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Remote desktop enables you to access another computer on your network, or a computer with just an IP address. If you are not using a Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise version of Windows, learn how to upgrade Windows here.

In this guide you’ll learn how to enable remote desktop connection and then use it to access your PC. You may also learn some keyboard shortcuts for remote desktop connection here.

Using Remote Desktop to Access Your Computer

Please note: If this method doesn’t work for you, try LogMeIn

Remote desktop connections are extremely useful when you want to make a change on a different computer in your network, but you don’t have the time to move between them.

In this guide you’ll see how I can log into on of my servers at work, which is over 1,700 miles away, and then log on to one of the 50+ computers on the network. I hope you can experience similar benefits from using RD.

Please note: This guide is written for Windows Vista but the procedure is almost the same for XP; this guide is sufficient to teach you how to enable remote desktop for both Vista and XP.

Enable Remote Desktop Connections

To enable remote desktop, do the following:

1. Click the Start button, right click on Computer and select Properties

Using Remote Desktop to Access Your Computer 1

2. In the left pane, click Remote Settings

Using Remote Desktop to Access Your Computer 2

3. Select either Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop (less secure) or Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authenticate (more secure)

Using Remote Desktop to Access Your Computer 3

Accessing Enabled Computers Remotely

1. Click the Start button, type Remote and press Enter

Using Remote Desktop to Access Your Computer 4

2. Now type in the full computer name (ask your network administrator if you don’t know this name) and press Enter. After entering your login information, you will then be connected.

The full computer name is also known as a fully qualified domain name (FQDN), a full computer name includes the host (computer) name, the domain name, and all the higher level domains. For example, the full computer name of a computer named “user” might be user.example.mintywhite.com.

Example of Remote Desktop Connection

Here is a screenshot of my laptop computer remotely accessing one of my work servers (Windows Server 2003) 1,700 miles away. You can also see that I have then opened a remote session into my workstation (Windows XP), which is across the room from the server.

Using Remote Desktop to Access Your Computer 5

[Click for a larger image]

About Rich

Rich is the owner and creator of Windows Guides; he spends his time breaking things on his PC so he can write how-to guides to fix them.

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Comments

21 thoughts on “Use Remote Desktop to Access Your Computer”

  1. life insurance says:

    Thanks for this tip

  2. life insurance says:

    Thanks for this tip

  3. life insurance says:

    Thanks for this tip

  4. JC Charles says:

    this is very easy to follow thank you v.much

  5. Jeremy Kitson says:

    I use logmein and find I dont have any firewall issues

  6. Jeremy Kitson says:

    I use logmein and find I dont have any firewall issues

  7. JC Charles says:

    this is very easy to follow thank you v.much

  8. Jeremy Kitson says:

    I use logmein and find I dont have any firewall issues

  9. JC Charles says:

    this is very easy to follow thank you v.much

  10. Keyboard Shortcuts to Use with says:

    […] yesterday#8217s guide you learned how to enable remote desktop connection. Now you can learn some useful shortcut key […]

  11. Rick says:

    If your doing a WAN to WAN connections through a Firewall. You need to open port 3389. I prefer to use logmein RD connections they don’t require open ports to use to connect to the host computer. They are awesome. FREE.

  12. Rick says:

    If your doing a WAN to WAN connections through a Firewall. You need to open port 3389. I prefer to use logmein RD connections they don’t require open ports to use to connect to the host computer. They are awesome. FREE.

  13. Rick says:

    If your doing a WAN to WAN connections through a Firewall. You need to open port 3389. I prefer to use logmein RD connections they don’t require open ports to use to connect to the host computer. They are awesome. FREE.

  14. Rich says:

    Thanks Rick. I’ll put a link in.

  15. Rich says:

    Thanks Rick. I’ll put a link in.

  16. Rich says:

    Thanks Rick. I’ll put a link in.

  17. Eric says:

    Nice! You are truly brilliant….

  18. Pingback: Eric
  19. Boris says:

    Great…. just great

  20. Pingback: Boris

Comments are closed.


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