Web Connection To A Workgroup PC

I lost my job and have to be overseas for a while. Need to remote into one of
the PCs in my workgroup over the web here in the US. I have a Buffalo
linkstation on the workgroup where every individual PC (my kids' and wife's)
saves files to. I need to connect over the web into a Windows Vista machine
to see exactly what they see, including the backup Buffalo unit. I checked
terminal services, but apparently it can only happen into a Win Sever 2008,
which I have the license for, through the Action Pack. Should I virtualize
this main machine with Win Server 08 (to allow the free, authenticated
access) and the Win Vista business (so my wife can use it for everyday email
and MS office use) on this one PC? Can this be done with a workgroup? The
windows help said to use the IP address, but the PC has a local address after
the IP address assigned by Time Warner Cable. Am I overcomplicating this? Is
there a way to fully "see" a Vista PC that's on a workgroup with a
router/cable modem connection so that I can access everything in it, and on
the workgroup and "sight" it as well?
--
--
Rene - Do appreciate your help

On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:40:01 -0700, Rene
<> wrote:

>I lost my job and have to be overseas for a while. Need to remote into one of
>the PCs in my workgroup over the web here in the US. I have a Buffalo
>linkstation on the workgroup where every individual PC (my kids' and wife's)
>saves files to. I need to connect over the web into a Windows Vista machine
>to see exactly what they see, including the backup Buffalo unit. I checked
>terminal services, but apparently it can only happen into a Win Sever 2008,
>which I have the license for, through the Action Pack. Should I virtualize
>this main machine with Win Server 08 (to allow the free, authenticated
>access) and the Win Vista business (so my wife can use it for everyday email
>and MS office use) on this one PC? Can this be done with a workgroup? The
>windows help said to use the IP address, but the PC has a local address after
>the IP address assigned by Time Warner Cable. Am I overcomplicating this? Is
>there a way to fully "see" a Vista PC that's on a workgroup with a
>router/cable modem connection so that I can access everything in it, and on
>the workgroup and "sight" it as well?
>--

This is really not a VirtualPC question so it does not belong here.

However, I can advice you to check out LogMeIn.com.
(http://www.logmein.com/)
They have a remote connection service that works just fine, I use the
free version to do IT support for my mother and my Mother-In-Law (both
85+). I have set up their PC:s to be LogMeIn-aware and I can now
connect to them from anywhere I happen to be as long as I have an
Internet access. :-)
I have also set up my home PC as a LogMeIn server so I can access that
from whereever and this way I only need a standard PC to connect.
Works fine for me and I believe it would also for you. :-)

--
Bo Berglund

>However, I can advice you to check out LogMeIn.com.

I second that advice, or maybe something like GoToMyPC. It really
sounds like it would fit better with what you need and be easier to
set up.

--
Bob Comer




On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:52:19 +0200, Bo Berglund
<> wrote:

>On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:40:01 -0700, Rene
><> wrote:
>
>>I lost my job and have to be overseas for a while. Need to remote into one of
>>the PCs in my workgroup over the web here in the US. I have a Buffalo
>>linkstation on the workgroup where every individual PC (my kids' and wife's)
>>saves files to. I need to connect over the web into a Windows Vista machine
>>to see exactly what they see, including the backup Buffalo unit. I checked
>>terminal services, but apparently it can only happen into a Win Sever 2008,
>>which I have the license for, through the Action Pack. Should I virtualize
>>this main machine with Win Server 08 (to allow the free, authenticated
>>access) and the Win Vista business (so my wife can use it for everyday email
>>and MS office use) on this one PC? Can this be done with a workgroup? The
>>windows help said to use the IP address, but the PC has a local address after
>>the IP address assigned by Time Warner Cable. Am I overcomplicating this? Is
>>there a way to fully "see" a Vista PC that's on a workgroup with a
>>router/cable modem connection so that I can access everything in it, and on
>>the workgroup and "sight" it as well?
>>--
>
>This is really not a VirtualPC question so it does not belong here.
>
>However, I can advice you to check out LogMeIn.com.
>(http://www.logmein.com/)
>They have a remote connection service that works just fine, I use the
>free version to do IT support for my mother and my Mother-In-Law (both
>85+). I have set up their PC:s to be LogMeIn-aware and I can now
>connect to them from anywhere I happen to be as long as I have an
>Internet access. :-)
>I have also set up my home PC as a LogMeIn server so I can access that
>from whereever and this way I only need a standard PC to connect.
>Works fine for me and I believe it would also for you. :-)

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:09:11 +0100, "Mark Rae [MVP]"
<> wrote:

>"Robert Comer" <bobcomer-removeme-@mindspring.com> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>
>>> However, I can advise you to check out LogMeIn.com.
>>
>> I second that advice, or maybe something like GoToMyPC. It really
>> sounds like it would fit better with what you need and be easier to
>> set up.
>
>Me too, particularly GoToMyPC which I've used for years without a problem...

Seems like GoToMyPC does not have a free offering for personal use...
They have a 30-day trial and then you have to pay a monthly license
fee. :-(

LogMeIn has a limited version (some not so important features
disabled) that is completely free for personal use. That is the one I
use.

OTOH, GoToMyPC is offered by Citrix, a company with a long time
history of remote control software (I even think that Microsoft RDP is
actually based on licensed Citrix software).

--
Bo Berglund

>Seems like GoToMyPC does not have a free offering for personal use...
>They have a 30-day trial and then you have to pay a monthly license
>fee. :-(

Sometimes it's worth it to pay. <g> I've never used LogMeIn, so I
don't know much about it other than what its main goal is.

>OTOH, GoToMyPC is offered by Citrix, a company with a long time
>history of remote control software (I even think that Microsoft RDP is
>actually based on licensed Citrix software).

There was a collaboration there with terminal services, but I don't
know who did what, and I think the diverged after that. Citrix sure
has learned a lot of hard lessons, and the latest version is actually
a pretty nice product.

--
Bob Comer


On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:23:22 +0200, Bo Berglund
<> wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:09:11 +0100, "Mark Rae [MVP]"
><> wrote:
>
>>"Robert Comer" <bobcomer-removeme-@mindspring.com> wrote in message
>>news:. ..
>>
>>>> However, I can advise you to check out LogMeIn.com.
>>>
>>> I second that advice, or maybe something like GoToMyPC. It really
>>> sounds like it would fit better with what you need and be easier to
>>> set up.
>>
>>Me too, particularly GoToMyPC which I've used for years without a problem...
>
>Seems like GoToMyPC does not have a free offering for personal use...
>They have a 30-day trial and then you have to pay a monthly license
>fee. :-(
>
>LogMeIn has a limited version (some not so important features
>disabled) that is completely free for personal use. That is the one I
>use.
>
>OTOH, GoToMyPC is offered by Citrix, a company with a long time
>history of remote control software (I even think that Microsoft RDP is
>actually based on licensed Citrix software).

I got laid off, and just recently had spent money on MS' Action Pack, so, no,
Mark, I did not want to spend any more money since I do not have an income.
As for the larger appeal of FREE, read Mallcolm Gladwell's review of "Free:
The Future of a Radical Price" by the editor of Wired, Chris Anderson. It
came out in the July 6 & 13 issue of the The New Yorker. I wouldn't mind
banner ads or something like that since it's what's been happening with a lot
of other things. Bo, thank you so much for the tip. I see you're in a very
similar situation, in terms of long-distance family tech support issues.
Notwithstanding Milton Friedman's position, sometimes a free lunch is what an
unemployed person needs, in a country without a real safety net for honest
workers who play by the rules.

The larger question remains, though: one cannot use terminal services into a
computer without a dedicated IP address (such as in a shared internet cable
modem connection), right?
--
Rene - Do appreciate your help


"Mark Rae [MVP]" wrote:

> "Bo Berglund" <> wrote in message
> news...
>
> > Seems like GoToMyPC does not have a free offering for personal use...
> > They have a 30-day trial and then you have to pay a monthly license
> > fee. :-(
>
> LOL! Everybody wants a free lunch... :-)
>
> Sometimes you (don't) get what you (don't) pay for...
>
>
> --
> Mark Rae
> ASP.NET MVP
> http://www.markrae.net
>
>

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:12:26 +0100, "Mark Rae [MVP]"
<> wrote:

>"Bo Berglund" <> wrote in message
>news.. .
>
>> Seems like GoToMyPC does not have a free offering for personal use...
>> They have a 30-day trial and then you have to pay a monthly license
>> fee. :-(
>
>LOL! Everybody wants a free lunch... :-)
>
>Sometimes you (don't) get what you (don't) pay for...

Well $20 a month for a connection to a single PC translates to $240 a
year, quite substantial for a private person out of a job....

And I would not dream of paying $480 a year just to be able to help my
mother and mother-in-law with their email and text editing
occationally.
Here LogMeIn offers exactly what I need.

The OP might also have a look at TightVNC (http://www.tightvnc.com/),
which may work too, but requires more of infrastructure setup to be
safe on the Internet.
Then RealVNC (http://www.realvnc.com) offers a "Free Edition" and also
a supported "Personal Edition" for $30 per controlled PC, and this is
not a suscription so it is within reason, I believe.

--
Bo Berglund

>The larger question remains, though: one cannot use terminal services into a
>computer without a dedicated IP address (such as in a shared internet cable
>modem connection), right?

Yes and no. You can use a service like DynDNS so the dynamic IP
address isn't a problem, but you still have a couple of other things
to overcome. The home versions of XP and up don't support RDP
connections other than as a request for help, two sided situation.

Also you're router has to be set up to allow connections from the
Internet and route them to a specific PC. Your ISP might block that
kind of connection, though I haven't seen one that does -- yet.

Now with GoToMyPC, and I assume with LogMeIn, they get around this
issue by having a constant connection from the local PC to a server of
some kind, and you connect to that server to get to the home PC.

--
Bob Comer


On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:53:01 -0700, Rene
<> wrote:

>I got laid off, and just recently had spent money on MS' Action Pack, so, no,
>Mark, I did not want to spend any more money since I do not have an income.
>As for the larger appeal of FREE, read Mallcolm Gladwell's review of "Free:
>The Future of a Radical Price" by the editor of Wired, Chris Anderson. It
>came out in the July 6 & 13 issue of the The New Yorker. I wouldn't mind
>banner ads or something like that since it's what's been happening with a lot
>of other things. Bo, thank you so much for the tip. I see you're in a very
>similar situation, in terms of long-distance family tech support issues.
>Notwithstanding Milton Friedman's position, sometimes a free lunch is what an
>unemployed person needs, in a country without a real safety net for honest
>workers who play by the rules.
>
>The larger question remains, though: one cannot use terminal services into a
>computer without a dedicated IP address (such as in a shared internet cable
>modem connection), right?

>The OP might also have a look at TightVNC (http://www.tightvnc.com/),
>which may work too, but requires more of infrastructure setup to be
>safe on the Internet.
>Then RealVNC (http://www.realvnc.com) offers a "Free Edition" and also
>a supported "Personal Edition" for $30 per controlled PC, and this is
>not a suscription so it is within reason, I believe.

I really would *not* suggest that, it's great on local LANs, but not
for much else. (unless you use VPN to get to a local LAN, then use
VNC.)

--
Bob Comer


On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:53:37 +0200, Bo Berglund
<> wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:12:26 +0100, "Mark Rae [MVP]"
><> wrote:
>
>>"Bo Berglund" <> wrote in message
>>news. ..
>>
>>> Seems like GoToMyPC does not have a free offering for personal use...
>>> They have a 30-day trial and then you have to pay a monthly license
>>> fee. :-(
>>
>>LOL! Everybody wants a free lunch... :-)
>>
>>Sometimes you (don't) get what you (don't) pay for...
>
>Well $20 a month for a connection to a single PC translates to $240 a
>year, quite substantial for a private person out of a job....
>
>And I would not dream of paying $480 a year just to be able to help my
>mother and mother-in-law with their email and text editing
>occationally.
>Here LogMeIn offers exactly what I need.
>
>The OP might also have a look at TightVNC (http://www.tightvnc.com/),
>which may work too, but requires more of infrastructure setup to be
>safe on the Internet.
>Then RealVNC (http://www.realvnc.com) offers a "Free Edition" and also
>a supported "Personal Edition" for $30 per controlled PC, and this is
>not a suscription so it is within reason, I believe.

On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:53:01 -0700, Rene
<> wrote:

>
>The larger question remains, though: one cannot use terminal services into a
>computer without a dedicated IP address (such as in a shared internet cable
>modem connection), right?

LogMeIn works this way:
1) You install the LogMeIn Service on the PC you later want to connect
to. This is part of registering that PC as one of "your" repote PC:s
with LogMeIn. Has to be done on the actual PC with admin permissions.

2) The service will log on to the LogMeIn server and transfer its
current connection details as long as the PC is running.

3) When you use the browser on a remote PC to log on to the LogMeIn
website, you will see a list of all of the PC:s you have registered on
your account and this list shows the availability status as well.

4) If you want to connect to one of them, then just click the link on
the LogMeIn page and it will now open a pass-through tunnel between
you and the PC you want to access.

5) Now you need to log on to the PC as well using a valid account on
that PC, this takes place through 2456 bit encryption.

6) Once you are validated the desktop of the PC will appear within the
browser window and you can start working on it. :-)
Notice that the LogMeIn remote desktop appears as a part of the
browser window so no terminal server is involved.

I do it all the time....

--
Bo Berglund