Fix your mom's computer with UltraVNCPosted by Andy Atkinson on November 2, 2005 | Post type: Gain While visiting home I realized that I didn't have a way to connect to my mom's computer when she needed help. In a previous article I experimented with Window's Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance, but found that is was not quite right for what I wanted to do. If your mom is on Windows XP and having a computer problem, UltraVNC is an amazingly simple way to remotely administer her PC and fix problems while she is still logged-in. Unlike RD where only one active user can be logged-in at a time, UltraVNC (a.k.a. Ultr@VNC) is designed to make it easy to gain mouse and keyboard control of a remote PC while the local user is still logged-in. Ultr@VNC is also secure since the server PC only needs to run the server software when they need assistance. As the client computer, you don't need any client software to connect to the remote computer as you can do this through any Java-enabled web browser. This means I can remotely administer my mom's computer from any type of machine (x86, Apple, Sun).
Port ForwardingIn the screenshots below you will see me logging-on to my mom's computer using Safari on OS X. In order to connect to a remote computer that is behind a router and firewall, you will need to permit access on certain ports, commonly called "Port Forwarding." The default port for Ultr@VNC when you are connecting to a server with client software is 5900. If you are connecting to an Ultr@VNC server from a web browser, you will need to open port 5800 on your router or on your personal firewall software. If you chose to install Ultr@VNC as a service (which I recommend), then the built-in Windows XP firewall (if enabled) will automatically open up the appropriate ports for you. Remember that if you are running Ultr@VNC with a third-party software firewall OR if you have changed the default ports, you will need to forward the correct ports on your router and firewall. Using the Ultr@VNC server software you can define a password that the connecting-user will need to enter when they connect to your server. This way my mom can define a new password each time I connect to her machine, adding to the security of this approach to remote administration.
Ultr@VNC gives you a number of useful options like "file transfer" in an unobtrusive bar located at the top of the screen. Once you are connected to the server, this bar will appear. Some of these additional features help differentiate Ultr@VNC from other VNC-variants.
In the screenshot below you can see that I am connected to my mom's computer and running paint. Even with my mom connected to our own cable internet over wireless (802.11b) and me "borrowing" my neighbor's unencrypted wireless (802.11b), the speed was very acceptable and as fast as anything I have ever used over a LAN or a WAN.
As soon as you log-in Ultr@VNC is setup to remove desktop wallpapers and other GUI effects without interrupting the current user and without losing any functionality. When you log-out or simply close your browser, it immediately restores wallpapers, drop shadows, and other graphical extras to the local user. The whole experience feels snappy, even on older PC hardware and with the latency of an 802.11b wireless network. This setup is also secure because the user requiring assistance can run the Ultr@VNC server only when they need help. All my mom needs to do is report the IP to me that whatismyip.org gives her (she has a dynamic IP address and I have not setup a domain name for her PC) and to double-click the Ultr@VNC server icon on the desktop. When I've finished helping her, she can close the server. Ultr@VNC is also very convenient because I know I will always be able to connect to my mom's computer regardless of what computer I am running. Every operating system out there is capable of running a Java-enabled browser, and most come with one by default.
I had a completely "stock" install on my mom's machine, note the permission of HTTP connection requests and that a password has been setup.
Another VNC-variant worth mentioning is TightVNC. Like Ultr@VNC, TightVNC has a Java viewer that you can use in place of a client application. According to the reviews I read, Ultr@VNC has more features than other VNC-variants like TridiaVNC or TightVNC, which put it in front. 11/08/2005 Update: My mom was complaining that she was being prompted to enter a password when she logged-in to Windows. When I logged-in to her machine I realized the UltraVNC server was running on startup as a Windows service. I wanted to prevent this from happening so the server ran ONLY when my mom double-clicked the icon. To do this you can hit Start > Run, then type services.msc to bring up Windows Services. Scroll down to VNC Server and under the "Startup type:" drop-down menu choose Disable. After you press 'OK' and reboot, you should not see a VNC server icon in the system try at startup. This way my mom won't be bothered by any VNC-related pop-up boxes in the future and her computer won't be open to any unknown VNC connections.
SummaryVisit the Ultr@VNC page today and download your own copy of this free, very easy-to-use remote administration software. About the author(s) Andy started Pain in the Tech in 2005 as a way to share tips and tutorials with friends and family, and evangelize great products and services. By 2008, Pain in the Tech had 7 contributors, thousands of daily page views. Site ownership was transitioned to Matt Thommes in 2008. Comments
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