If you take never used Remote Desktop, it is a actually cracking way to connect to some other PC (part, dwelling house, etc) remotely and get work washed that you otherwise could not get washed unless you were physically at the machine. I routinely use remote desktop to connect to servers at our office, connect to user's computers to provide tech support and to connect to my personal figurer at home to access files.

In order to use Remote Desktop, there are a couple of things you demand to understand. First off, remote desktop but works with Windows XP and Windows 2003. What I mean by this is that you can only connect INTO a Window XP or 2003 car. You tin apply a Windows 98, ME, or 2000 to connect INTO a Windows XP or 2003 machine, only you cannot connect INTO a 98, ME or 2000 machine remotely. If you want to be able to connect to a Windows 2000 or earlier machine, yous'll accept to purchase commercial software.

Since this mail service is over 7 years sometime, the in a higher place statement is out-dated. You can likewise connect into a Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows eight machine. Also, since Microsoft has recently concluded support for Windows XP, this tutorial will becomes less useful every bit time passes. If interested, bank check out my post on configuring remote desktop for Windows 8.

Secondly, yous demand to brand certain that you are logged in as a computer administrator on the machine in society to set it up for remote access. If yous brought a computer from a shop or got information technology straight from the manufacturer, the start user name you lot create is ever an Administrator account.

An easy way to check whether or not you are an Administrator is to go to Commencement, Command Panel then click on User Accounts. You'll see your user name and it should have "Administrators" or "Computer Ambassador" written next to it.

user accounts xp

Thirdly, the administrator account on your machine must have a password. If you lot do not have to blazon in a password in order to access Windows when you beginning up your computer, so you do non have a password gear up and Remote Desktop will not work. Remote desktop does non let you to connect to a estimator with a user account that does not accept a password.

When y'all go to User Accounts and click on the Administrator account, you will see an option to create a countersign for the business relationship. Get alee and do that before moving on.

create password user

Next, if the computer yous are connecting to is running Windows XP SP3, then you need to open the firewall to permit remote desktop connections. To exercise this, become to Starting time, Control Panel, Windows Firewall and click on the Exceptions tab.

firewall exception

Make sure that the Remote Desktop bank check box is checked. The final thing that needs to be done in society for Remote Desktop to piece of work correctly is to tell Windows that we want to allow users to connect remotely. And then far we've only fulfilled the requirements, but at present we have to actually allow remote desktop connections to this computer.

Go to Start, Command Console, and click on Organisation. Click on the Remote tab and make certain that the "Allows users to connect remotely to this computer" box is checked. Don't worry near clicking the Select Remote Users button because Administrators have access by default. If you want to give an non-administrator account remote desktop access, then click that push and add the user.

allow remote connections xp

And that's information technology! Your computer is at present setup for remote desktop! Start endeavour connecting to the XP machine from another computer on your home network. In club to connect, get to the other computer and click on Start, All programs, Accessories, Communications, and Remote Desktop Connexion. If you want to connect to the XP automobile from Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8, just click on Start and perform a search for remote desktop connection. On Windows 8, go to the Starting time Screen and start typing to perform a search.

remote desktop connection

In the dialog box, y'all tin can type in the IP address or the proper name of the calculator. The best way to connect is to type in the IP accost of the calculator. In order to get the IP address of the figurer you desire to connect to, go to the calculator and click on Start, Run and type in CMD.

run cmd

In the black control window, blazon in the word "ipconfig" without the quotes equally shown below and printing Enter.

ipconfig address

Yous'll see your IP address listed along with another info, but yous don't demand to worry about that. Write downward that IP accost (192.x.x.10 or something similar) and type that number exactly into the remote desktop text box on the other estimator (the reckoner y'all are connecting from).

win7 remote desktop

Click Connect and you lot should get a login screen pop upwardly, which means you have successfully connected to the other figurer. You tin now enter the Estimator Administrator user proper noun and password.

If you get an fault saying that figurer cannot have new connections, etc. that means something was non configured correctly. Remember you need to requite the ambassador account a password, open up the port in the firewall, and check the allow remote connections check box in the Arrangement properties. All  three items demand to be performed on computer you want to connect TO.

Once you are able to connect from within the same network, now you can try to connect from exterior. So if y'all desire to connect to your home computer from the office, you tin practise that, but you'll have to do a few extra things.

Start, y'all accept to get your public IP Address (not the 192.168.x.ten number) and you can do this past going to the estimator you want to connect into and navigating to the spider web site http://www.whatismyip.com/ and this volition give you your public IP address. This is the address that can be used from anywhere in the globe to connect to your specific location and is unique. Unfortunately, on most home connections, this public IP address changes oftentimes and without find. Basically to solve that problem, you lot accept to use dynamic DNS. I won't go into much detail in this mail service, but read my other posts on how to configure information technology:

Configuring a Router for Dynamic DNS

What is Dynamic DNS and How to Ready It Up

The 2nd thing you have to practice is open the port in your router (unless y'all're connecting your cable modem straight into your computer) and forward that port to the computer yous want to connect to. Hither's how y'all would do this on a Netgear router (every bit I have that) and the process is pretty much the same for other routers, except that it might be called something else. Almost manufacturer'southward spider web sites have an article on how to configure their particular router for port forwarding since it's very mutual.

Yous'll need to log into your router by typing it's IP address into the browser address bar. You can effigy out the IP accost of your router by going to whatsoever computer on your network (that you want to connect into) and opening the command prompt like nosotros did to a higher place and typing ipconfig again. In addition to the IP Address field, yous'll also see Default Gateway, this is your router. From the above screenshot, you lot can run into mine is 192.168.244.two.

Type that address into your browser address bar every bit follows and press Enter:

ip address

Y'all'll most probable be prompted for a user name and password. Commonly, yous tin observe this in the documentation or on the nether side of the router itself. For my Netgear router, the username every bit "admin" (lowercase) and the countersign was "password".

Once you lot're in, you should encounter an option called "Port Forwarding/Port Triggering" or something very like. I know Netopia calls these Pinholes and on Linksys it might be chosen a Service or Applications.

port forwarding

In one case yous're on the Port Forwarding page, you might encounter different layouts/options. The basic parts will exist giving the forward a proper name like "Remote Desktop", choosing the external port and the internal port, the protocol and picking the IP address for the device the data is supposed to exist forward to.

new port forward

For remote desktop, you'll always want to choose TCP for Protocol. Be default, remote desktop uses port 3389, so type that into both the internal and export port boxes. Lastly, the internal IP accost should be the IP address of the XP machine. On some setups, yous'll be asked for a starting port, ending port and triggering port. Only put 3389 for whatever port boxes.

port triggering

Click Employ and you're washed! You should now be able to use your public IP accost (type this into the Estimator text box in the Remote Desktop Connection dialog) to connect through your router to your computer!

If you have whatsoever problems remotely connecting to your Windows XP auto, delight post a comment hither and I'll try to help. Savour!