On Sun, 7 Jul 2002 09:50:36 +0000 (UTC), "Ian Livesey"
>.... please feel free to point me to a faq or website - as I am sure been
>covered about 100 times before.
>Got laptop with XP Home and desktop with XP Pro - connected directly via LAN
>(cable)
>Would like to be able to take control of each other machine ie. desk --> lap
>and lap --> desk. I would also like to be able to take control of desktop
>via laptop over the internet.
>Anyone talk me thru setting this up - - obviously need to ensure that all
>secure to outside access?
The remote desktop feature is included with the Win XP Pro but not the
XP Home version. You can control the desktop from your laptop but not
vice versa. You would have to upgrade the laptop to XP Pro to be able
to go both ways.
Security is a separate and HUGE issue. For the best security with the
best flexibility I recommend WinRoute Pro from www.kerio.com. You may
get by with something simpler, such as ZoneAlarm from ZoneLabs or
Kerio Personal Firewall, it depends on your needs.
I recommend visiting the sites that another poster provided for the
basic setup instructions after investigating the security issues with
doing something like this. This feature was designed for corporate IT
to remotely manage corporate PCs that exist behind their firewall.
After looking at all the security issues, you may decide to use a
third party application like PcAnywhere from Symantec or one of it's
competitors instead of the built in remote desktop.
Personally, I like the remote desktop feature that Microsoft added to
XP Pro, but it was not designed with all the security in mind that
would be necessary for a client on the open internet.
Bob T.