For every piece of software you pay for, there’s usually a way of achieving the same thing for free, and remote access is no exception.

If you’re prepared to put up with the lack of phone support and put in a little effort, there are many ways you can control your PC from afar and keep your money in your pocket.

If you run Windows XP Professional, you already have Microsoft’s Remote Desktop software.

The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) allows remote control connections to a suitably equipped computer and has clients available for most versions of Windows, plus browser-based versions and variants that run on Linux.

Windows Server OSs can allow multiple simultaneous remote connections but XP Pro will allow only a single connection, and with the session at the host PC disconnected. This means you can’t interact with a user at the remote end by sharing their desktop.

The Remote Desktop version shipped with XP Pro supports, among other features, audio redirection, remote printing and the ability to use your local disks as though they were connected at the remote end.

Laplink Everywhere uses RDP as its main way of providing remote control, augmenting it with firewall navigation and easy setup as well as its other convenient remote access features.

If you don’t have Windows XP Pro, there are still other free options available. One of the most popular is Virtual Network Computing (VNC), which has been around as open-source software since 1998 and runs on a wide range of platforms including various versions of Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, MS-Dos and even older ones such as the Commodore Amiga.

If you’re running a VNC server, you’ll be able to connect to it from just about anything. The free version of VNC is rather limited and does not support encryption or file transfers. However, other versions, such as TightVNC, do.

Tight VNC is also free to use and adds many enhancements including more e fficient data compression and local cursor handling while maintaining compatibility with the original VNC servers.

RDP and VNC require some knowledge of networking to get them running. If you want to connect over the Internet, you may have to deal with changing (dynamic) IP addresses and firewall issues.

Most vendors of remote access software are keen to offer free trials, so for an urgent one-off remote connection to fix a friend’s PC, you can get them to sign up for whichever package you’re using.

Log Me In goes one stage further in providing a free version of its remote control solution, which is an ideal starting point, as it comes with all the ease of setup provided by a web-based service.

This is part of a group test on remote access software. Other articles are:
Group Test: Remote PC Access Software
01 Communique I’m In Touch 5.10
3am Labs Log Me In Pro 2.30.523
Anyplace Control 2.12
Citrix Gotomypc 5.0
Laplink Everywhere 4
Symantec PC Anywhere 11.5
Don’t forget security issues