Remotely Fixing your Computer through "Virtual Networking Computing" or "Remote Assistance"
Wouldn't it be great if you could get your computer software problems fixed without having to take your computer
to us, or better yet, without us having to step foot through your door? For those customers, local, or even
nationwide, with high-speed DSL or cable connections, we MAY be able to fix your computer remotely through
the Remote Assistance of Windows XP, or better yet, through a free program called VNC (Virtual Network
Computing).
In order for us to help you remotely:
* You must have high-speed Internet access through a cable or DSL connection.
* Your computer must not be infected to the point where it has no Internet access at all.
* To save labor costs, you can download and install VNC ahead of time. Instructions for installing are listed below.
* If you have any software firewalls installed, you must temporarily disable them for us to get through. If you've
installed Windows Service Pack 2 with the firewall installed, please read below to open port 5900 for us to get
through...
* We can get in easier if you're computer is directly hooked up to the internet as the sole computer. If you share
your internet with multiple computers through a wireless or wired router, we can usually get in as well, though
it may take about 10-15 minutes of extra labor the first time to get things set up. It's well worth it, though!
Installing VNC
Download VNC by clicking here. If a window prompts you to open/run or save it, select open or run. Within a
minute it should be downloaded and the installed will come up. Click Next, Accept the agreement and click next
for about 5 screens, and then click install. Accept all defaults (checkboxes) which show up automatically.
Eventually, you'll have a screen like the one below. At that point, click "Set Password" and set the password to
"scott", all lowercase without the quotes. At that point, click OK, Next, Finish, and it's done!
Opening up your Windows XP SP2 Firewall for VNC to run
Go into your control panel. Start->settings->control panel or Start->Control Panel. Double click on "Windows
Firewall". If your firewall is Off, no further action is necessary. If it's ON. Click on the "Exceptions" tab up top.
Click "Add Port" and type in as you see below. Name should say "VNC", Port Number "5900" and click OK.
Click OK again and it's all set.
Work performed through VNC is billed the same as off-site and telephone work, currently $49 per hour.
