3 replies to this topic

[nirmaldaniel]

So I am sure that every one is aware about the remote desktop feature available in Microsoft Windows. This is a very useful and a handy tool which i too acknowledge. After using the remote desktop feature in windows ( all the version, let it be xp or vista whatever ) one must have a password for the account which is logged in in order to access that computer as remote desktop. Simple, if some one has to access a computer via remote desktop and if that computer does not have a password in order to login then in such case there is an error thrown. Here in this scenario one may think, probably even Microsoft must have thought that this is a security feature and so the system itself is setup like this.

But i had a different idea about using remote desktop, so that the concept as such can be used in a greater extent. So now as a whole i want everyone to imagine. What are the things which are needed to use remote desktop ? In general it can be said as two computers are needed. So now narrowing this down just let me say computer 1 and computer 2. From computer 2 , the computer 1 has to be taken as a remote desktop. For this computer 1 has to be switch on and has to be logged in. So in the case of remote desktop computer 1 must have a password. So if computer 1 has to be logged in then password has to be entered into computer 1 for logging in . This means that computer 1 has to posses an input device like key board mouse and at time a monitor too. Just the CPU alone in computer 1 wont help in working out remote desktop. On the other hand just think , if computer 2 wants to take computer 1 as remote desktop and computer 1 can have just the CPU alone without any input and output device. In such case the Remote Desktop concept can be into maximum utilization , what i mean is that with the help of remote desktop then one can have 2 CPU and only one input and output devices attached to one CPU and still can access the other CPU, all that has to be done is both the CPU has to be connected via a UTP cable.

But according to today's scenario that is not possible because of the above explained drawback. If a computer has to be remotely accessed it has to be logged in first and for this input and output devices are needed. So is there any way out like , just have a CPU connected via UTP cable to another CPU which has input and output devices. By just switching on the power is there anyway to take remote desktop.

People may argue saying that it is not secure, but on the other hand why cant it be like for the initial configuration alone both CPU has to posses input and output devices, but on the other hand after the initial configurations has been set up then let the computer 1 which has to be accessed via remote desktop neednt have any input or output devices connected ?

By this many can be benefited, hope there is a way out , if not in windows is there any way out in some other way in which this problem can be addressed. To put it in a nut shell imagine that you have a Desktop CPU and a Laptop and the CPU is connected to the laptop with a UTP cable and now that CPU has to be accessed from the laptop via remote desktop. Please note that the CPU is not fitted with input and output devices.

[k_nitin_r]

Hi!

@nirmaldaniel

The remote desktop feature in Windows, available as a built-in feature from Microsoft Windows 2000 (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 client operating systems, and the Windows 2000, Windows 2003, Windows 2008 server operating systems), enables users to remotely access other computers, such as for accessing remote resources or for performing system administration. Remote desktop is not, however, available on home editions of Windows. Remote desktop is often referred to as Microsoft Terminal Services – when at a Linux box, the remote desktop refers to VNC and not to the remote desktop feature... Linux refers to the remote desktop client as the Microsoft Terminal Services client.

I would like to clarify that the error that Windows displays when trying to log into a computer using remote desktop when a user account does not have a password is actually a setting that is configurable, but should be enabled for maintaining network security. Also, to access a Windows box via remote desktop, the user account has to be given permission to log on to the computer through remote desktop.

I would also like to add that you do not really need two physical computers to try the remote desktop service. You can setup a virtual machine and connect to it from the host operating system using the remote desktop client.

To allow incoming remote desktop connections to your computer, you would have to enable remote desktop connections. You can do this in one of the following ways on Windows XP:

METHOD 1

1. Right-click on the "My Computer" icon and click on the "Properties" menu item
2. Click on the "Remote" tab
3. Check the box labelled "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer"
4. If you are logged in as an administrative user, your account will have privileges to connect to the computer through remote desktop, but if you do not, you have to allow the user accounts to connect by clicking the "Select Users" button (located just below the checkbox) and adding the users - click the "Add" button, type in the user account and click the "Ok" button.
5. Close all dialog boxes by clicking the "Ok" button

METHOD 2

1. Click Start and launch the Control Panel
2. Double-click on the "System" icon
3. Follow Method 1 from step 2

In addition to enabling remote desktop, you would also have to configure your firewall to allow incoming remote desktop requests. You can do this by allowing connections to your computer through the remote desktop protocol port, which is TCP port 3389. This is pretty straightforward with the Windows Firewall because you simply have to check the box for Remote Desktop and click the "Ok" button when on the "Exceptions" tab of the firewall settings dialog box.

I would also like to mention that the user account does not have to be logged in for you to be able to connect remotely to the computer using that user account. You simply turn on the host computer, wait for Microsoft Windows to boot up, and then connect to it from the other computer using the remote desktop client. The remote desktop client can be starting by clicking on the Start button, pointing at All Programs, then pointing at Accessories, and clicking the Remote Desktop Connection menu item.

[rayzoredge]

It's funny to think that I completely overlooked Remote Desktop during my excitement of installing and using LogMeIn Free a couple of years ago.

Having used both, I think that they are both pretty good ways to remotely-control another PC, but my hats are still off to LogMeIn since I believe that with Remote Desktop, you would have to have a PC on the same domain as the computer that you are accessing. This makes work a lot easier when you have a VPN to dial into, but it doesn't help Joe Snuffy with controlling his personal computers back home from college or wherever he may be. With LogMeIn, you can access any computer connected to the Internet with LogMeIn configured and installed that you register under your account from any computer that has access to Internet. Although this might seem like a less secure scenario, someone would have to figure out your password to your account, and even if he or she phished it out of you, they would have to figure out the access password for each particular computer they would want to control.

Performance-wise, I'm not sure if one ousts the other.

[BuffaloHelp]

I tried VNC, VPN or remote login but the best solution is using terminal service to control the other machine. But terminal service is only available with expensive add-on or with servers.

Windows Vista Home Premium can be hacked to enable terminal service. Folks at Missing Remote has written a comprehensive guide to hack Vista Home Premium to work as terminal service.

How to Enable Concurrent Sessions in Vista

You can launch the remote session by START > RUN > mstsc

Enter the remote IP and password (the remote account's admin password).

Once logged in you'll see the exact same desktop environment as you would have installed a monitor, keyboard and mouse to that remote machine. You can control every function, even shutdown, from your remote logon. But you'll need to manually turn it back on.

As long as the remote machine is running Vista Home Premium, and the hardware can start without a keyboard you can establish the connection you desire. I am mentioning a keyboard because some BIOS will not let you continue without at least having a keyboard.

The remote machine does not need to be logged in to get it start. The remote session will lock down the remote computer when the connection is established, anyway.

I sometimes control several Vista Home Premium PCs from my laptop that still uses XP Home. It's really cool how the concept of terminal service works.

Good luck.