Internet Remote Access Methods
~~Vic Ferri, WinTips and Tricks

 GoToMyPC

Recently  Linda and I  got a second chance to evaluate   GoToMyPC    which is a service I promote  that allows you to access your computer from anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection.  In our case  the connection was between my computer here in Canada and Linda's computer in the USA (my computer accessing Linda's computer)

The first time we tested, it was with a dialup connection accessing Linda's computer and we were greatly impressed with what we were able to do even though the connecting was rather slow.  Cable improved the connection speed  but in no way could it be considered fast.  But this applies to all remote access programs—they can never give you the PC speed  you are accustomed to.. The convenience of the service, however, makes up for the lack of speed.  It's great if you travel or are out of town on business and need access to files on your computer back at the office or at home.  Even within your own city or town, it can be useful -  a common use is  accessing  your computer at home from your work computer (or vice versa)

It should be noted that GoToMyPC is unlike any other remote access system currently available. PC Magazine calls this type of connectivity "revolutionary" and  The New York Times  calls it "ingenious" since this is a completely new way to remotely access your computer from almost anywhere.  It is different from conventional remote access programs and VPN connections, not only in method, but in ease of use.  There is no need to have any knowledge of networking to set up GoToMyPC.   Anyone, without any network experience, can set up a GoToMyPc connection in just a few minutes. There is no need to mess with port or network settings—in fact, you don't even have to know your IP address - or install and configure any hardware or software. And it also works with firewalls. It's this user friendliness that makes GoToMyPc so popular.

Setting Up GoToMyPc

Setup is easy and takes only minutes. First you register which requires a credit card but is free for the first  60 minutes or 15 days.

You can cancel anytime before that and will not be charged at all.  This gives you a chance to test it for yourself free of charge which you should do in order to see how it works for you without cost (do not skip the free trial and opt for the full plan immediately)  You then download a small setup program,  which installs automatically in seconds,  and select a user name and password.   You will be given an access code and that's about it!  You are now ready to use it.

To access your computer from another computer anywhere in the world, just log in to the site, enter your password and access code, and select your PC which you will see listed.  This will initiate the connection. Within a minute or so you will be fully connected and the desktop of your home PC will appear in the viewer Window. You can now access your computer as needed.

When Linda and I first tried this, we were both impressed -  it was my monitor, but we were looking at her desktop. We could open and view files on her computer, check her email, open programs, and anything else.  We could even copy files from her computer and paste them into mine.  In effect, we were sitting in front of her computer in the USA with  complete control of her system. She could work on her computer from here and show me files and images, just as if she had brought her actual computer to Canada.  The process went much smoother with a cable connection but as I stated earlier it cannot be described as fast. It would usually take a few seconds wait before a file or folder would open.

Secure Connections

According to PC Magazine who tested it as well... "All remote connections pass through secure communication servers, which facilitate the communications using standard TCP connections and eliminate the need to know host IP addresses or use nonstandard ports. This makes GoToMyPC firewall friendly. On our tests, we never had to touch router or port configurations. GoToMyPC handles security using end-to-end 128-bit encryption, along with multiple challenge/response password authentication."

GoToMyPC is simple, flexible and has received rave reviews.  Most recently (April 1, 2003) it was reviewed by Laptop magazine who gave it an Editors Choice rating (see reprint here ) Complete setup took us less than 5 minutes with no configuring necessary. This technology is truly a novel way to gain remote access of your PC from anywhere in the world. . As far as I know, there is no other remote access system like it. It's my pleasure to promote something in which I truly believe, like this service, with others. I know if you try it, you will have as much fun with it as Linda and I did. 

http://www.angelfire.com/on3/vxdoin2/gotomypc.html

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Vic Ferri owns the very popular WinTips and Tricks and Registry Answers. Subscribe to either and receive free Windows and Registry Tips. He is also in charge of the Printing Tips pages at Linda's Computer Stop. Vic has also created a program which allows you to Lock & Hide desktop folders in Windows 9X/ME. Read more and get the free demo here. And, he now offers a service to convert PowerPoint presentations to .exe files which can be viewed on computers which do not have PowerPoint installed.