I need to connect to a friend's computer. We would like to use Remote
Assistance. Unfortunately, neither of us can launch Remote Assistance.

I've found instructions. They say I should go to Help and Support,
then click on "Click Invite a friend to connect to your computer with
Remote Assistance." However, I don't have that option in Help and
Support.

When I search for "Remote Assistance" within Help and Support, I can
find pages which repeat the instructions I mentioned above, but I
can't find any page which allows me to actually launch Remote
Assistance.

In any case, I'm not very comfortable launching programs from within
Help and Support. I would prefer to use Start / Programs. Can anyone
tell me the command line to launch Remote Assistance so I can build a
shortcut?


-TC

TC wrote:
> I need to connect to a friend's computer. We would like to use Remote
> Assistance. Unfortunately, neither of us can launch Remote Assistance.
>
> I've found instructions. They say I should go to Help and Support,
> then click on "Click Invite a friend to connect to your computer with
> Remote Assistance." However, I don't have that option in Help and
> Support.
>
> When I search for "Remote Assistance" within Help and Support, I can
> find pages which repeat the instructions I mentioned above, but I
> can't find any page which allows me to actually launch Remote
> Assistance.
>
> In any case, I'm not very comfortable launching programs from within
> Help and Support. I would prefer to use Start / Programs. Can anyone
> tell me the command line to launch Remote Assistance so I can build a
> shortcut?
>
>
> -TC

If neither machine has Vista, you can connect using Netmeeting, which is
available on W95 through WXP machines.

Here's what you do the first time:

- Click Start, Run, type CONF and click OK.

- Go through the one-time Setup Wizard, filling in first and last names,
email address, and deselect "Log on to a directory server when
Netmeeting starts". Just click your way through the audio tuning
wizard, unless you want to use them too.

- Then Netmeeting will start. One of you will have to email the other
your ip address. Here's a few ways to get that:

1. In NM, click Help, About Windows Netmeeting. The IP address is
there, but if it starts off 192.168. that's the wrong one, and you have
a router.

2. Go to http://www.whatismyip.com and copy/paste your ip address.

3. Click Start, Run, type CMD, click OK. Type IPCONFIG, and press
Enter and you'll see the IP address.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Now starts the common, everyday desk-sharing routine:

- Send the IP address.

- Recipient types it into the top pane, clicks the phone icon.

- After the connection is made, "host" clicks the low left icon, which
looks like a hand holding a window.

- Click Desktop, click Share. Click "Allow Control" button.

- You request control (an option at the top of the window with their
desktop display), they accept in the prompt that pops up, and you have
control. You can then click View, Full Screen and you'll see nothing
but their desktop on your screen.

--
Joe =o)