Set Up Remote Desktop Web Connection with Windows XP
The solution is to use Remote Desktop Web Connection, which loads the
Remote Desktop client within a browser. The Remote Desktop Web Connection is a
perfect solution for connecting to your home or office PC when you can't
install the Remote Desktop client software on a computer. By pointing a browser
that supports ActiveX controls at a host computer running Windows XP
Professional, you can access your remote desktop over the Internet.
The Remote Desktop feature is only
available in Windows XP Professional. It's not included with Windows XP Home
Edition.
The first step in enabling Remote
Desktop Web Connection is to install the necessary software on the host
computer. Remote Desktop Web Connection is an optional World Wide Web Service
component of Internet Information Services (IIS), which is included by default in
Windows XP Professional. IIS responds to requests from a Web browser. Have your
Windows XP Professional CD handy, and follow these steps:
|
1. |
Open Control Panel click Add
or Remove Programs, and then click Add/Remove Windows Components. |
|
2. |
Click Internet Information
Services, and then click Details. |
|
3. |
In the Subcomponents of Internet
Information Services list, click World Wide Web Service, and then
click Details. |
|
4. |
In the Subcomponents of World Wide
Web Service list, select the Remote Desktop Web Connection check box,
and then click OK. |
|
5. |
In the Windows Components
Wizard, click Next. Click Finish when the wizard has
completed. |
|
6. |
Click the Start button and
click Run. Type Net Stop w3svc, and click OK. This
temporarily stops the World Wide Web service to keep your system safe while
you update it with security patches. |
Enabling IIS without installing the
appropriate security patches can make your system vulnerable to intruders. For
more information, read Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-018 and Security and Privacy for Home Users.
To check for updates:
|
1. |
Click Start, point to All
Programs, click Microsoft Update, and then click Scan for
updates. Follow the prompts to install all critical updates. If prompted,
restart your computer. |
|
2. |
Click Start, and then click
Run. Type Net Start w3svc, and click OK. This starts the
World Wide Web service. |
I highly recommend using Automatic
Updates, especially after installing Internet Information Services.
Configure Internet Information Services
By default, IIS is identified on
your computer by the TCP port number 80. The steps in this section change the
TCP port number and make it much more difficult for a potential attacker to
communicate with your computer. The steps in this section are optional, but if
you do follow them, you'll dramatically improve the security of your system. If
you are already using your computer as a Web server, you should leave the TCP
port number at the default setting of 80.
|
1. |
Open Control Panel, click Performance
and Maintenance, and then click Administrative Tools. Double-click
Internet Information Services. |
|
2. |
In the ISS snap-in, expand your
computer name, expand Web Sites, right-click Default Web Site,
and then click Properties. |
|
3. |
On the Web Site tab, change
the value for TCP Port. Enter a number between 1000 and 65535 that you
can remember easily, such as the month and day of a birthday or anniversary.
You'll need to know the TCP Port when you connect to the computer in
the future. |
|
4. |
Click OK, and close the Internet
Information Services snap-in. |
To connect using Remote Desktop, you
must have a user account with a password. If you don't yet have a password on
your account, create a password by opening Control Panel, and clicking User
Accounts. Click your account, click Create a password, and follow
the prompts. After you have a password, follow these steps to enable Remote
Desktop:
|
1. |
Right-click My Computer,
and click Properties. |
|
2. |
On the Remote tab, click
the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer check box. |
|
3. |
Click Select Remote Users,
and then click Add. |
|
4. |
In the Select Users dialog
box, type the name of the user and then click OK. Click OK
again to return to the System Properties dialog box, and then click OK
to close it. |
If you use a router to connect to
the Internet, you probably need to configure it to allow the Remote Desktop
connection to your computer. For more information on routers and firewalls, see
my Internet Firewalls column. You need to forward
two ports to your Windows XP Professional-based computer: TCP port 3389, which
Remote Desktop requires, and the port you specified in the TCP Port
field in Internet Information Services (or TCP port 80 if you did not change
the default). If you use Internet Connection Firewall (and you should!), see How to Manually Open Ports in Internet Connection Firewall
in Windows XP for instructions on allowing traffic by TCP port.
Computers are identified on the
Internet using a unique IP address. To connect to your home computer from the
Internet, you'll need to know your home IP address. Visit one of these sites from
your home computer to learn your IP address: What Is My IP,
What Is My IP.com,
or Atlantic PC Solutions. Your IP address may change
occasionally, so always check your IP address before you plan to connect. When
you're ready to connect to your host computer, follow these steps:
|
1. |
Open Internet Explorer, and enter
the URL http://ipaddress:port/tsweb/. For example, if your IP address
is 192.168.1.120, and you chose the TCP Port 1374, you would enter the URL
http://192.168.1.120:1374/tsweb/. |
|
2. |
If you're prompted to install the
Remote Desktop ActiveX control, click Yes. |
|
3. |
On the Remote Desktop Web
Connection page, click Connect. You don't need to
fill in the Server field. If you leave the Size field set to Full-screen,
the remote desktop will take over your local desktop. |
|
4. |
Enter your user name and password
at the Windows logon prompt, and then click OK.
You'll see your desktop, complete with any windows that were left open the
last time you used the computer. |
When you're done, disconnect by
closing the browser, or clicking the X at the top of the screen in
full-screen mode. Be sure to close all browser windows. Your user name and
password aren't stored, so you don't have to worry about someone else accessing
your system.
If you're Internet-savvy and plan to
connect to your home computer regularly, you can get a domain name to save
yourself the trouble of writing down your IP address every time you plan to
connect to your computer. You're already familiar with domain names; they're
the ".com" names Web sites use to identify themselves. For example,
the domain name for this Web site is Microsoft.com. If you have your own domain
name, you can enter that into a browser to connect to your home computer,
instead of the unfriendly IP address. For information on getting your own
domain name and associating it with your home computer, visit the Dynamic DNS
Providers List.
If you have Windows XP Professional
and an always-on Internet connection, you can securely access your applications
and data from work, an Internet café, or any place that has a compatible Web
browser. Getting Remote Desktop Web Connection set up takes more than one
click, but it's definitely easier than lugging your computer everywhere.
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