Windows XP Unwired

Using Remote Desktop

One of the tools shipped with Windows XP Professional is Remote Desktop. Remote Desktop allows you to connect to a remote computer (see Figure 10-15) as if you were sitting right in front of it. This is useful in situations where you need to access the network resource in your office while you are on the road (in which case Remote Desktop should be used through a VPN; see Section 4.2 in Chapter 4).

Figure 10-15. How Remote Desktop works

Remote Desktop uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), the same protocol used by Terminal Server (also known as Terminal Services in Windows 2000). Remote Desktop works on low-bandwidth connections, since it transmits only keystrokes and mouse events to the host, which then sends back screen information for the client to display.

Tip

Remote Desktop is only available in Windows XP Professional. It is not included in Windows XP Home Edition.

Setting Up Remote Desktop

To allow remote users to connect to your computer:

1. Click Start → Settings → Control Panel → System and select the Remote tab (see Figure 10-16).

Figure 10-16. Allowing remote access to the computer

Tip

If your machine is located behind a firewall, you need to open up port 3389. See Section 5.4.12 in Chapter 5.

1. Turn on the “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer” checkbox. ...