Windows XP Professional comes with a featured called Remote Desktop Connection, or RDC, that will allow you (or someone you know) to connect to your computer from another one. There are two main ingredients to the Remote Desktop Connection recipe:
- The host machine, which is the computer that you are going to connect to.
- The client machine, which is the computer that you are going to connect from.
Enable Remote Desktop Connection and install the RDC client software
First you need to enable RDC on the host machine. Go to the Control Panel, double-click on Sysem and go to Remote, then check the box next to “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer”. Secondly, you need to ensure that the Remote Desktop Connection client is installed on the client machine. RDC software is available for most versions of Windows (including 9x), as well as Mac OS. If you the RDC software is not already installed, you should download and install it from Microsoft.
Remotely connect to the host machine
Now you’re ready to connect from the client to the host machine. If you’re using Mac OS, launch the RDC client form the dock or the “Applications” folder; if you’re using Windows, click Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, Remote Desktop Connection. Enter the IP address or hostname of the host machine, enter your username and password when you’re asked, and voila. You’re connected.
Caution! Enabling Remote Desktop Connections on a host computer significatly increases the chances that an intruder may gain access to your system. If you do choose to enable RDC, you should be sure to set a safe, secure password and be willing to accept the risk that it is possible for someone to gain unauthorized access to your computer.
Note: if the host computer is part of your larger home network, you’ll need to configure your router to forward the RDC traffic from port 3389 to the correct internal IP address.
