Remotely access desktop of systems with two different OS

Remotely access desktop of systems with two different OS

Hello John,

Controlling other computers via remote has often been utilized by various types of people from ordinary non-techies to IT systems administrators. Ordinary users utilize remote desktops to control their computers from any remote location. IT professionals use it to control servers, otherwise inaccessible to them, usually located in far flung remote overseas locations.

To answer your questions, let’s start with a yes to all of them. It’s quite possible to connect remotely using windows, XP to Vista, Win 7 to XP, Vista to Win 7, and vice versa. Even other operating systems like Linux and Mac OS X can connect to your computer as long as it satisfies the primary requirements for remote desktops. We shall tackle all the means available to give you a clearer idea on how to do it.

• To prepare the machines for remote desktop, you must do the following procedure as a requirement before proceeding.
• Know the IP address, URL or hostname of the target machine you intend to control. Examples are 192.168.10.100, computer.test.com, or John’s-Computer.
• Configure Remote settings on the Win 7 target machine by going to “Control Panel > Remote settings”, and from the “Remote” tab check “Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer”, and “Allow connections from computers running any version of remote desktop”. This makes sure that any other windows operating system version can connect to the Win 7 target computer.
• Now let’s test connectivity by pinging the target computer. Go to “Start > Run”, and enter “CMD” without the quotes. From the MS-DOS command prompt type “ping 192.168.10.100”, ”ping computer.test.com”, or “ping John’s-Computer”. It should look like the results below, meaning you can "see" your computer connected to the network.
• C:Windowssystem32>ping 192.168.10.100

Pinging 192.168.10.100 with 32 bytes of data:

• Reply from 192.168.10.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
• Reply from 192.168.10.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
• Reply from 192.168.10.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
• Reply from 192.168.10.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 192.168.10.100:

• Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),

Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:

• Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms.

• Now we are ready to test remote desktop by running it on your coworker’s computer or any PC where you wish to view your desktop. Run “Remote Desktop Connection” enter the IP address, URL or hostname of the computer you wish to control and click on “Connect”. Enter your username and password when your Win 7 logon window appears.
• If you happen to have a Linux based desktop or laptop you can also view your Win 7 remotely by using the “Terminal Server Client”. Just run it from the applications menu or from the “Terminal” by typing “tsclient”. Enter details on the Terminal Server window like IP address, Protocol (Choose RDP), and your username/password on the Win 7 computer you wish to remotely connect to.
• For Mac OS X users, just download the “Remote Desktop Connection Client”, install and run. Enter the IP, URL, or hostname on the space provided for it and connect. Easy.