Can't Log on to RD Using Hostname of Host Computer

[Jack Hassid]

In my office I have a Dell Dimension desktop running Windows XP
Professional. I'm not part of any network and log on to the Internet using a
dial up modem. For years I've had no problem accessing RD from my home
laptop (also running Windows XP) using my office computer's hostname as the
computer name. Two weeks ago, for no apparent reason, I could not log on
using the hostname but only the host computer's IP address. This is not
practical as my ISP assigns a dynamic IP address whenever I log on so that
it's always changing.

How can I get the hostname to work with RD again? Any help would be most
appreciated.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

In my office I have a Dell Dimension desktop running Windows XP
Professional. I'm not part of any network and log on to the
Internet using a dial up modem. For years I've had no problem
accessing RD from my home laptop (also running Windows XP) using my
office computer's hostname as the computer name. Two weeks ago,
for no apparent reason, I could not log on using the hostname but
only the host computer's IP address. This is not practical as my
ISP assigns a dynamic IP address whenever I log on so that it's
always changing.

How can I get the hostname to work with RD again? Any help would
be most appreciated.

I am unsure what you have going on.

You have two computers - one at an office and one mobile - but let's just
call it at home.

Do you dial-in (connect to the internet with a dial-up telephone modem) with
both computers so that either one can connect to the Internet? If so - are
you saying you have your work computer dialed-in at all times while you are
away from it? If so - are you also saying that when you connect to the
Internet with your home laptop - you have been able to, in the past, connect
to the work computer by hostname/netbios name?

The only way I can see that happening practically is that both systems
dial-up (connect to the Internet) using the same Internet Service Provider
and each machine registered their information with the DNS of said provider
and since you are using said dial-up providers DNS on both machines, you
could locate the other machine 'by name'.

Depending on the size of said provider - I would really call that 'lucky'
for 'years'.

My suggestion is to install an application and use a service called "Dynamic
DNS". A good example is http://dyndns.com/ <- where you get a free account,
use it to create a hostname (up to 5) that points to your dynamic IP
(https://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/) - which is updated by an
application in this case - perhaps the one created by the service providers
themselves: DynDNS Updater (https://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/).

Using such a service - no matter where you are, how you connect to the
internet, etc - if the computer you wish to remote into (that has the dyndns
service installed) is connected to the internet all, all you need to
remember is the domain name you gave it.

 

[Jack Hassid]

Thanks for your response, but I'm not connected to the Internet in the way
you suggest. When I leave the office, I disconnet from the internet since
I'm connected via a dial up modem rather than DSL. Thus, when I'm home, I
connect to my office machine by dialing into its modem and then running
Remote Desktop connection. MY ISP has nothing to do with my using RD.