Hi, I have been at this for a while now and give up. I Googled and Googled...but tried everything I can understand. I want to have remote access to another user's computer (like my relatives who need help). Let's just use Windows XP Home as the main OS for now...

I want to know how to do this on my current setting first and hopefully I can pick up from there and know how to do it on another machine. This is how I'm connecting online and the software/hardware specs:

1. Westell Versalink 327W Router/Modem from Verizon
2. Windows XP Home - didn't get SP2 yet, so still using older firewall
3. ZoneAlarm 5.5

I read many articles online and some say I should enable port forwarding. Is that required? I think I know how to do that on my router if necessary.

What I have done already:

1. Disabled Windows Firewall
2. Set ZoneAlarm settings to Allow incoming TCP ports 3389 under High security settings in ZoneAlarm->Firewall->Internet Zone Security->Custom. I even did that for UDP port 3389 (should I have done that?)
3. After step 2 above failed, I even disabled ZoneAlarm altogether and my friend still says he can't access my computer

Do I have to Allow outgoing TCP port (and UDP port?) if I want to connect to another user's computer? Or is it ok to leave that unchecked? This is in ZoneAlarm...

If anyone can give me some details on what to do to make this work, that would be greatly appreciated. Like I said, I have been at this for a while and just couldn't figure it out.

Also, will the same thing apply for using other programs like TightVNC to connect besides the Remote Desktop Connection feature in Windows XP?

Thanks.

Just go to your Help and Support in the start menu and select the Invite a friend to connect to your computer in the main heading of Ask for Assistance then have your friend or parent or whomever go ahead and follow the directions, you don't need to worry about you system configuration as long as you have an internet connection.

I think you are getting Remote assistance confused with the commercail program Go to my PC.

Nope. I think this only works on Windows XP Pro computers and not for Home. For Home, I think we can only connect but can't send invitations requesting help.

sorry i can nto help u at the moment but i will try and find more info but i can connect to other computers that have the right info etc i often connect to my home computer form work do u use the program Remote Desktop Connection?

I don't know WinXP remote desktop as I don't use WinXP but I can give you help network wise.

You need to have the ports open to both directions, incoming and outgoing. And I doubt that this Remote assistance utility uses UDP so I'd keep the ports closed and anyways it doesn't work try with UDP ports open too.

Also, the router might be blocking the ports, so yes you need to enable port forwarding. Again first do only TCP and if not working UDP too. The router should be really easy to configure; easier than ZoneAlarm.

Win home cannot use remote access but it does have the ability to have it is on your WIN XP home CD in ummmm I dont quite remember but it's there somewhere I think it might be under extras but if you dont want to waist your time looking for it you can just download the client from here
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloa...rdclientdl.mspx

Your link failed, try these links instead the first is for XP PRO and the second is for all Windows to allow the remote assistance.
For the Win XP PRO
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloa...rdclientdl.mspx
For all other Windows use the below
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloa.../rdwebconn.mspx
I previewed and tested both the above links and they will work.
Also here is the main page for all machine concerning tools and utilities for Windows.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloa...ls/default.mspx

Refer to this, too, if you haven't yet:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechn...n/rmassist.mspx
(Although the URL may sound like for WinXP Pro, it is applicable to XP Home as well.)


Now, besides what others have commented, the first thig you may want to check up if you have UPnP enabled with your router. Go into the setup and turn it on. The same applies to your counterpart.

I am assuming that both you and your counterpart are on DSL connection.
There are cases sometimes with Cable ISPs that users are only provided with private IPs, not global IPs (possible in large flats or appartments.) If this is the case, you have no luck; Remote Assistance wouldn't work.


Just for info, in an correctly configured environment, 1) only WinXP Pro can be a "Remote Access" server, but anyone can access it. 2) Both XP Pro and Home can host a "Remote Assistance" and serve/access each other.

Thanks for all the replies...

Hercco: Do I have to use a static IP for port forwarding to work? Been reading up on this online and it seems to be the case. I have DHCP enabled so my router assigns an IP for my laptop.

Houdini: That second link seems to be for XP Pro also (unless it works for Home also?). I have to have IIS also though...and I'm not to savvy on how to do that.

inconnu: Yep...Trust me I tried everything I can think of LOL. I used UltraVNC, TightVNC, Windows XP's own Remote Desktop Connection and even Windows Messenger. All to no avail. Out of the handful of users I tried to do this one, I remember only getting access to one user's computer. I'm sure the user has these firewalls enabled also...

Question on that...What is UPNP for? I had to look around for it but found it in my router configurations. Do I need to enable any service also? I can create my custom service to have those port forward settings in it. I really don't know why I need port forwarding and hope that I'm doing it correctly. So if anyone uses Verizon DSL also and could give me details on how to set this up, I would greatly appreciate the help

Yes, the other user I'm trying to connect to uses a fast connection (DSL or Cable).

For the port setting part, do I have to add the port forwarding in the router and also Allow incoming (and outgoing) TCP port 3389 in ZoneAlarm? Should I disable the Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP (might be blocking it also?)? I went into the Advanced Settings for the Internet Connection Firewall...and see Remote Desktop. Should that be checked?

So is it possible for a XP Home machine to access another XP Home machine? Or must the one being accessed be Pro? My friend says that Pro is not needed on the other user's computer since he did this before at work...

By the way, you should also try vnc. You install vnc server on the target system, you run vncviewer on your own PC, and you give the IP address of the target PC, and you are on the remote PC, your keyboard is his keyboard, your mouse moves on his screen. Of course, don't forget to give a password and to use enkryption.