Can an XP Home computer be controlled remotely?

murphaph

I'm trying to get remote desktop working so I can work on my mother's XP Home Edition (SP3) laptop in Ireland from my own XP Pro Edition (SP3). The dialogue boxes are not the same in the home/pro editions when you go control panel->system->remote tab. The XP Home version has no "remote desktop" section, just the "remote assistance" one.

So I'm waffling...is it possible to remotely control the mother's laptop (I want to be able to keep the thing up to date and make sure it's getting its updates etc.).

I'd be obliged if someone could tell me how. Cheers.

biko

Arrg there is a piece of software I've forgotten that does this. Let me google it.

Edit: It's Logmein.com
Or you can go to Microsoft website and look for Remote desktop client.
Check on her computer http://www.utipu.com/app/tip/id/85/

Random

I find www.realvnc.com pretty handy too. Install the server on your mams PC and use the viewer from yours.

XP Home can't act as a Remote Desktop server, only a client. You'll need to use a third party server.

FruitLover

Random wrote: »

I find www.realvnc.com pretty handy too. Install the server on your mams PC and use the viewer from yours.

If you use VNC, make sure you set up encryption of some sort (modern implementations usually have an encryption option). The standard VNC protocol runs clear-text.

murphaph

Thanks guys. Glad to know it wasn't because of my own stupidity that I couldn't get it running.

Now, I've downloaded and installed VNC server/client on both machines and it works with both machines in the same subnet (I'm at home in Ireland at the moment!).

Both machines are receiving dynamic IP addresses from the eircom dsl modem/router (standard 192.168.1.x ones). Now it works fine if I enter these server addresses into each machine's client login but I'm wondering how I'll be able to do this from Berlin because the machines obviously won't be on the same subnet. How do I get a "real" IP address from the server in Dublin to enter into the client in Berlin? Seeing as it's a standard Eircom broadband connection, it's never going to be a fixed IP assigned to the modem.

I may not have the terminology right here-it's a long time since I did this in college ;-) I may be talking through my hat too. Hopefully you get my drift though.

watty

Either have your router assign "static" DHCP address or give a static Ip such 192.168.1.21 to PC.

in the Router set up port forward UDP & TCP to the port VNC is using and the IP address on LAN (such as 192.168.1.21).

Setup an account at dyndns.org or similar and an application on PC to update it, or some routers support it.

Then if you have a name like murphaph.shacknet.nu from dyndns.org that will be the Public IP of your DSL Modem.

On that address on the VNC port you will be connecting to the PC on the LAN. Give a good mix of upper& lower case and numbers at least 8 long for the password.

I use TightVNC.

Another more complex but secure option is to install Openvpn on your PC.
Only forward Openvpn port, not vnc to PC.

Connect to your home PC via OpenVPN. Then they are on the same tunnelled secure encrypted network and you open VNC on 192.168.1.21

murphaph

thanks watty, I' kept reading last night and realised there would indeed be more to it so I'll crack on and let you know how it works. A VPN is important here-there's no point in an unencrypyted connection when the whole purpose is for me to keep an eye on the thing to try to keep in malware free!

murphaph

Ok I'm using openvpn but having a bit of trouble following the howto.

On this page I've gotten down to the bit in bold;

Example running a point-to-point VPN
This example will work between Windows and Windows, Windows and Linux, or Windows and FreeBSD.

For purposes of this example, we will refer to our two Windows machines as "A" and "B".

The Windows OpenVPN installer should have already installed a TAP-Win32 adapter on each machine which you should see in the Network Connections control panel.

We will choose the network 10.3.0.0 subnet 255.255.255.0 as our virtual VPN subnet.

We are assuming that the network 10.3.0.0 subnet 255.255.255.0 is a new and distinct subnet from any that you are currently using. If it is not, choose a different subnet by substituting something else for the "10.3.0" component of the subnet.

It is very important that the virtual VPN subnet you use is private and unique from any other physical or virtual subnets in use. If your virtual subnet clashes with your physical subnet, the VPN will not work and there will likely be no error messages to tell you why.

Now generate a static key on Machine A:

openvpn --genkey --secret key(Or use the shortcut in the start menu)

Copy this key to Machine B over a secure medium.

Now edit the config files for both ends of the connection.

On Machine A create a file config.ovpn:

remote B]IP address of B[/B
dev tap
ifconfig 10.3.0.1 255.255.255.0
secret key
ping 10
verb 3
mute 10

On Machine B create a file config.ovpn:

remote B]IP address of A[/B
dev tap ifconfig 10.3.0.2 255.255.255.0
secret key
ping 10
verb 3
mute 10

Another important point to remember is that the addresses used in the "remote" option are real addresses, not virtual addresses. Before OpenVPN is started you must be able to ping the address given after the "remote" option. OpenVPN will try to connect to that address and if you can't ping it beforehand, OpenVPN will not be able to connect to it either.

The rule of thumb to remember is that "remote" specifies real, non-VPN addresses while "ifconfig" specifies virtual VPN addresses. The address used in "remote" should NEVER be a part of the subnet defined by the "ifconfig" option.

Now the moment of truth... Type:

openvpn --config config.ovpnOn both A and B.

Alternatively, bring up the folder that contains the .ovpn file, right click on the .ovpn file, and select "Start OpenVPN on this config file".

If everything worked correctly you will now have a point-to-point VPN connecting the two boxes.

On Machine A you can ping B with the following command:

ping 10.3.0.2On Machine B you can ping A with the following command:

ping 10.3.0.1A few notes to be aware of:

•If you are using different versions of OpenVPN on either side of the connection, then add the following lines to both configs:
tun-mtu 1500 tun-mtu-extra 32•If one side of the connection is running on Linux, make sure you tell your linux firewall to allow incoming connections on virtual tap interfaces. The command for iptables would be:
iptables -A INPUT -i tap+ -j ACCEPT•Make sure that both boxes can talk to each other over UDP port 1194. It is a good idea to ping the "remote" address in the config file before actually starting OpenVPN to confirm that it is reachable.

It makes reference to a virtual network adapter above and I'm wondering do I have to fix the IP address to this adapter on each machine to something like 10.3.0.1 subnet 255.255.255.0 and 10.3.0.2 subnet 255.255.255.0 for machine A and B respectively.

Any thoughts?

murphaph

Maybe a bit too in depth...

Ok, I'm trying this supposedly simple HOWTO from openvpn to get two windows machines sitting right beside each other (and connected to the netopia router) to establish a VPN between them-this simple "static key" method would obviously be perfect for me and I don't need the multiple client setup etc.;

HOWTO

It looks so easy but every time I test the connection by trying to ping it times out. I'm stuck. Does anyone know if the client and server config files need any editing apart from substituting my server IP address for myremote.mydomain? It says to make sure UDP port 1194 open-I have disabled the windows firewall on both machines and disconnected the modem from the outside world while testing. I have opened UDP port 1194 on the router also.

Does the tun variable stay like that or do I need to specify whch network adapter to use? I'm sort of pulling my hair out just trying to get 2 machines on the same LAN to talk to each other-haven't even tried to overcme the problems of getting this to work through the internet.

bushy...

Install this on both of them

http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx


Just Works ( grand if you're not too paranoid)

murphaph

Thanks bushy, if I can't get it to work I'll have a look at it.

I got the two machines to ping each other over an encrypted tunnel anyway (I'm kicking myself-saved file as config.opvn instead of config.ovpn and it made all the difference!).

Now that I have the firewalls switched on it's stopped pinging again but obviusly that's a firewall issue and I'll keep at it...

If I get it running I'll post the baby steps in case someone else wants to do it this way.

murphaph

Ok,
It's definitely a bug in the windows XP built in firewall on the server side (the openVPN documentation mentions a known bug and microsoft hotfix for their XP SP2 firewall, but I'm running SP3 and I have the same problem, I checked the XP firewall logfile and sure enough when you try to connect from the client it logs a 'drop' error in the same format as microsoft give an example of on their support site, but they don't have a hotfix for SP3 and I don't think it's a good idea to apply and SP2 patch to an SP3 installation) .

It works if you switch off the XP firewall server side naturally enough. So, I disabled the built in firewall and downloaded zone alarm and it blocked it but allowed me to add the UDP port AND IP address t the trusted table. Unfortunately this is no use as my client IP address will not be same all the time!

So annoying cos I even have the VNC connection running through the encrypted tunnel between the two machines. I reckon getting it to work through the modem/router to the real world won't be that hard now but I can't test it without going to a mate's house. I know the big problem is now the firewall (and openvpn say that 90% of problems are firewall related, damn!).

So I need to know, does anyone know of a free firewall that is configurable enough to let me allow all UDP port 1194 traffic through? Annoyingly the XP firewall does, but has that known bug. Are there any other free ones out there?

watty

Disable windows firewall.

It doesn't really protect and is pointless if you have a router as a Firewall.

G-Money

Microsoft have a cool new service called Live Mesh. On the computer you want to connect to (your home computer in this case) log in to Live Mesh and click Add Device. This will install the Live Mesh software on that computer. When that's done, all you need to do to connect to that computer is go to the live Mesh website, sign in, click on the computer and click Connect. The beauty of this is that once the machine is added to your Live Mesh and the software installed, you can connect to it from any PC as long as it has an internet connection as it's all done through IE.

I use it all the time and it's very useful.

They also have a live Desktop feature which is kind of like a storage place for files.

murphaph

Thanks guys,
Does that live mesh thing allow you to fully remote control like VNC or just access to the files and folders of the machine? ie, do I see at the remote end the desktop of the controlled PC at the other end?

G-Money

You can remotely control the machine with live mesh. What you see is your desktop, just as if you were sitting at the machine

murphaph

Update:
I think I'm snookered because of the eircom netopia router being un user friendly.

I can connect to the server behind the netopia using VNC (unencrypted) from the internet. This is because the netopia has a preinstalled setting to port forward the standard VNC ports to the server which you just select and enable. Fine that way but not secure.

Unfortunately the netopia doesn't have a setting to port forward UDP traffic on port 1194 (openvpn's protocol/port). It does however have a "custom" option to create your own port forward settings but when I try to set UDP traffic on port 1194 to be forwarded to the server, it tells me that this conflicts with one of the preinstalled settings (Diablo II game server FWIW). If I just enable the Diablo II game server settings it still fails to port forward. The Diablo II (along with all the preinstalled settings) cannot be deleted from the firmware. I read somewhere that netopia sell an "enterprise level" firmware upgrade because they know full well this "home version" firmware is pretty crippled and unconfigurable.

I found (on a german networking forum) a guy with the same problem. And there seemed to be no answer. Can't see a way out without getting a more user friendly router. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has succesfully enabled openVPN (not IPsec etc.) to work through an eircom netopia router.

G-Money

If you don't absolutely need to use VNC, try Live mesh!

Zascar

Just use www.logmein.com - it could not really be any easier or more simple. It has worked great for me for years on many PCs

Capt'n Midnight

Zascar wrote: »

Just use www.logmein.com - it could not really be any easier or more simple. It has worked great for me for years on many PCs

That was the first reply too

tech

Teamviewer Rocks! and free!! :P

mobile01

Well.. its simple... just use TEAMVIEWERgoto google and type teamviewer, its easy and u can remotely access any computer.but the other user need to give access code before u actually control the pc.

thekooman

logmein.com is a gift and free!! use it to access my XP machine at work and my vista machine at home if ever needed. easy to install.