When you use Remote Desktop, you are asked to logon to the remote
computer as a user, that is, as one of the users already existing on the
machine, and that user must have a password. (Go to User accounts in
Control Panel to see which accounts exist, and assign a password to the
one you want to use, from downstairs.) [I kind of forget whether you
have to disable fast user switching under "Change how users logon", but
maybe you should do this, too.]
If you are accessing the computer over a private Lan (with an ip address
such as 192.168.1.101), you probably don't need to be too concerned
about what the password. As long as the router is not forwarding
communications on Port 3389, the computer's remote desktop cannot be
reached from, say, Bulgaria. If you are accessing over Internet, or the
computer being accessed is itself on the internet, assigned a public ip
by the cable or dsl modem, then you need to be real concerned about the
password. The password should be either exactly 7 characters or,
better, exactly 14 characters, and it should contain both upper and
lower case letters, numbers and punctuation symbols ($ ^ ! etc.
Absolutely no dictionary words or simple numbers series!
When you enable Remote Desktop (from the System icon in Control Panel,
under the Remote tab), you should add the user you want to use, even if
the dialog box claims the user in question has been automatically added.
Finally, you should go to Network Connections, and right-click on the
icon representing your connection to the network. If the internet
connection firewall is enabled for this connection, on the advanced tab,
you need to click on settings and check remote desktop.
Still in the Connection Properties dialog, you might also want to check
the Properties of the Internet Protocol, to confirm that under the WINS
tab, Netbios over TCP/IP is checked. NetBios is how the computer's name
is resolved. Using the computer's name in Remote Desktop is easier than
trying to determine the correct IP, especially if the router's DHCP
function is assigning privately IP addresses somewhat randomly.
Finally, you might want to step through the Network setup wizard on both
computers, just to make sure that the computer are ready to network.
It will also give you an opportunity to give the two computers distinct
and memorable names and the same workgroup name, which makes file and
print sharing easier.
You may be wondering why setting up Remote Desktop involves so many
different dialogs scattered across the Control Panel, or why Help and
the instructions on Microsoft's website are unhelpfully incomplete. I
wonder, too.
SP2, at least, changes the firewall when you enable Remote Desktop, so
maybe they are making a little bit of progress.
Anyway, I still like Remote Desktop a lot. Make sure that you adjust
the "Experience" settings for a LAN.
