Originally Posted by
BigLar
I don't want this to go on and on, and I certainly don't expect someone here to hold my hand. But having said that ...
Yes, I'm trying to use Remote Desktop. The Help gives step-by-step, which I do, and it doesn't work. I seem to be able to get connected, but I'm totally unaware of any passwords I have. So I changed my User Account to have a password, and that didn't work. So I tried Guest, and it apparently doesn't allow that. When I get a message, I don't know whether it comes from my machine of the remote machine.
I can usually form a mental picture of what's going on and know where I'll have to fill in the blanks, but maybe I'm too analytical - when I'm told something like "Enter computer name" I wonder "Which Name?" My computer seems to have at least two names ("Main Pump" and something like "BigLar-Af4E618B1) and neither one works. Then there's the name it greets me with when I turn it on (User - Larry ; I'm the only one who uses this machine). So that's three names (none of which work).
Nice words, but what
exactly do they mean? Try telling that to someone who has only used Windows computers set up by someone else, and you'll probably get a blank look. I mean, what's the step-by-step procedure involved in "...just creating a new Windows user with privileges..."? I've worked my way through a lot of stuff in the past, but this one seems hellbent on frustrating me. A simple indication that the operation "failed" doesn't tell me much.
I'm pretty sure this is the stuff I want to use, so I'll beat on someone who's done it and have him/her sit down with me. Nothing like a knowledgeable finger pointing out "Right
here, thickhead!" to make things go smoothly.
Sorry about the metaphors.
OK, so the basic idea is that you're using your computer (the
client) to connect to the other computer (the
server) and remotely control it as if you were sitting in front of it. I strongly recommend using VNC because it's easier to set up. You just install it.
That said, here's what you should be doing with the Windows built in functionality. You need to either give your user account on the server a password, or create a new account (which is what I detail below). Windows won't let you do Remote Desktop with an account that doesn't have a password.
1. On the server, right click My Computer and choose Manage. Open the Local Users & Groups option and click Users. Under the Action menu, choose New User. Fill out the User Name and give it a password. Uncheck the box that the user has to change its password on the next login, and check the Password Never Expires box. Click Create, then Close. Close the Computer Management window. Congrats, you've created a new user in Windows.
2. On the server, right click My Computer and choose Properties. Click the Remote tab and check the box to allow remote users to connect to this computer. Make a note of what it says is the "full computer name". Then click the button to select remote users. Click Add. Then type the user name (which you typed in the User Name field when you added the user) of the user you created in step 1. Click Check Names and it should add some stuff to what you typed, and underline it. Click OK until you get out of all the windows you've opened.
3. On the client, open the Start Menu, point to All Programs, then Accessories. Choose Remote Desktop Connection. Type the "full computer name" you noted in step 2 above and click Connect. You should be presented with a login screen. Give it the user name of the user you created in step 1, and its password. You will see your server computer's desktop and be able to control it as if you were sitting in front of it.
THere's your hand-holding. Now go get me a gin and tonic.