Steve’s Tech Guide

Remote Desktop Connection is one of the most useful tools I have ever used on Windows XP. Remote Desktop Connection allows you to remotely connect to another computer running Windows, and lets you completely control that computer. The great thing about it is you can control any remote computer from your computer, if it’s been configured properly, so if you’re at a hotel with your laptop and you need to use your computer at home just connect via remote desktop, and you can do anything you want with your home computer, except play games, because the Remote Desktop technology doesn’t support (I already tried to play StarCraft, it made me sad when it wouldn’t work). The How-To Geek has a post about enabling Remote Desktop in Windows Vista.

Materials Needed For Remote Desktop Connection

• Windows XP Professional for the host computer (the computer that will be remotely connecting to the secondary computer)
• IP Address of the computer that you will be connecting to
• Login credentials of the remote computer so you can login

Setting Up The Remote Desktop Connection

1. Starting with the computer that you will be connecting to (host computer) go to Control Panel -> System -> Remote -> Check ‘Allow users to connect remotely to this computer’
   
2. Open up the command line on your host computer by going to Start -> Run -> Type ‘cmd’ then push enter. The command line should open up now type in ‘ipconfig’ and write down the IP Address. Your computer is probably set to automatically configure an IP address, that is fine, except every once in awhile your IP address may change. You can either set it to a static IP address, or just check your IP address via this method before you remotely connect to the host computer.
   
3. On the computer that is going to do the remote connecting (client) you’ll need to check if you have Remote Desktop Connection installed, so navigate to Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection. If you see Remote Desktop Connection in your Accessories folder in your start menu you can move onto step 5, if you don’t you’ll have to install it.
   
4. Pull out your Windows XP Professional install CD, and put it in your PC. Now go to Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs -> Add/Remove Windows Components -> Click on ‘Internet Information Services (IIS)’ -> Click ‘Details…’ -> Click on ‘World Wide Web Service’ -> Click ‘Details…’ -> Check the ‘Remote Desktop Web Connection’ box -> Click ‘OK’ -> Click ‘OK -> Click ‘Next’. Now it will install the Remote Desktop Connection software and if you haven’t put in your XP Professional CD it will ask you to do so so it can install the necessary files.
   
5. Now that you’ve installed the Windows Remote Desktop Connection software you’re ready to Remote Connect. Make sure your host computer is turned on. If anyone else is logged in, it will log them out at the host computer. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection. The Remote Desktop Connection box should popup. Now put in the IP address of the host computer. Click ‘Connect’. It will ask you for the login credentials, you can save them if you want so you don’t have to enter it in anymore. Now a Remote Desktop window should show up on your screen and you have complete access to your host computer. It’s just like using your own computer except in a Window.

If didn’t take a look at the options you may notice some thing appearing different or missing like your wallpaper not showing up, lack of themes, and certain animations. You can go back to ‘Options’ then the ‘Experience’ tab and select your correct internet connection to enable everything on there so it’s just like the Windows you’re used to. If you have a cable connection, having all the options checked should not pose any problems, you can limit it though if you’re running dial-up, or have a really bad connection so that way speed isn’t sacrificed. You can also choose to bring the remote computer sound to your current computer and let you use system resources on your host computer as well.

Explore the options a bit to get to know them, because they can make your Windows Remote Desktop Connection experience a lot better. Remote Desktop Connection is such an amazing tool that not so many people know about. I use my remote desktop connection messing around with our 2 other computers in our network, and my tablet PC that doesn’t have a keyboard or a mouse, just the stylus so it makes it a lot easier to be able to use a mouse and keyboard with it.