REMOTE DESKTOP

Why would you want to connect remotely to another desktop on your network, you ask? Say you are at home comfortably working in bed and your laptop doesn't have the word processing application you need, but the computer in the living room does. If a wireless or wired network connects your computers, you can access the application you need from the computer in your living room without leaving your bedroom. The same goes for the office: why walk all the way back to shipping to print out a label with postage to send out a package when you can connect remotely and save yourself the walk.

There are several other applications besides Windows XP Remote Desktop that will allow you to remotely connect to another computer on your local network or via the Internet. However, the best thing about Windows XP Remote Desktop is that it is included with the Windows XP software package, and may be already be loaded on your computer. Other applications typically involve buying and downloading the software, then configuring the built-in Windows Firewall. Guess what? Remote Desktop inside Windows XP can even configure the Windows Firewall for you, making it probably the easiest to use remote connection application you will find.

Remote Desktop also has some options to help speed up the use of the remote computer in slower networks or for dial-up users. You can opt to display a smaller screen resolution, remove the desktop background from being displayed on the remote computer, and even reduce the color depth to improve performance. Other performance enhancing features include the ability to turn off animations and themes, but seeing the desktop is not all you can do when remotely connected via Remote Desktop.

You can also print your documents using the remote computer's printer, and bring any sounds from the remote computer to your own speakers. In addition, you will always be using a specific application each time you connect remotely. You can set Remote Desktop to launch the application you need automatically every time you connect, saving you valuable time.

For users with several Windows XP computers on the network in a home or office requiring programs and applications to be shared between computers, Remote Desktop will do the trick. Remote Desktop is already built into your Windows XP operating system and is easy to set up. The steps below will walk you through the process of setting up Remote Desktop on your computer. A word of caution to those who have modified some of the Windows files – these instructions may not follow exactly and you may need to contact Windows Support to complete the set-up process.

1. The first step is to right-click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop, then click on Properties at the bottom of the window that opens up.

2. After you click on Properties, you will get another window that opens up. That looks like this:

You will want to click the tab that says "Remote".

3. In the "Remote" window, look for the check window that will "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer," and select it. You may or may not want to choose the users you allow to access your system at this point. You only need to select remote users here if you will be connecting to this computer with accounts other than the default account for the local machine. After you are done, click apply and then "ok" to close the window.

4. The next step is to click on the Start button in the lower left corner of your computer screen.

5. Go to Programs, Accessories and Communications. Inside the communications folder, you will see the shortcut for Remote Desktop. Select the Remote Desktop icon.

6. After clicking the Remote Desktop icon, you will see the actual Remote Desktop Connection icon pop up.

7. In the Remote Desktop window, select Options and you will see all the available options for opening your Remote Desktop Connection. This is also the area where you enter the name of the computer on your network you wish to access remotely, or browse your network for computers you can remotely connect to. You can also enter the user name and password if you wish to skip the authentication on the local computer you are connecting remotely to. After you set the options you desire, click the Connect button.

8. Once you click the Connect button, you should see the desktop of the remote computer open up in a window. You may have also chosen to have the desktop of the remote computer open in full screen mode.

Once you are finished accessing the remote computer, either click the "X" on the beige colored tab at the top of a full screen remote desktop session, or the red "X" in a windowed remote desktop session.

Setting up Remote Desktop in Windows XP can be accomplished by even the most inexperienced computer user. In today's homes and offices, there is a growing demand for easy accessibility to networked computer and peripheral equipment increasing flexibility, maximizing productivity, and saving time, money, and energy. Taking advantage of this Windows XP feature will help you accomplish your computer networking goals.