If you take never used Remote Desktop, information technology is a really peachy way to connect to some other PC (office, dwelling, etc) remotely and get work done that y'all otherwise could not get done unless yous were physically at the machine. I routinely use remote desktop to connect to servers at our part, connect to user's computers to provide tech support and to connect to my personal computer at home to admission files.

In order to use Remote Desktop, at that place are a couple of things yous need to understand. Showtime off, remote desktop simply works with Windows XP and Windows 2003. What I mean past this is that you can only connect INTO a Window XP or 2003 machine. Y'all can utilise a Windows 98, ME, or 2000 to connect INTO a Windows XP or 2003 motorcar, but you lot cannot connect INTO a 98, ME or 2000 machine remotely. If you desire to be able to connect to a Windows 2000 or earlier car, you'll accept to purchase commercial software.

Since this postal service is over 7 years quondam, the in a higher place statement is out-dated. You can as well connect into a Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 motorcar. Also, since Microsoft has recently ended support for Windows XP, this tutorial will becomes less useful as fourth dimension passes. If interested, cheque out my mail on configuring remote desktop for Windows viii.

Secondly, y'all need to make sure that you lot are logged in as a computer ambassador on the motorcar in order to set up it up for remote access. If you brought a calculator from a shop or got it straight from the manufacturer, the beginning user name y'all create is always an Ambassador account.

An easy way to check whether or not you are an Administrator is to go to Offset, Control Panel and then click on User Accounts. Yous'll meet your user proper name and it should take "Administrators" or "Calculator Administrator" written side by side to information technology.

user accounts xp

Thirdly, the ambassador account on your car must have a countersign. If you exercise not have to blazon in a countersign in order to access Windows when you lot start up your estimator, then y'all exercise not take a countersign set and Remote Desktop will not work. Remote desktop does not allow you to connect to a estimator with a user business relationship that does not have a password.

When you go to User Accounts and click on the Ambassador account, yous will see an choice to create a password for the account. Become alee and do that before moving on.

create password user

Next, if the computer yous are connecting to is running Windows XP SP3, and so you demand to open the firewall to let remote desktop connections. To do this, go to Start, Command Panel, Windows Firewall and click on the Exceptions tab.

firewall exception

Make sure that the Remote Desktop check box is checked. The last thing that needs to be done in order for Remote Desktop to work correctly is to tell Windows that nosotros want to allow users to connect remotely. And then far nosotros've only fulfilled the requirements, only now we have to actually allow remote desktop connections to this computer.

Go to Start, Control Panel, and click on System. Click on the Remote tab and make sure that the "Allows users to connect remotely to this computer" box is checked. Don't worry about clicking the Select Remote Users button considering Administrators have admission by default. If yous desire to give an non-administrator business relationship remote desktop admission, then click that push button and add together the user.

allow remote connections xp

And that's it! Your figurer is now setup for remote desktop! Start try connecting to the XP auto from another computer on your home network. In order to connect, go to the other computer and click on Outset, All programs, Accessories, Communications, and Remote Desktop Connexion. If you desire to connect to the XP machine from Windows Vista, Windows seven or Windows 8, merely click on Start and perform a search for remote desktop connection. On Windows 8, go to the Start Screen and start typing to perform a search.

remote desktop connection

In the dialog box, yous can type in the IP address or the name of the computer. The best fashion to connect is to type in the IP accost of the computer. In order to become the IP accost of the computer you want to connect to, get to the figurer and click on Starting time, Run and type in CMD.

run cmd

In the black command window, type in the word "ipconfig" without the quotes as shown below and printing Enter.

ipconfig address

Y'all'll meet your IP address listed along with another info, but y'all don't need to worry about that. Write down that IP accost (192.x.x.10 or something similar) and blazon that number exactly into the remote desktop text box on the other computer (the computer you are connecting from).

win7 remote desktop

Click Connect and you should get a login screen pop up, which means you have successfully continued to the other computer. Y'all can now enter the Computer Administrator user name and password.

If you go an fault saying that computer cannot accept new connections, etc. that means something was not configured correctly. Recollect you need to requite the administrator account a password, open up the port in the firewall, and check the let remote connections bank check box in the Arrangement backdrop. All  three items need to be performed on computer y'all want to connect TO.

Once you are able to connect from within the same network, now you tin can try to connect from exterior. So if you lot want to connect to your habitation calculator from the office, you can practise that, but you'll have to practise a few extra things.

First, you lot accept to get your public IP Address (not the 192.168.x.x number) and you tin practise this by going to the calculator you want to connect into and navigating to the web site http://www.whatismyip.com/ and this volition give y'all your public IP address. This is the address that can be used from anywhere in the world to connect to your specific location and is unique. Unfortunately, on virtually home connections, this public IP accost changes often and without discover. Basically to solve that problem, y'all have to use dynamic DNS. I won't go into much detail in this postal service, merely read my other posts on how to configure it:

Configuring a Router for Dynamic DNS

What is Dynamic DNS and How to Set Information technology Upward

The second matter you have to do is open up the port in your router (unless you're connecting your cable modem directly into your figurer) and frontwards that port to the figurer y'all want to connect to. Here'south how you would do this on a Netgear router (equally I take that) and the process is pretty much the same for other routers, except that it might be called something else. Most manufacturer'due south web sites take an commodity on how to configure their particular router for port forwarding since it's very common.

You'll need to log into your router past typing information technology'south IP address into the browser address bar. You can effigy out the IP address of your router by going to whatsoever reckoner on your network (that you want to connect into) and opening the command prompt like we did above and typing ipconfig over again. In addition to the IP Address field, you'll besides see Default Gateway, this is your router. From the above screenshot, yous can come across mine is 192.168.244.2.

Type that address into your browser accost bar equally follows and printing Enter:

ip address

You'll well-nigh likely be prompted for a user proper noun and password. Unremarkably, you tin can find this in the documentation or on the under side of the router itself. For my Netgear router, the username as "admin" (lowercase) and the countersign was "countersign".

Once you're in, you should come across an selection chosen "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

Once you're on the Port Forwarding page, you lot might see different layouts/options. The basic parts will be giving the forrard a proper name similar "Remote Desktop", choosing the external port and the internal port, the protocol and picking the IP address for the device the information is supposed to be forrard to.

new port forward

For remote desktop, you'll always want to cull TCP for Protocol. Be default, remote desktop uses port 3389, and then type that into both the internal and consign port boxes. Lastly, the internal IP address should be the IP address of the XP automobile. On some setups, you'll be asked for a starting port, ending port and triggering port. Just put 3389 for any port boxes.

port triggering

Click Apply and you're washed! You should now exist able to use your public IP address (blazon this into the Estimator text box in the Remote Desktop Connection dialog) to connect through your router to your reckoner!

If you accept any bug remotely connecting to your Windows XP motorcar, please post a comment here and I'll try to help. Relish!