How To Set Up Remote Desktop on XP

Having a remote desktop access whether at home or in the office is very useful. It allows you to control several units at the same time without having to be physically present. This means installation of programs and other tedious tasks can be a breeze. If you want to have this kind of convenience then you would benefit from the list of tips enumerated below. Just follow the step by step instructions and you should be able to set up your own remote access via Windows XP.

* Having an available network. For you to be able to access another machine from your own machine, both of these machines must be a part of the same network. If you are doing this at work, chances are, there is a VPN or Virtual Private Network that is running which you can use to access another machine. If you do not have a VPN, then you have to make use of a feature that is already available in Windows XP distributions.
* Signing on to an account. Ensure that you have been signed on to the account that can make the network changes, such as the Admin User account. Just go to the "Start "button, select "Control Panel" and then the "Performance Maintenance" option. From there you can see the "System" portion, click on that and select the "Remote" tab. Inside the Remote tab; you can see the “Allow users to connect remotely” checkbox. Select this and then hit "OK".
* Managing the security settings. Your next step would be to visit the Security Center portion, which is also within the Control Panel window. From there you can select the “Manage Security Settings” option and then select “Firewall”. When you go back to the main tab, double check to see if the sole radio button selected is the “On Recommended”.
* Selecting the exceptions. You can also set the exceptions to this rule from the Exceptions tab. Exceptions can be your printing services, photo sharing applications and the like. It is completely up to you which services you want to block and not block. When you get out of this window, remote desktop access should already be enabled. You should now get the name of the PC that you want to access. Make sure you know the exact name of the PC. It is best to write it down on a piece of paper.
* Locking down the PC to be accessed. You should lock down the PC to be accessed just to make sure that there will be no other changes while you are remotely accessing it. While this step is not completely necessary, it is a nice precaution. You can now attempt to access it by pressing the "Windows" Button then the "R" key. Key in MSTSC and key in the computer name in the text field. Select "Connect" and you should now be able to access the other machine.


Remember to unlock the other machine when you are done with it. Most of the time, when a machine is being accessed by another, the accessed machine’s performance slows down due to the network connection it is setting up. This is the reason why you shouldn’t be connected to somebody else all the time.