Remote PC support

What does everyone use to remotely support non techie friends and family?

I believe the remote desktop built into windows would require some configuring to get to work so I am trying to find something simpler. I am trying to find something free because I would not need it enough to subscribe to anything.

It's called "vnc".

Oh, and there was a cheap pay-per-use web gadget thingie somewhere out there two.. anyone remember the company/link for that?

For free the answer is pretty easy. I use LogMeIn. They seem to be the rulers of the free space these days. They have free "remote support" services alla GoToAssist, as well as another service that's just like GoToMyPC. I use the former when GoToAssist breaks down for me (it's by far still the easiest way for me to remote control my clients' computers). I use the latter to remote my own computer, as well as my mother's/mother-in-law's and any other machine I need unattended access to (though GoToAssist has this too to an extent).

VNC is great, but I've never had a lot of luck with it. I'd rather not deal with port forwarding and all that crap. Even when I've had it set up correctly (or at least thought so), I've never gotten it to work that well, and the LogMeIn stuff is free anyway, so what the heck?

Oh, and LogMeIn offers a pretty nice free VPN service too.

With VNC, you can get around the port forwarding on the customer's side by running the "listening viewer" on your end. They just right click on the vnc server icon, "add new client", and then type in your hostname or ip address.

Or even better, use UltraVNC Single Click to compile a executable where they can connect you with a single click.

That said, I use LogMeIn also . Works better because I can access it when I'm on a public or shared computer, or away from my regular hostname.

On the Mac, iChat. It has built in Screen Sharing, plus the family can use it to chat with me for non technical issues. And for some, Back to my Mac. I create a user account on their machine with my username, and put in my credentials into that account, independent of theirs. Provides me with a seamless VPN and remote access either via GUI or SSH, allowing for a secondary use of offsite backups for them.

I no longer support any Windows machines, so I'll defer to the suggestions already here from Matt and John.

Sadly, I think I got lost here. So you're logging into their machines and initiating backups of their systems to your computer?

This is one of the features I like so much about Crashplan. As long as two people have the software installed, with a code you can back up to the other person's computer. And this way you don't have to do it manually or remember to do it at all.

Other than that I'm glad Mac has something like this built in. I'm still waiting for GoToAssist to add unattended support...support for 10.7.

With logmein they would have to register and install a client but not do any port forwarding type stuff right?

Basically, yes. Back to my Mac forms an IPv6 based IPsec VPN mesh. Meaning any of my systems with my credentials can see any other systems, similar to Hamachi. This includes the Time Capsules. It's not an automatic offsite backup out of the box, though it does provide me the ability to script a backup to work just as if their Mac was on my LAN, with file sharing turned on but not exposed to the world. Automatic hourly backups are still handled by Time Machine to their Time Capsules.

Isn't this built into Windows already? And isn't the client free?

I use MS's own free client to connect to my Windows 7 system from my Mac.

Using either the builtin Windows or OSX remote access has the same issues, firewalls and NAT. That is why these services that reflect the connection off a remote server exist.

I guess I never really looked at firewalls and NAT as issues. I can see how it might be a problem for someone setting something up for the first time without access to the machine to be remotely controlled or the network it's attached to.

When I set my parents' Mac up, I suppose I may have had to open up a port on their router, though I can't remember for sure. The big time saver for me however was setting up the router with a free dynamic DNS service so I could slap an easy to remember sub-domain on it - which obviously stays constant even if their IP changes.

It is worse than that. They might be stuck using a router you can't tweak. Or the router you tweak might break and be replaced.

I've given up trying to punch holes in family members routers, it is just easier to get them to use a firewall/NAT dodging service.

You might not have punched a hole, uPnP might have kicked in and mapped a port. It is far from a reliably implemented protocol though...

Not that I know if the OSX stuff uses it.

If anything breaks, I'm the one who has to replace it anyway, so it's not a problem.

Windows 7 has a built in system (can't remember the name) which I found "just works". The helpee computer generates a code and the helper just types it in. Worked great when trying to help my Dad sort something out. Normally he's pretty self sufficient so I didn't have anything previously setup. Remote Assistance I think it used to be called.

Remote desktop is OK, but the person you are helping can't see what you're doing so if you're trying to show them how to do something, it's no good for that.

No firewall changes necessary.

I've also used VNC with the "listening" client at my end with appropriate port forwarding. You just need to ensure it's installed since doing that over the phone with a non-techie isn't always the easiest.

Correct. The client installation is clearly documented on the website with step by step instructions.

If I don't want to deal with installation, my last resort is Teamviewer. I can give them a link to my site that downloads a single executable file that runs without installation. They give me a code and a password that I enter and in no time we're connected. Strangely, it's the fastest method I've used.


There are people suggesting alternatives to the programs that have been mentioned. They're all solutions that DO work, but that I'd never in a million years want to use as a one-off support tool. Sure, if it's someone you support all the time (like a parent), and you're able to set it up in advance, that's great, use whatever you have available. But if it's uncle Steve who has one question, I'd use something like Teamviewer or LogMeIn.

I use FogCreek's CoPilot to support people remotely, again a single executable to download and it is free at the weekends

https://www.copilot.com/

That's the one I was trying to remember. Dead simple, too!

Teamviewer here. Very effective, and more responsive than VNC. The by far best performing is Windows RDP, but it requires the host machine to be reachable directly, so DynDNS+firewall open ports etc.