Windows Vista Security: Praxisorientierte Sicherheit für Profis

Getting Help and Giving Others Assistance

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As long as you’ve allowed remote control of your computer, the helper will have a

similar set of controls and will be able to access your desktop and Start menu, allow-

ing her to fix your computer much like she could if she were sitting at the keyboard.

If you haven’t allowed remote control of your computer, the helper will only be able

to view your desktop and guide you through chat.

For Windows Vista, Remote Assistance has been enhanced in several

ways. First, two people can now simultaneously connect to a com-

puter for troubleshooting. Second, if troubleshooting requires that the

computer be restarted, the Remote Assistance session is reestablished

automatically after the computer reboots.

Giving Other People Assistance

Just as you can use Remote Assistance to get help, you can use Remote Assistance to

help other people. Have the person send you a Remote Assistance invitation via

email. When you receive the email, double-click the invitation attached to the mes-

sage. You’ll then see a Windows Remote Assistance dialog box with a view of the

other person’s computer. As long as the person has allowed remote control, the view

will have a similar set of controls as previously discussed, and will provide complete

access to the person’s desktop and Start menu, allowing you to fix the person’s prob-

lem much like you could if you were sitting at the keyboard.

If you know that a user is having problems with her computer, you can follow these

steps to offer remote assistance rather than waiting for an invitation:

1. Click the Help and Support Home button on the toolbar and then click Remote

Assistance under Ask Someone.

2. In the Remote Assistance Wizard, click “Offer to help someone.”

3. Type the name or IP address of the computer you want to assist. The computer

must be configured to accept Remote Assistance offers.

4. Click Finish.

Connecting to Your Computer Remotely

Sometimes you may want to be able to connect remotely to your computer. For

example, if you are at home, you may want to be able to access files on your work

computer. Or if you are at work, on vacation, or out wherever, you may want to be

able to access files on your home computer. To access your computer remotely, you

can use Remote Desktop.

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Chapter 21: Getting Help and Handling Advanced Support Issues

You can make a Remote Desktop connection to your computer by following these

steps:

1. Click Start

➝ All Programs ➝ Accessories ➝ Remote Desktop Connection. This

displays the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, shown in Figure 21-19.

2. In the Computer field, type the name of the remote computer or its IP address.

For a connection over the Internet, you’ll need to use the IP address in most

cases (when connecting to your home computer from other places, this is the

public IP address assigned by your ISP).

3. Click Connect. Your screen will go black for a moment except for a title bar at

the top.

4. When you see the logon dialog box, enter the username and password of an

account that is a member of the Remote Desktop Users group, and then click

OK.

5. If the account is already logged on to the remote computer, the desktop on the

computer will lock and you’ll then see the current desktop as though you were

sitting at the keyboard.

6. If someone is already logged on to the remote computer, you’ll see a prompt tell-

ing you that the other person will be disconnected. Click Yes to continue. The

user will then see a prompt asking if she wants to allow the connection. If she

clicks Yes, she’ll be logged off similar to what happens when you use fast user

switching. The user can resume her logon session later.

When you’ve connected successfully, you’ll see the Remote Desktop window on the

selected computer, and you’ll be able to work with resources on the computer.

While you are using the remote computer, the remote computer shows the welcome

screen with your account listed as being logged on and locked. A person with physi-

cal access to the remote computer cannot see what you’re doing at the local com-

puter. Keep in mind that firewalls can prevent successful remote desktop

connections. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port 3389 must be open to any

firewall between your local computer and the remote computer.

Figure 21-19. Connecting to a remote computer