WinXP: How to REMOTELY help my friend?

[Lamont Sanford]

Hi there,

Here's the situation: My friend is using Windows XP. She frequently
needs help with routine tasks and I have to drive over there and help her. I
want to figure out a way that I can help her REMOTELY to save time. I
realize that I could just set her computer up for Remote Desktop, but I want
her to be able to actually SEE what I'm doing as I'm explaining it to her on
the phone.

...and here's the tricky part:

Because of the way her firewall is configured on her end, she can't open
up any inbound ports but she CAN make an outbound connection on ANY port. Is
there a way to set things up so that SHE can make an outbound connection to
me and then I can remotely control her computer with her *watching* me?

FWIW, I'm using Win2003 Server but I have access to an XP machine on my
side if it is strictly necessary. Thanks.

Lamont

 

[Guest]

This might work: In MSN Messenger she has to Request Remote Assistance.
It's been a while since I tried it, and frankly it is not always
firewall-friendly... but give it a shot and let me know how it goes!

Mitch

 

[Bill Sanderson]

My thought is that she create a VPN connection to either your server or your
XP machine--presumably the server would make sense, and then you should be
able to use Remote Assistance over the VPN link.

You will probably have to pass the invitation file by email or by a simple
file transfer, and you will probably have to edit the "ticket" to use the IP
address acquired by her end of the VPN tunnel, but I think this should be
possible. It may help her to clear the checkbox for "use default gateway"
in the properties of TCP/IP in properties of the VPN connection.

Here's a great discussion of RA processes in general, but you have to dig to
get the details of editing the ticket--just look at the invitation file
using notepad:

http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=...cedesks/webcasts/en/transcripts/wct081903.asp

Here's a simpler reference:
http://www.petri.co.il/what's_remote_assistanc.htm

(scroll down to "Remote Assistance Problems.")