[Elyts]

You guys helped me last time I had a problem with the VPN at my work, so I was hoping you might be able to help me this time too.

I've gathered from reading several other topics that Windows Remote Desktop Connection can't be run from Windows XP Home edition. I also read on one of the topics that it's possible to download a version which will work on XP Home, so if anyone can point me in the direction of it, that would be great, because I searched Microsoft's website and couldn't find it.

Barring that, I would like to find some reliable software to enable me to access my work computer. Preferably software that I can download only on my home computer, because I would rather not clog up my computer at work any more than necessary.
I tried RealVNC, but I wasn't able to connect the two computers. It was very unclear how it was supposed to work.



I'm running Windows XP Home Edition, Service pack 2, Version 2000 on my computer at home, and at work, Windows XP Professional, SP2.


Thanks!

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Remote Desktop does not work (officially) in XP Home, though you can apparently install it from an XP Pro CD and I am led to believe that it does work though I haven't tried this myself.

However: You cannot connect to someone via Remote Desktop with XP Home if you have XP Pro.
You can access a Windows XP Remote Desktop from any OS that supports a Terminal Services client (such as Windows 98 and, interestingly XP Home). XP Home can act as the client in a Remote Desktop session; only Pro can be the server.

Therefore you need alternate software such as PcAnywhere, for example, which will do the same job regardless of your flavour of XP.

[Neil Jones]

Remote Desktop does not work (officially) in XP Home, though you can apparently install it from an XP Pro CD and I am led to believe that it does work though I haven't tried this myself.

However: You cannot connect to someone via Remote Desktop with XP Home if you have XP Pro.
You can access a Windows XP Remote Desktop from any OS that supports a Terminal Services client (such as Windows 98 and, interestingly XP Home). XP Home can act as the client in a Remote Desktop session; only Pro can be the server.

Therefore you need alternate software such as PcAnywhere, for example, which will do the same job regardless of your flavour of XP.

[The Skeptic]

You can download LogMeIn from here. It's free and the easiest to install and operate among this type of programs.

[diabillic]

You can try either doing a Reverse VNC using RealVNC, you actually connect to the host computer from the client or use something like Crossloop. Its free and extremely easy to use, www.crossloop.com

[thenotch]

Eh, RDP works fine with Home Edition. My wife has it on her PC and I can access it without a problem.


I have found though that it appears that printers that are local on the Hone Edition PC is not recognized when accessing a 2003 Server system. The 2K3 Server doesn't recognize the local printer.

[Elyts]

Eh, RDP works fine with Home Edition. My wife has it on her PC and I can access it without a problem.


I have found though that it appears that printers that are local on the Hone Edition PC is not recognized when accessing a 2003 Server system. The 2K3 Server doesn't recognize the local printer.

Is this when the computer being connected to is Home Edition? Or the computer she's using to connect. The computer I'm trying to connect with is the one that appears to be the problem, the one with Home Edition.
Also, are both computers in your case Home Edition?

[onedoller]

I would difnetly reccomend logmein, I have used it many times and it works great.

[thenotch]

Eh, RDP works fine with Home Edition. My wife has it on her PC and I can access it without a problem.


I have found though that it appears that printers that are local on the Hone Edition PC is not recognized when accessing a 2003 Server system. The 2K3 Server doesn't recognize the local printer.

Is this when the computer being connected to is Home Edition? Or the computer she's using to connect. The computer I'm trying to connect with is the one that appears to be the problem, the one with Home Edition.
Also, are both computers in your case Home Edition?

I can connect to her system with mine (XP Pro) and I have connected to mine with hers (XP Home).

[Elyts]

Eh, RDP works fine with Home Edition. My wife has it on her PC and I can access it without a problem.


I have found though that it appears that printers that are local on the Hone Edition PC is not recognized when accessing a 2003 Server system. The 2K3 Server doesn't recognize the local printer.

Is this when the computer being connected to is Home Edition? Or the computer she's using to connect. The computer I'm trying to connect with is the one that appears to be the problem, the one with Home Edition.
Also, are both computers in your case Home Edition?

I can connect to her system with mine (XP Pro) and I have connected to mine with hers (XP Home).

Do you have any other suggestions why I might not be able to connect from home to work?

[thenotch]

Do you have any other suggestions why I might not be able to connect from home to work?

Eh... well, short of checking the firewall settings and the port forwarding I don't know.

I would make sure that you have a valid incoming port open for your RDP and that it points to the proper IP address. If you have more than one system that is accessible via RDP at work then you have to setup an alternate port and have that port point to port 3389.

For example, PC1 is at 192.168.1.100 and PC2 is at 192.168.1.101. You have port forwarding enabled so that any request that comes in that does NOT specify a specific port goes to PC1 (so if I type in yourdomain.com in RDP it goes to PC1).

You then setup a allow incoming port for port 3386 (or whatever you want). Then setup setup a port forward to forward a request for 3386 to 3389 and to go to IP 192.168.1.101.

RDP does indeed work with XP Home Edition though, on a LAN and across the internet.

[Elyts]

Thank you all for the help... I'm still not entirely sure how, but I managed to get it working! I can now connect from home to work without having had to upgrade to XP Pro or anything drastic like that.