Freebie way to operate one computer on a home network(?) from another

vhawk

Posts: 176   +0
is there any free way to control my laptop in my bedroom from my big pc in my living room? both are running windows xp home. the laptop gets its internet from the same thing that the pc does. does that mean that they are on the same network?

i'm a bit(no, a lot) thick about these things but, being in a wheelchair it would be handy to be able to do something on the laptop while doing things on the big pc. i did once manage to print something on the printer connected to the big computer from the little laptop, if that's a clue.

i don't really understand technical terms, or complicated instructions, having only half a brain left and the original was pretty dumb in the first place :)
 
This might be what you're looking for, although I think you may need Windows XP Pro to make it work ... Remote Desktop with Windows XP Professional.
There are probably third party offerings that would accomplish the same thing, try searching for Windows XP remote desktop.

If you're just looking to share files between the two systems you can set up shared folders that can be mapped across your home network. Here's a knowledge base article that covers the basics for setting up simple file sharing ... Simple File Sharing.

Hopefully this will help get you pointed in the right direction.
 
Remote desktop is only available on XP Pro. Try Real VNC, Ultra VNC, or Team Viewer. These are a few of the programs I have used, there are several others though.
 
thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to help me. actually the thing i had in mind to do was operate the laptop remotely as if i was sitting in front of it, opening applications etc. do you think Real VNC, Ultra VNC, or Team Viewer could be understood by a dolt like me? presumably they would have to be on both machines.
 
Real VNC and Team Viewer are the easiet to set up, if you have any questions/issues when configuring them just le me know. Yes, the program gets installed on each pc.
 
jdillman1502, thanks for you help. am i right in thinking team viewer must be up and running on both machines? i got it work once but the next time i tried it wouldn't connect and didn't like the password i put in. it's jolly decent of the makers to make it a freebie but it is awful confusing. would it work across the internet do you think, so that my lady in America could use it to watch films with me on my pc if we both had skype on audio only? i hope i am not abusing your kind generosity by bombarding you with questions
 
Yes, the program must be installed on both pc's. Did you enter a permanent password in the program on the laptop? If not, that is the best option (or else it generates a new password every time). To set a permanent password on it, open the program and click the link "configure permanent access to this computer." It would work across the internet, but watching video on it may not work well (it will depend on the internet speeds at both places).
 
thanks so much for getting back to me. unfortunately i did not see the 'enter a permanent password on the program on either machine, i rather foolishly thought that all i needed to do was make a note of the password and ID numbers of both machines which came up after installation and then enter the relevant numbers in the relevant boxes. might i be better off uninstalling it and starting again from scratch and keeping a look out for this permanent password thing which i missed at first?
 
The password doesn't get set during installation. Just open the program and you should see the link at the bottom of the left window.
 
i can't see anything about a (permanent) password anywhere on it apart from the number it gives you; presumably the partner is the big pc if i'm on the laptop and vice versa. there's a box about a partner list but nothing to explain what it is or does.
 
On the left window (in the top right corner of it), click the link for Connection, the select Setup Unattended Access. I forgot they changed this in version 6.
 
This is a bit of a heavier sollution, but probably much easier for you.

Sign up for the free version of logmein.com
Its remote access through web interface.
 
thanks, but i finally managed to find and do the password thing(by accident as it happens) and i can now do it both ways, pc to laptop and vice versa.

thank you so much for your help
 
Back