Similar to Remote Desktop

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greweniggrewenig
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I'm new to this whole Mac thing and I have to say it's great. I have one question and maybe someone out there can answer. I use to troubleshoot some problems with my father in-law's computer back when I had a PC. Now I use to use MSN Messenger so that he could give me access to his computer. I am aware of Remote Desktop for Mac and use it for Work, but I was wondering if there is anything similar to the Messenger Way as I explained? The reason being is that for work I have a static IP address and my father in-law uses PPPOE. Can anyone help me? Thanks

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    There's VNC, and there are plenty of ways to get someone's IP.



    I'm not familiar with MSN messenger, however.
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  • Reply 2 of 12
    mikefmikef Posts: 698member
    FWIW, Messenger for OS X does not support Remote Assistance... neither do any of the MSN clones available for OS X (like AdiumX) so, no, you cannot do what you want on OS X.
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  • Reply 3 of 12
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mikef View Post


    FWIW, Messenger for OS X does not support Remote Assistance... neither do any of the MSN clones available for OS X (like AdiumX) so, no, you cannot do what you want on OS X.



    *cough*Leopard*cough*
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  • Reply 4 of 12
    greweniggrewenig Posts: 7member
    I wasn't looking for MSN Messenger that could do it, just something that was similar to that of Remote Desktop and Messenger. If you've never used it before on a PC, is just a very simple way for someone to send you a request for assistance, you join and then he/she give you control over the computer. I only use it to troubleshoot and I'd hate to have to tell him to wait until I come down to fix the problem. At most the proble will be a bug or a setting screwed up somewhere. I like the Leopard hint, but would love to get some more info. Thanks
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  • Reply 5 of 12
    mikefmikef Posts: 698member
    You could use a combination of Hamachi and RealVNC.



    It's not Messenger based and would require some manual connection setup/teardown, but it's viable.



    VNC performance is absolutely lousy compared to Microsoft's RDP (which Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop use), but it's better than driving to the location for a simple fix.



    I agree that Remote Assistance is a very useful feature and when my parents require it, I just go to my Windows machine and run MSN Messenger.



    OS X also has some built-in remote desktop support using VNC, but I'm not familar with it. I use Chicken of the VNC as my VNC viewer on Tiger.



    I'm not sure what Amorya is referring to, but I am not convinced that Leopard will have Microsoft RDP protocol support built-in.
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  • Reply 6 of 12
    amoryaamorya Posts: 1,103member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mikef View Post


    I'm not sure what Amorya is referring to, but I am not convinced that Leopard will have Microsoft RDP protocol support built-in.



    Ah, I misread - you want to troubleshoot a PC? I read it as a Mac at both ends, in which case Leopard might provide an answer.



    Amorya
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  • Reply 7 of 12
    jabohnjabohn Posts: 596member
    If you're needing to control a Windows computer from your Mac, then you can use the RDC Client from Microsoft.



    If you're working Mac-to-Mac, then you have to use Apple Remote Desktop or the VNC suggestion as written above.



    Leopard (Mac OS 10.5) will have a "screen sharing" feature via iChat and basic Remote Desktop abilities built right into the Finder (I've seen screenshots and discussions about it).
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  • Reply 8 of 12
    jupiteronejupiterone Posts: 1,564member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jabohn View Post


    If you're needing to control a Windows computer from your Mac, then you can use the RDC Client from Microsoft.



    Not for Intel???
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  • Reply 9 of 12
    jabohnjabohn Posts: 596member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JupiterOne View Post


    Not for Intel???



    Microsoft has said "it's coming soon".



    The current version appears to "mostly" work though.
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  • Reply 10 of 12
    mikefmikef Posts: 698member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jabohn View Post


    If you're needing to control a Windows computer from your Mac, then you can use the RDC Client from Microsoft.



    FYI, Windows XP Home does not have a Remote Desktop "server" built-in... this is an XP Pro feature.
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  • Reply 11 of 12
    mikefmikef Posts: 698member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JupiterOne View Post


    Not for Intel???



    Although not a universal binary, it does work fine on Intel. I use it daily on my MBP.
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  • Reply 12 of 12
    jupiteronejupiterone Posts: 1,564member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mikef View Post


    Although not a universal binary, it does work fine on Intel. I use it daily on my MBP.



    OK, cool. I was just going by their "System Requirements". I'll check it out. MBP here too.
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