Ask JackInternet
Help wanted: Software to access a PC remotely
Peter Brady wants to access his granddaughter's PC so that he can provide technical help, but she lives 300 miles away…
Giving a PC first aid remotely can be straightforward using Windows 7. Photograph: Burke/Triolo/Corbis
Jack Schofield
Thu 27 Oct 2011 12.15 EDT
I want to help my granddaughter sort out her computer when she gets in a mess with it. We live 300 miles apart, and we both run Windows 7 Home Premium. Is there a cheap or free system to do this?
As it happens, it's already built into Windows 7, though not many people seem to know about it. And no, it's not Windows Remote Desktop, it's Windows 7 Easy Connect. This is an addition to the old Windows Remote Assistance program, and it takes a different approach to security.
Remote Desktop allows you to log on to a distant computer, usually your own PC, and use it exactly as though you were sitting at its keyboard. (Obviously the screen refresh will be slower, but that's how it works.) It therefore has similar log-on requirements -- you need an account and a password -- and restrictive security requirements. After all, you don't want someone else using your PC while you're out. Remote Assistance is based on the idea that someone else is sitting in front of their own PC, and they want you to connect to it. This doesn't need an account, and Easy Connect will create the password for you.
The simplest way to run the program is to start typing Assista… in the Start menu search box and pick it from the list.
When you run Windows Remote Assistance, it gives you two options: "Invite someone you trust to help you", and "Help someone who has invited you".
If you want to invite someone to help you, WRA offers another three options. These are:
• Save this invitation as a file
• Use e-mail to send an invitation
• Use Easy Connect
If you pick Easy Connect, then WRA will generate a random 12-character password. If we assume that your granddaughter is the one asking for help, this is the password she will send to you, usually in an email or via an instant message. At this point, you will go through the same procedure, except for selecting "Help someone who has invited you". This will pop up a box that says "Enter the Easy Connect Password". Do that, and you're connected.
This only works with Windows 7 PCs, and the password only works for a single session. Also, since the PC's name is used to generate the password, it won't work if the computer doesn't have a name. (The name is in Advanced System Settings, under the tab marked Computer Name.)
People who don't have Windows 7 or don't know about Easy Connect will generally use either LogMeIn or TeamViewer. Geekier users (and IT help desks) might prefer the open source Ultra VNC, but TeamViewer actually has VNC under the hood.
LogMeIn is a remote desktop application. It uses the secure LogMeIn website to connect machines, so you just log in to the site then log in to the PC that you want to use. LogMeIn Free is fairly basic but does the job. There are also paid-for versions for business use, including LogMeIn Pro and LogMeIn Rescue. I've used it for many years and have found the free version both flexible and reliable. The main problem is trying to remember the command to exit full screen remote and thus get back to your own desktop (it's Ctrl+Alt).
TeamViewer, like Easy Connect, is often used to generate a session-limited password that your granddaughter would have to tell you each time, but it can be installed to provide permanent remote access. There's also a secure browser-based option more like LogMeIn. It's a powerful program and has many fans, but it does more than you really need. It is free for non-commercial use.
If anyone remembers GoToMyPC, that's still available as a commercial offering, though largely superseded by the same company's GoToAssist, GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar. These are aimed at the business and corporate markets. They're all owned by Citrix Systems, which bought the company in 2003.
I don't think it really matters which software you use, as long as it works. Windows 7's Easy Connect makes the connection easy, and doesn't require any installation, so try that first. If you need unattended access (to log on to the PC when your granddaughter is not there), then LogMeIn works well, but you should both give some serious thought to the privacy implications.