Remote control

In the case of Windows Live Messenger in Windows XP or Vista, open a conversation window with an online contact and click the ‘See a List of Activities’ button at the top of the screen. From the menu that appears, select Request Remote Assistance.

Whether Windows Messenger or Windows Live Messenger is being used, the person who has been asked for help will see an alert that reads ‘[Contact’s Name] is inviting you to connect to their computer using Remote Assistance. Do you want to Accept (Alt & C) or Decline (Alt & D) the invitation?’

For the session to start, click on the Accept link.

For both these methods, you and the remote party will need a free Windows Live account in order to use Messenger ­ we’ll look at alternative ways of using Remote Assistance later.

First steps
Once this has been done, an indication that the invitation has been accepted will be displayed and there will be a short pause while a connection is established between the two computers.

Next, a dialogue box will appear asking for the connection to be confirmed. The person who asked for help must click ‘Yes’ to allow the other person to view their screen.

Until this step has been performed, the person who has been asked for help ­ referred to as the Expert in Remote Assistance ­ will see nothing but a black screen.

Depending on which versions of Windows are being used, the exact layout of the displayed screen will vary, although the options will be essentially the same.

The person being helped will see their usual Windows Desktop ­ although any desktop wallpaper image is removed ­ along with a chat window that can be used to send instant messages.

The helper, or ‘Expert’, will see a full-screen window displaying the Desktop of the other computer, and a messaging panel will be displayed to the left of the screen; if this cannot be seen, just click the Chat button.

Messages can be sent back and forth between the Remote Assistance participants just as in a normal instant messaging conversation. There is also the option of sending files or holding voice chats.

If the two computers’ Desktops are the same resolution, it’s likely that the Desktop of the remote PC won’t be fully visible; this can be remedied by clicking the Actual Size or ‘Fit to screen’ button in Windows XP or Vista.