Ain’t technology great? We were pretty much snowed in for the better part of two days and yet we were never more than a couple of clicks from most of our network clients. Via technologies like Remote Desktop Connection and GoToMyPc, as long as both ends have an Internet connection, we are connected.

The Remote Desktop Connection isn’t as fully featured as gotomypc but it is fairly easy to set up. The essentials are:

1. Running windows xp professional or higher
   The computer want to be the host (the one you will access), needs to be running Windows XP Pro (not home), Vista or Windows 2003 Server.
2. Having a strong, secure password
   If you’re going to access your computer from the Internet, then others (such as hackers) could too. Make your password AT LEAST 8 characters long. Use letters, numbers and special characters.
3. Knowing your IP address
   If your computer is hooked directly to the Internet via a cable modem, this is easy but hopefully you have a firewall or router between you and the Internet. In any case, the first step is to visit www.whatsmyipaddress.com. If you have a router or firewall you’ll need to open port 3389.
4. Turning on Remote Desktop access
   This is an easy step. Just open the System Properties in the Control Panel and click on the Remote tab. Under Remote Desktop, check the box to Allow User to connect remotely.

Once those are done, on the computer you are trying to connect from, Click on Start, Accessories, Communications and Remote Desktop. In the Computer blank, type in the IP address you got from step 3 and click Connect. Type in your user name and password and you’re off and running.