Microsoft Remote Assistance Alternative

A few months ago, I wrote about the virtues of using Microsoft Remote Assistance for helping out clients from my home office. I have been using this feature exclusively and have run into very few problems with it. Until last week when I tried to connect to a client that was also running Windows Vista.

Ironically, in the past when I have used Remote Assistance, my concern was always that I was running a different version of Windows than my client (Vista vs. XP) and that I the two PC’s would not ‘talk’ nicely – however, the only time I have never been able to communicate was when our computers were supposed to be speaking the same language.

We spent over an hour attempting to connect, and no matter what we tried, we simply could not get the Remote Assistance to work. I kept receiving that annoying error message saying that 'the program might have been closed' (on his end). We set the allowance level to the lowest security level, turned off firewalls, and pretty much opened up both PC’s to attack from the newest hacker out there. But, alas, the frustration was too much in the end.

So, I found a new tool. TeamViewer. Free to download, a simple executable on the other end, enter a password, and voila! … Instant connection – no messing with firewalls, DNS settings, or security. I haven’t used Microsoft Remote Assistance since that day.

Here is what TeamViewer has to say about their product …

The one-stop solution for desktop sharing

TeamViewer is the fast, simple and friendly solution for remote access over the Internet - all applications in one single, very affordable module:

Remote access to PCs and servers via Internet

Instantly take control over a computer anywhere on the Internet, even through firewalls. No installation required, just use it fast and secure.

Training, sales and teamwork

TeamViewer can also be used to present your desktop to a partner on the Internet - great for team collaboration, trainings and sales presentations.

File transfer, chat and more

Share your files, chat, switch the direction during a teamwork session, and a lot more is included in TeamViewer.

Great software - great pricing - free for non-commercial, personal use

With more than 15,000,000 users TeamViewer is one of the biggest providers on the market, which allows us to keep our pricing very, very low.

TeamViewer is completely free for non-commercial, personal use!

Check it out here at http://www.teamviewer.com/