How to Set Up A Remote Desktop Connection for Windows XP

Remote Desktop is an versatile component that is included by default with Windows XP Professional. It enables you to access your Windows XP PC remotely from a different computer system via the Internet or a local area connection (LAN). A feature of this application, called "Remote Desktop Web Connection," gives you access to your PC from anywhere in the world via any computer that is connected to the Internet. You will then be able to access all your files and network resources, and even run programs just as if you were right at your computer. This is very handy when you are using your laptop, for example, in an Internet café or at a client's office. Here's how to set up a remote desktop connection for Windows XP, so that you can access your PC via the Internet.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Windows XP Professional CD
• A host PC (for example your home PC) running Windows XP
• A remote PC running windows 95 or later.

Enable "Remote Desktop Web Connection" Software in Your Host Computer

1. Click on your "Start" button and then "Control Panel." Click on "Add or Remove Programs." Click on "Add/Remove Windows Components."

2. Click on the entry marked " Internet Information Services" and then the "Details" button. This brings up a list of the "Subcomponents of World Wide Web Service."

3. Check the "Remote Desktop Web Connection" checkbox. Click OK. This will launch the "Windows Components Wizard." Click "'Next" and complete the wizard, which will install a local IIS web server, as well as a folder that's called "/tsweb." This folder contains the ActiveX controls and other components that you need for remote access. Click on "Finish" when you are done.

4. Open your "Internet Services Manager." Expand the folder hierarchy for thee local computers. Scroll down until you find the "/tsweb" folder, which will be under the "Default Web Site" entry.

5. Right click on the "/tsweb" folder and then on "Properties." This opens the properties dialogue box. Click on the "Directory Security" tab. Click on the "Edit" button.

6. Check the option for anonymous access in the "Authentication Methods" window. Click "OK" twice.

Configure Remote Desktop Access on Your Host PC

7. Click on your "Start" button and then "Control Panel." If you are in Category View mode, click on "Performance and Maintenance" and then on the System icon. If you are in Classic View mode, just double-click on the "System icon."

8. 

   Click on the tab labeled "Remote." Under "Remote Desktop," click the tick-box labeled "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer." There will be a message warning that user accounts have to have assigned passwords. If you haven't already, you'll need to assign a password to your user account–you will need a valid user account name and password in order to log in remotely.

9. Click on the "Select Remote Users" button if you want to enable additional users to have remote access to the host PC. If not, click on "Apply." NOTE: By default, the particular account that you use to activate Remote Desktop will already have this access. Administrators also automatically have remote access. To add users, click on the "Add" button. In the "Select Users" dialogue box that opens, type in the name of the user and then click "OK" until you get back to the Control Panel.

Connect Remotely to Your Host Computer Via the Internet

10. Find out and make a note of the unique IP address of your host PC. (See Resources below for websites you can use to find this out.)

11. Launch Internet Explorer and type in the URL: http://your-ip-address:port/tsweb/, replacing the text "your-ip-address" with your actual IP address. For example, if your IP address is "111.111.1.111:1111" then you'll type in: http://111.111.1.111:1111/tsweb/.

12. Click "Yes" if you get prompted to install the Remote Desktop ActiveX control.

13. Click "Connect" on the Remote Desktop Web Connection page, and your remote PC will take over your host PC. You can leave the "Server" field blank and the "Size" field at full screen.

14. Type in your username and your password at the login window and click "OK." Your Windows XP desktop will appear, exactly as you last left it, complete with any open programs or windows.

15. Close your browser when you are done so as to disconnect with your host PC. To disconnect when you are done, simply close the browser. Make sure you close every single browser window. Your user name and password are not stored on the remote PC, so no one can get them from this PC.

Tips & Warnings

• IP addresses change occasionally, so you should always verify your IP address each time before you connect remotely.
• Only one user can be logged into the host system at a time, whether locally or remotely. If you try to access the host PC remotely while someone is logged in locally, you will receive error messages.