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How Can I access my Windows XP Machine Remotely?

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Summary: Windows XP Pro includes functionality to access the computer's desktop across a network. Remote Desktop must be enabled and configured properly.

How Can I access my Windows XP Machine Remotely?

Terminal Services and Remote Desktop that are available in versions of Windows NT, 2000, XP and 2003 are all about accessing your machine remotely via your network connection. Across the room or across the country it's almost like being right there.

Both Terminal Services and Remote Desktop allow you to connect to a Windows machine over a network net and get a full desktop. It's almost like being at the real console. In fact it's so close that it's allowed many people using multiple computers to set some up without any monitor or keyboard installed at all and use remote access only.

Terminal Services, originally code named "Hydra" after the many-headed beast of Greek mythology, is a technology incorporated into Windows NT servers that allows multiple clients to connect to the machine at the same time. Each connection creates a new "virtual" desktop complete with all the icons and menus that you'd see if you had actually logged on on the machine's console. The only downside is that prior to Windows 2003 Server you could not actually log into the actual console remotely.

Enter Remote Desktop in Windows XP Pro. Remote Desktop uses similar technology to allow you to log into a machine remotely but you can only log into the one true desktop - there is only one session. If you log in remotely using Remote Desktop, then the console session is disconnected. Conversely if you log into the console then any remote session will be disconnected. The good news is that if you log in using the same account applications remain running and you can effectively "move" the console to a remote connection and back again.

Windows 2003 server allows for both types of access: additional sessions and Remote Desktop.

In either case the keys to accessing a machine remotely are:

  • The machine you want to connect to must have either Terminal Services or Remote Desktop sharing installed and running.

  • The machine you want to connect from must have the Terminal Services or Remote Desktop client installed. The Remote Desktop client is included in Windows XP and can also be downloaded for free here. It can be used to connect to both Terminal Services and Remote Desktop.

When you run Remote Desktop Client you'll specify the name of the machine to connect to and possibly some options controlling the connection. As long as you can "see" the other machine - meaning it's on your local LAN or behind some kind of firewall on the internet then the client connects and you'll be presented with the very familiar logon screen from that machine. Logon and you're there.

Once connected you can do anything remotely that you could if you were sitting at the machine with two very important exceptions:

  • If the machine is truly physically remote from you then you will not be able to do things like insert a CD-ROM or other physical things.

  • Windows must be running which implies that you cannot remote-desktop to the boot sequence or to change BIOS settings.

As I mentioned earlier, you can happily use remote desktop across the internet as long as the server is not protected by a firewall such as a broadband router. If it is and your firewall or router supports it you can open port 3389 on the firewall and forward that to the machine you want to connect to. Note that if there is more than one machine behind the firewall then only one can be connected to across the firewall this way.

And finally, Microsoft has a "how-to" article on setting up and using Remote Desktop on Windows XP here.

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Article 129 | Posted December 21, 2003

Recent Comments

sir, you are doing a great job. keep it up.
i want to connect to a machine tht i have assigned a local ip address(10.0.0.10) on a network tht has its public ip as 83.143.9.120 throug the internet from a system on another network(192.168.1.5)...i can ping the public ip 83.143.9.120 from command prompt of 192.168.1.5 can also do a telnet of 83.143.9.120 :80 from the same system 192.168.1.5 (get a blank page with nothing written on it) but cannot connect to the device on the internet when i type in on the internet explorer web address bar: http://83.143.9.120 with ip 10.0.0.10 via its public ip 83.143.9.120...please i urgently need to do this as i want to remotelly through the internet log into the device and have it configured... Please help me in detail please...thanks
Nwaokomah O.C Solomon

Posted by: SOLOMON O.C. NWAOKOMAH at September 21, 2007 07:05 AM

I am able to connect multiple computers within my network using remote desktop. However using the same laptop I am unable to connect to those computers. In the office I can set up the remote desktop and take that laptop home to my house and I am unable to access that same computer I just accessed?? I am stumped and need some help.
Thank you

Posted by: jonathan Starks at November 27, 2007 02:28 PM

Hi!!
I,m trying to access my machine using the IP.Is there any way to give the username and password in url as parameters so that we wont get that user name and password asking window.

look forward to here from you...

Posted by: Chathurika perera at December 10, 2007 10:21 PM

You could also use something like I'm InTouch (http://www.imintouch.net) that would let you remotely access and control an XP machine remotely. You don't have to worry about IP addresses or difficult configurations, it is pretty straightforward.

Posted by: Jacob at January 15, 2008 09:59 AM

Hi,
I have XP Professional with SP2 in my laptop and I have installed VM machine in the same laptop to install Oracle Apps 11i which is working fine.
Now, the issue is that I want to access APPS on Virtual Machine (VM) through my main machine and also want to give access to other peoples but I dont know how to should I do that.
Could you please help me
Thanks

Posted by: Jaysan at March 18, 2008 10:14 AM

how i connect a pc through remote desktop which not in network but conected to internet.

Posted by: JItendra at April 8, 2008 12:14 AM

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Use Hamachi to set up a VPN between the machines:
http://ask-leo.com/recommendation_hamachi_simple_remote_access_vpn.html

Leo


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Posted by: Leo A. Notenboom at April 9, 2008 10:09 AM

my office pc using sify broadband & home pc using bsnl broadband can those connect as remote desktop.

Posted by: Samar at July 8, 2008 04:11 PM

I am in pakistan and i want to take the access of my window 2003 server in america,i have no public IP.what should i do???either terminal services require public IP or not???help me

Posted by: Abdul Shakoor at July 25, 2008 10:18 AM

Hi Sir, I want to connect remotely at my grandfather's PC in U.S.A. and I'm here in Philippines. We're both using a router. How & where can I configure the port 3389 in the firewall? Thank you very much...

Posted by: Aner at July 31, 2008 12:29 AM

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