years ago, and he is not
> availanble any more) have a button on his desktop that when he clicked on it,
> another PC desktop became visible on his. How does that work?
> That is one click!
> My father and I will both thank you for your assistance.
>
>

Answered inline.

In news:FEDECA3D-6707-4D8F-B9B1-D393D6F1E3C5@microsoft.com,
Lorin <Lorin@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> I have Win Vista Home Premium.
> My 92 year old father has Win XP Pro SP2
>
> My father needs help sometimes.
> 1) will this cross platform "remote help" work?

Yes.

> 2) how do I get Messenger running on these machines?
> I never used it.
> Why do I need messenger, I though there was another way.

If your father's computer is not behind a router, you may find
it easier for him to send you a Remote Assistance invitation
using his email program. Windows Messenger is a good option if
his computer is behind a router. The downside is that both of
you would need to have a .NET Passport or Windows Live ID. For
more info, look here;

Start a Remote Assistance Session from Windows Messenger
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...ist/viaim.mspx

> 3) does my father have to do extensive work to allow me
> access?
> or is there some one button method he can use to allow me
> access?
> it all seems more complicated to do remote access than for
> me tor drive
> 40 miles and work on his computer.

There is always going to be a learning process when using any
new procedure. That said, if your father is capable of sending
you an email, he should be able to follow the prompts to
initiate a Remote Assistance session. What I would suggest is
for you to familiarize yourself with how it works and guide him
over the phone at to what actions he has to take. Keep in mind
that if either of you has a dial-up internet connection, Remote
Assistance can be painfully slow. Also, have your father
configure the invitation so it expires in 30 days. That way, if
you need to help him during that period, he won't have
to send you a new invitation. A password should also be used
when you set up the initial invitation.

> 4) I thought I saw someone at work (several years ago, and he
> is not
> availanble any more) have a button on his desktop that when
> he clicked on it,
> another PC desktop became visible on his. How does that
> work?
> That is one click!
> My father and I will both thank you for your assistance.

This person may have been using Remote Desktop. Remote Desktop
is a feature included with Windows XP Professional. As your
father's computer is running XP Pro, it is certainly capable of
allowing you to take control of it using Remote Desktop.

The downside is that once you gain access to your father's
computer using Remote Desktop he'll no longer be able to see
the actions that are taking place on his system. This would be
a problem if he needed to show you something he wants help
fixing. Also, if his computer is behind a router, Remote
Desktop requires a fair amount of work on his end so that it
works properly.

If you're looking for more info, open Help and Support on your
computer and search for Remote Assistance. Also, here's an
article that you may find helpful.

Windows XP Professional Guide to Remote Assistance
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/l.../bb457004.aspx

Because your father's using XP, you might want to post your
question to this newsgroup.

Discussions in Windows XP Working Remotely
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...&lang=en&cr=US

Good luck

Nepatsfan