Is anyone familiar with TeamViewer? Would it be a good choice to use for remote access when my mom in the US calls and says "I can't figure out what I did to my computer..."?

I tried at one point to install VNC but wasn't able to get it working. I'm unfamiliar with configuring ports, etc., and didn't have time to figure it out while I was there.

Just looking for something simple on both our ends which is easy to use and reasonably secure. Your feedback is most welcome!

I have been using the latest version of GoToAssist Express Beta for the past 8 months and have been very happy with it. It is free, for now, and the functionality couldn't be easier. The "customer" (your mom) goes to a web site, enters a 9 digit number and then you are connected. I'm not sure if they are planning on charging for it as it comes out of beta or not. If they do I'll be back in the market for a freebie.

At my old company we used a VNC package plus a relay server that allowed us to not have to open up any special ports on firewalls. That was particularly helpful to us but I didn't bother setting it back up when I left that job since I got the other freebie.

TeamViewer doesn't look all that bad from the web page, but I have no direct experience with it.

I love my gotomypc account. Flawless, absolutely flawless. And pretty cheap.

Yeah, I've used TeamViewer, and I thought it was decent, but my preference for remote access is RHUB's service. It's got everything I need in one device, and it's easy to use.

Logmein works great for remote access, no need to request an access code every time like with team viewer.

Another vote for LogMeIn - I've been using it for several years to remote control family computers when they need help.

The free version needs to be manually installed on the individual computer. There's a paid rescue version (not sure how much it costs these days) that lets users go to a website and type in a support code you generate. It automatically installs the software and connects to you.

I've used both LogMeIn, and TeamViewer, and in my opinion, they serve very different purposes. I like LogMeIn for my parents PCs because I can just say I'll connect and give them no instructions on how they let me connect. Its all saved in my account, and it just works.

TeamViewer is a fantastic, lightweight remote desktop client, that I use primarily when I know its a one off issue I'm going to be helping someone with. What I like is that you can use it w/o doing a true install, it runs locally still, but there is a lightweight client that is saved apparently to temp files, and is deleted after you close the session. TeamViewer is about as simple as you can get - it will ask for a 9 digit numeric ID and a 4 digit pin that changes every time you run it. That's all you need to connect.

Sorry to go OT here but when i installed logmein on my home computer, my internet connection became screwed up and only went back to normal after uninstalling it (scouring it out of my registry). The forums weren't too helpful. Did i miss an important step somewhere?

I have used both logmein and team viewer.
Both of them really have to be set up before you go
Logmein is free, and works ok, although the interface is not easy to see, especially if you are on a laptop and they have a large screen
I like Team viewer a little better for work - it is quite reliable even when there are a lot of firewalls etc. If it just for your home or your mom's home computer logmein should be ok

Another vote for TeamViewer. I use it for the same purpose as the OP and he can set it up so that his Mom does not have to do anything when he does remote access. (Not that he is reading this thread any more!)

Yes, I'm still reading it! Mom no longer uses a computer, but I now need a similar solution with some technologically challenged colleagues. I'm still looking for something that requires no installation on the client side, though, so LogMeIn is out.

Welcome to FT, johnclick.

Stick around and join in wherever you wish. Your contributions will always be welcome.

Do have a look at the age of some of the threads before you post though. You will see that this particular thread had effectively "died" some years ago. The last post before yours was in 2008, and you "resurrected" it! FlyerTalk terms of service say that unless there is a good reason you should let threads that are two years old rest in peace

... and another vote for LogMeIn here

I'll follow antichef's advice here - especially since the new user hasn't come back since posting that first post. Let's lock this thread and let it go off to a nice farm upstate, as it were. Feel free to create a new thread if this topic is still interesting to people - and in that case, I'll merge the new posts here with the new thread.