This must be one of the most hidden features in XP. Right now I’m on an incredibly slow laptop. But, there is a utility inside Windows called Remoted Desktop Connection, so I’m on a terminal session to my fast desktop in the other room. An amazing security hole, but also an incredibly cool feature. Another example of how the PC is getting turned inside out.
Here is what you need to do. The documentation inside XP is incredibly obscure:
# Choose Start/Control Panel.
# Click on the Performance and Maintenance
# Click on System
# Click on the Remote tab
# Select the item “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer
# Jot down the name of the machine under “Full Computer Name:
# Now anyone who is an administrator can get into your machine. Note that this is a gigantic security loophole. If you have administrator set with a null password or any admin is easy to guess, you are toast!!!!
# Assuming you are an internal LAN, you can now go to the machine that will access it.
On the machine that will access the remote one:
# Choose Start/All Programs/Accessories/Communications (is that buried or what?)
# Choose Remote Desktop Connection
# Type in the name of the computer from above
# Press enter and you are done!
Wow, that’s amazing. On my internal 100Mbps Ethernet (all switched BTW, so there is no interference from other machines on the network, the actual througput on el cheapo Ethernet switch tops 3Gbps!), there is no perceptable delay with just office tasks. I’m going to try this with a game shortly and see what happens. I can see that on gigabit Ethernet, things will just fly.
This kind of mechanism when combined with a better security scheme (hardware key) makes it really easy to have remote terminals, etc). Computing is really just a resource.

One response to “Remote Desktop Connection on Windows XP”

  1. snowmanbob Avatar

    Hi…Help Please.
    I am having trouble getting my remote desktop connection to work. Could it be the firewall from Norton Internet Security?

I’m Rich & Co.

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