I've been trying to connect with Remote Desktop to a couple friends pc to help them trouble shoot. I've just recently started doing this. It won't allow me to connect to some pc's and does on others. This is how strange it is: I can connect to my wife's pc, it's sitting next to me and my Mother's whom lives a fair distance away. I'm doing some work on a friends pc. It's sitting next to me as well and it won't let me connect. I've double checked remote settings and firewalls. No probs there. My internet server was no help and I can't, for the life of me, figure it out. Any advice I can get would be greately appreciated!!
You need to be more specific about the problem... Are you unable to resolve the target machine's IP address (if you are addressing it by name instead of by its IP)? Are you unable to make any contact with the machine? (i.e., can you ping the machine?) If you are able to ping the machine, are you failing to connect, or failing to authenticate?
Ok. Thanx for the reply guys. Yes, I am trying to establish connection via IPv4. I'm not sure how to check that port. I'll google it and see if anything's up. however it's establishing a connection to a couple pc's. Forgive me stupidity but, when you say authenticate I'm assuming logging on to the remote pc?
If the person you're helping is on Windows 7, use "Windows Remote Assistance" instead. It's built into the OS and allows you to connect to someone and help them much easier than Remote Desktop would. It also has a feature called Easy Connect that lets you help anyone without opening ports etc. (MS servers helps establish the connection instead). If they are on an earlier version of Windows, it's easier to just use a third party program like TeamViewer or LogMeIn. They also let you connect without messing about with forwarding ports. Both have free versions as long as it's just friends your helping out.
Use crossloop (google it) Far better program tbh, no need to forward any ports. Only issue is getting user to install it. I rebuild PC's, I usually install it on my builds now.
Thanx for all the help. THe tech support guy from my IS suggested Teamviewer and I tried that and it still wouldn't connect. I'll try it again as I may have installed it wrong. Can't find any reference to Windows Remote assistance or Easy Connect on my Windows 7. Frustrating!! Appreciate the replies from everyone!!!!!
You should see Remote Assistance in: Start Menu -> All Programs -> Maintenance-> Windows Remote Assistance (or just run the file: "%windir%\system32\msra.exe")
I use Team Viewer myself. It has an app for the iPhone so even if I'm out and about I can help my buddies.