daily online news

RealVNC allows you to access your PC from any network connected PC. Here, I'll show you how to install and configure RealVNC in an easy step-by-step way that even my mother could do =)

First, go to the RealVNC web page (http://www.realvnc.com/) and download the free version. I won't cover the Enterprise version here because if you need the Enterprise version, and you are reading this, then you should consult your systems administrator. The free version of RealVNC is good enough for most purposes.

Currently, the RealVNC web site requires that you select an appropriate platform. The download page is at http://www.realvnc.com/download-free.html. Select "Windows 9x/2000/NT/XP (x86)" under "Installable packages" and "Documentation" under "Source code & documentation". Make sure that you download the full version and NOT the "viewer program only". You will need both the server and the "viewer". (Although they refer to a "viewer" program at RealVNC, here we will use the term "client" instead.)

If you need a program to unzip the files, you can get ALZip for free at http://www.altools.net. It's an excellent archiving and compression tool and I highly recommend it. (I kissed WinZip goodbye years ago when I found ALZip.)

Once you've downloaded it, double-click the EXE file. You'll see an installer setup screen like this:

Click Next to see this screen:

Read the license agreement, then agree to it and click Next.

Make sure that the path is correct for your system. If in doubt, then it is correct. (Default values are almost always correct for most programs.) Click Next.

This is where it gets a bit tricky... A "Server" is where you get the information from, and in this case, this would be the PC that you want to connect TO. A "Client" is the computer that request the information, and in this case, any computer that you want to connect FROM, e.g. the office, school, a friend's house, etc.

Leave both checked for now. This will allow you to use all of RealVNC's features.

Click Next.

The defaults for this screen will be correct unless you are a power-user and have things configured to your own special tastes. Click Next.

Choices, choices choices... If you actually care about reliability, leave the defaults here. i.e. Yes. You want VNC to run as a service. (Windows "Services" are equivalent to UNIX "daemons". If you don't understand that, dont' worry - just be happy and click Next.)

Icons on the Desktop and in the Quick Launch are nice things to have. Check them if you like those conveniences.

Click Next.

The "Ready to Install" screen lists all of your installation options. Check to make sure that they are correct (as I've detailed above), then click the "Install" button. We're almost done =)

Click "Install".

At this point you need to start making important decisions that are personal to you. The defaults are fine, but adding a password is a good idea. Your password should be at least 8 characters long and have at least 1 upper case letter or 1 number in it.

Click the Desktop tab.

Check anything under "While connected" to provide minor performance improvements. This is only important on slower connections and slower CPUs.

Under "When last client disconnects", check "Do nothing" or "Lock workstation" if you use a password to logon to your computer.

These settings are optional and the defaults should be fine for most people.

Click OK.

If you did not specify a password, you are prompted.

Click OK.

Enter a secure password and click OK.

Almost finally... Read the little blurb there. Those guys did a lot of work to give this to you for free, so perhaps you can spare a couple minutes for them. Click Next.

Finally, click Finish.