Remote Assistance through Windows XP extends your trusted network to potentially untrustworthy locations
Windows XP ships
with a new feature that takes advantage of remote control technology for tech
support and training purposes. Remote Assistance lets you control another computer
on a network (LAN or Internet), and Remote Assistance lets you interact with
the remote machine's user. It has a variety of interactivity options that let
one user help another with troubleshooting or training from a distance. Windows
XP already allowed remote control of a networked computer, albeit not as easily,
through the separately installed Terminal Services feature.
Remote Assistance
must use Windows XP; Note that it works only with systems that have full access
to the Internet and works best if those systems also have static public IP addresses.
Systems accessing the net via Internet Connection Sharing can't use RA. If you
get a dynamic IP address assigned by your ISP, you may be able to use RA, but
certain features won't work if you log off and on again during a session. We'll
show you how to make RA work in nearly any situation.
Remote Assistance, which complements Remote Desktop, lets you invite techie friends and corporate help desk employees to access your desktop and troubleshoot issues from their Windows XP Professional PCs. Once accepted, the invitation automatically links the guest to your Internet connected PC. Your authorization grants control of your keyboard, mouse, and applications, obviating the lengthy phone conversations in which you try to explain what your PC is doing.
In addition, help desk techs do not have to be at your PC to log on as Administrator. For added security in Remote Assistance through Windows XP, you can set a duration after which the remote control invitations will terminate. There are, however, no network administration tools.