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Need Advise on Configuration of a Laptop

by Craig Mattice
4 replies
I know this may sound strange. A very close friend of mine is so grossly under utilizing his laptop that I would like to know how to link his laptop to my PC and configure the document, Outlook Express, and browser for maximum effectiveness of his time. I would train him on the features and benefits of the configuration afterwords.

He wastes way too much time trying to figure stuff out than being productive in his business and doesn't have the time to learn about and configure his laptop on his own. I wish to share my knowledge and experience in doing it for him.

The question, is there a way I can actually link my PC to his laptop and complete the configuration via my PC or must I only do it directly on his laptop? I would also like to backup his laptop components to his PC. How would I do that?

Thank you guys for your time in reading and responding to this ignorant question.
#advise #backup #browser #configuration #laptop
  • Profile picture of the author Sam Rodrigo
    Craig,

    You can enable remote desktop on a windows box.
    Or you can use this solution to help him, after the remote client is installed.
    RealVNC - VNC - the original cross-platform remote control solution (works on any platform) I've used it for decades to connect to any type of box.

    With both solutions, you'll be able to control remotely his pc and his desktop will appear on your screen as a window.

    Success,
    Sam
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    • Profile picture of the author Craig Mattice
      Hi Sam,

      Thank you for the quick and very informative response with link. I've briefly reviewed the site and some of the software documentation. To say this may be a "tad" over my head is most accurate. I'm not an IT guy at all just a prolific home PC user trying to help out a friend with his laptop.

      Since you have used this software for years let me ask two simple questions of you.

      1. Am I able to download the "server" aspect to my home PC and connect with his laptop to take over to configure?

      2. Will I need to download "server" to his laptop for me to view and take over his laptop from my home PC to configure it?

      I'm just a little confused on this aspect. The documentation seem to support using my PC as the server base and his laptop as the remote but the reality seems to be just the opposite. Insight and advice please?
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  • Profile picture of the author mywebwork
    Hi Craig

    The Remote Desktop solution Sam mentioned is a function of Windows itself. You enable it on the client (your friends computer) via the System Properties in Control Panel, look for the tab labeled "Remote". On your computer you will find the Remote Desktop client under the Accessories/Communications under Programs (on some builds of XP and on Vista its just under Accessories). Type in the IP address of your friends Internet connection and you are done,providing he is connected directly to the Internet.

    If your friend connects to the Internet via a router you will need to configure a "Virtual Server" on his router to pass port 3389 for this to work. The port mapping (different port number) is also necessary if you were to adapt Sams other suggestion of a VNC.

    One solution that is a bit easier but costs a bit more is one I use in the service work I do here in Hawaii. The product is GoToAssist Express and is made by Citrix. It is very easy to use and does not require any router configuration. Your client simply loads the GoToAssist client and enters a session number you provide. You then gain control over his compute, you can even reboot it or log in as another user without losing the session.

    Please let me know if you need any assistance with this.

    Bill
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  • Profile picture of the author markwinder
    Hi Craig - Looks like Sam has got you tackled on the remote control aspect.

    From the back up side of things there are a couple of tools out there that might do the trick for you. If it's just a backup of the data, I'd use Mozy - it's a great service, easy to install and configure and allows you to backup unlimited data on a personal account. If you really do need to synchronize folders on your laptop and desktop, probably the easiest tool out there is GoodSync - it's relatively inexpensive (like $30 or so?) and gets the job done right. The only time GoodSync runs into "issues" is with long file names and massively nested directories... but you have to go *pretty* far deep to hit this limitation.

    Best of luck!

    - Mark.

    ps - the underlying issue here is your friend not being familiar enough with a PC. I think regardless of solution you deploy here, this lack of knowledge might just be the gorrila in the room. Having been through similar situations like this myself, I'm always concerned about becoming unpaid "tech support"... just thought I'd raise the point :-)
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