How many times have you screamed "Help!" (or worse) when
your computer was being an uncooperative brat, only to be met by
silence? Now your pleas for help won't disappear into the void. Using
the Remote
Assistance feature, you can contact someone on your network or over the
Internet for help. Your friend or coworker can view your computer
Desktop, review your system information, and even chat with you to help
you figure out what's wrong. Likewise, if a friend or colleague has a
problem that you know how to solve, you can be the expert who provides
the oh-so-welcome assistance.
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To ask for help, click the Start button, type remote in the Search box of the Start menu, and choose Windows Remote Assistance from the menu to display the Windows Remote Assistance window. Click Invite Someone You Trust To Help You. -
Choose the way you're to going to invite your helper:
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If you're using Webmail or if you'll deliver the invitation on a flash drive, click to create a file. -
If you have an e-mail client on your computer, click to e-mail the invitation as an invitation. -
If your helper is on your network, click Easy Connect.
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Provide your helper with the password Remote Assistance creates, and, unless you're using Easy Connect, provide your helper with the invitation. -
To give help, open Windows Remote Assistance from the Start menu,
choose to help someone, and specify whether you'll connect by issuing
an invitation or by using Easy Connect. If you're using an invitation,
open the file. When prompted by Remote Assistance, enter the password
that was provided to you. -
On the computer that's asking for help, click Yes when you're asked to allow your helper to connect.
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When you're connected, click Chat on each computer, and use the chat area to discuss the problem and the expected action. -
To give help,
click Request Control (the Request Control button changes into the Stop
Sharing button after you've clicked it). Wait for the person you're
trying to help to confirm that you can take control. Click OK to
confirm that you have control, and use your mouse to explore the other
computer, to open menus and programs, and to do whatever
troubleshooting and problem-solving is necessary. When you no longer
need control, click the Stop Sharing button. -
To receive help, when the helper asks to take control of your
computer, click Yes to allow him or her full access to the computer and
permission to make changes to the system. Click No if you want to
retain control and make the changes yourself. If you've allowed the
other person to take control of the computer, click Stop Sharing or
press the Esc key when you want to terminate that control. -
When you've finished (and solved the problem, we hope!), click Close to end the remote assistance.
Tip
Windows 7 also provides the Remote
Desktop Connection tool that makes it possible for someone to control
your computer from another computer. However, a computer running
Windows 7 Home Premium edition can allow only an incoming Remote
Desktop Connection and is unable take control of another computer.
Tip
Your system must have Remote Assistance enabled to
establish a connection. If Remote Assistance isn't already enabled,
click the Start button, type remote
in the Search box of the Start menu, and choose Allow Remote Assistance
Invitations To Be Sent From This Computer. On the Remote tab of the
System Properties dialog box that appears, select the check box for
allowing Remote Assistance connections. Click OK.
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