Luckysf

If you need to access your own computer or someone else's from a remote location, you probably already know about GoToMyPC or LogMeIn.com, which are advertised on radio and TV. GotoMyPC's remote access service costs $10/month, and LogMeIn's free version was recently killed off. But you can still do remote access and screen sharing for free! Here's how...

Ammy Admin (Zero-Config Remote Desktop Software)is the tool for me, been using it for years now. Most important, my mother is almost 75 years old and has absolutely no difficulties using it.

There are a ton of vnc style applications. I use RealVNC of which there is a free version. Some of the free VNC applications are very slow which is why I use RealVNC. It is reasonably fast even with an encrypted connection but you have to pay for that feature.
All vnc apps are completely cross-platform so you can control a Linux Box from a PC which I do all the time.

The downside of using a vnc style application is that you need to access port 5900 on the remote server.

The only other remote desktop that I've used is Webex which works reasonably well. Of course it isn't Free.

Nice summation here; your thoughts on join.me?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Join.Me is no longer free, either. BTW, it's a service operated by Logmein.com.

TeamViewer (free non-commercial version) has given me excellence every time I've used it. Highly recommended.

I followed your recommendation and downloaded & installed TeamViewer. I now have uncontrollable advertising popups. I have uninstalled TeamViewer and the download program that came along with it as well is uninstalling FireFox and reinstalling. I have run Malwarebytes and Ad-Aware and they show no problems. FireFox has blocked 327 popups. Where do I go from here? Thanks for any help.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tem, I'm positive that TeamViewer was not the cause of the popup troubles. I recommend that you use System Restore to return to a recent prior date, then go back and check the download link you clicked. Most likely you got tricked into downloading something else.

As a computer tech private customer base is easy to take over their machines repair or clean them using TeamViewer personal free. I have used this free service for years. The way it works is simple both yours theirs install teamviewer. I install this service for all my clients. Set up everyone with their permission of course.

Their unique User ID and password I insert into my viewer. Do the fixes sign off done. It's that easy. Highly recommend this free program to everyone.

J.Crowder Merced Ca.

Sorry Bob, LogMeIn is no longer free. I had been using it for several years, but now wanting to pay for LogMeIn Pro, I moved over to Teamviewer.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, I did mention the demise of LogMeIn Free and Crossloop in the article.

Thanks Bob... Been using TV for a few years now and its made me the occasional buck as well. The frustrating part I find though with TV , probably because I use the portable versions and advise my customers the same also, is both users must use the same version. Not sure if thats the same with the fully installed versions or not. Often times I simply transfer the zip folder via a chat program and its full steam ahead. I will now however try the Chrome ext as you advised as most people I know, except for the odd stubborn one, use chrome anyways.

Thanks again mate... mike

Is there still a free version of join.me?

CURRENTLY Yes

http://help.join.me/knowledgebase/articles/272452-is-there-still-a-free-version-of-join-me-

This is just what I was looking for, but -- I have DSL at the office, but I'm on dial-up at home. Is remote access reasonable in those circumstances, or will I just be engaged in another Battle in Dial-Up Hell? :-D

EDITOR'S NOTE: It's likely you'll have significant lag if dialup is involved on either end.

I'm often helping Family and friends with PC issues and so use TeamViewer on a regular basis. My dad's computer is in our conservatory and so gets cold so I prefer fixing it from my own PC.

The one thing that has made me stick with TeamViewer is its ease of use. While trying to help a friend we tried others first and found them tricky to work alongside their firewall. TeamViewer did bring up the usual Firewall prompts as to be expected but once it was set to allow it worked no problem unlike the others.

The program has been improved vastly lately to. TeamViewer 8 brought the ability to hear sound and view videos in real time and version 9 brought tabbed sessions and copying files from one to another. Add to that the account system which makes TeamViewer one of the best remote access programs out there

I am surprised that no one mentionned that while Teamview may be the best remote software, it is only FREE for private use, and unfortunately, for commercial use, it is very expensive. When I read comments of people helping their 'clients' with it, I am surprised that they did not mention the commercial limitation aspect of this superb, albeit expensive software...

Teamviewer also has a teamviewer host agent which allows you to login to an unattended computer. Runs as a service, so starts when windows (at least) starts, so will allow you to remote login, reboot, etc., without anyone being at the other end. Very convenient when traveling to be able to login to your home desktop from your laptop. With dropbox enabled, easy to transfer files, at least small ones.

Free remote access and screen sharing is good, but I firmly believe that you get what you pay for. Hence, I have gone with RHUB`s remote support servers for remotely accessing computers from anywhere. It is easy to use and best part is, it is only one time cost as compared to hosted services.

Anydesk is excellent. We've been using it for at least a year now. It gets through firewalls without issue unlike VNC and RDP that require an open port. If memory servers me correct, Anydesk is some TeamViewer guys that split off as the performance and price structure appears similar (it was beta and totally free when we started using it), but free for occasional use.

We really like dualmon.com - also free if you only need 2 computers, otherwise it's just $1/month per computer license (that's the plan we use at work). It's got remote support and screen presentation included as well as remote access. I used to use TeamViewer myself, but their pricing on commercial use is beyond expensive.

EDITOR--
The last article link, for 'UltraVNC', appears to deliver to a bogus website. On arrival, the visitor is requested to drop / turn off the pop-up or ad blocker program which is in use-- a common request made by websites which depend on displayed advertising.

Unfortunately, once the ad blocker is switched off, the site at http://uvnc.com/ immediately hijacks the brower session to a single screen overlay that prevents any navigation. A single click on the screen for any reason could deliver ransomware or other malware.

To escape this quandary, the user must terminate the browser session without clicking on the browser display area, itself. By using Control-Alt-Delete keys, the task manager appears. From Task Manager, the browser session can be terminated.

All visitors should be aware of this escape technique for future, similar situations, since it can spare them a ransomware infection. It is far easier to prevent an infection than to remove it.

EDITOR--
Here is more on the same questionable website-- this item from a security website, in an article about UVNC dated December 16, 2016.

http://www.beyondsecurity.com/vulnerability-scanner-verification/www.uvnc.com

Again, the apparently bogus website is at www.uvnc.com, and posts a very brief (

In contrast to the above bogus website, my test visit to www.ultraVNC.com went without any indication of a problem, and normal navigation prevailed throughout the entire session. My ad blocker utility (uBlock Origin) was resident and active, but without any drama.

I have used TeamViewer for at least 8 years and simply love it. It has really proven its worth to me as a remote access tool in helping my mother-in-law manage her 'new' computer. One feature not mentioned is the ability to record and save each session in its entirety. Plus, the ability to communicate both ways via audio and video is very helpful.

I haven't tried any of the other systems mentioned, but as long as TeamViewer is available, I doubt I will ever need to.

Joshua

EDITOR-- The test visit to www.ultraVNC.com was made directly, without using the article link, and the session always worked normally. However, in every case, the article link to the same site misdirected my browser.

EDITOR'S NOTE: That's because ULTRAVNC.com is NOT the correct site for the UltraVNC software. It's a competing site offering software called RealVNC that unfortunately uses the same name. You want UVNC.com to get the 'real' UltraVNC.