Remote Desktop for Windows Support Center
Remote Desktop Connection is a feature included with Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista that allows a user to configure their desktop computer so that they can access their desktop from other computers on the network or the Internet.
How Does it Work?
First you need to configure your Windows computer for Remote Desktop access. When you configure Remote Desktop on your system, your computer acts as a "host" computer. You can then go to a "client" computer and access your desktop. For our purposes here, we'll assume you are at home and wish to use your computer at work. In reality the host can be any Windows XP Pro or Windows Vista computer. (Note: The host computer must be turned on and connected to the network or Internet in order to connect to it using Remote Desktop.)
Once you have configured your computer (the host) for Remote Desktop, you can connect to it from a remote computer. There are two ways to connect to the host computer using Remote Desktop.
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The first method is to connect by using the Remote Desktop Client, which is pre installed on any Windows XP or Vista machine. The Remote Desktop Client can be downloaded and installed on Windows 95-2000 computers and Mac OS X computers.
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The second way is to access your computer with Remote Desktop Web Connection. This method requires Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher on any version of Windows higher than NT 4.0 or 95. Remote Web Connection also requires some additional configuration steps on the host computer and your Windows XP CD.
Using either the Remote Desktop Client or the Remote Desktop Web Connection, you will need the hostname or IP address for your host computer to connect from a client computer. You will then be presented with a login screen for the host computer. and once you enter your username and password, your desktop will appear almost as if you were sitting at the host computer itself. There are a few differences, such as a tan bar at the top of the screen which indicates which computer you are accessing, along with maximize, minimize, and close buttons
To use Remote Desktop you will need the following:
- A host computer running Windows XP Professional or Windows Vista.
- Administrator rights to the host computer.
- Either the Remote Desktop Client software needs to be installed on the client machine (both Windows and Mac OS X clients are available) to connect using the Remote Desktop Client method, or you must have your Windows XP CD if you want to install the Remote Web Connection host.
- A high-speed network connection for both host and client is highly recommended.
Remote Desktop Instructions
| Step 1: Configure the Host for Remote Desktop | Setting up your computer for access from a remote location. |
| Instructions for connecting remotely using a web connection. Requires additional set up on the host computer. | |
| Step 2: Connect to Your Computer using Remote Desktop | How to connect from a remote computer, including finding the hostname or IP address of the host computer. |
| Step 3: (Optional) Setting Up Shared Resources | How to share printers, disk drives, and serial ports with a remote computers. |
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Last Updated: 03/06/2009