This document is written for the use of my clients
when they wish to install TightVNC (Virtual Network Computing) on their
computer so that I can remotely control their computer for diagnosis
and
troubleshooting. More information on TightVNC is available at the
TightVNC website. The most
recently updated version can be dowloaded there as well. For
convenience, I have version
1.2.2 available here (639 KB) for download.
TightVNC is open-source and free. It can thus
be installed and used free of charge. Refer to the TightVNC web page for more
information on the relevant licenses.
The purpose of TightVNC is to allow one computer's
mouse and keyboard to control another computer over a network, with the
other computer's screen being shown in a window on the first computer.
Virtually all control of the remotely controlled computer is
available to the first computer.
To begin, download the installation program.
The setup program has been, in my experience, easy
to use. It is small and appears to cooperate well with Windows
2000 and other Windows operating systems. (Versions of TightVNC
are available which run on other operating systems, including Linux, Unix, and Java.)
It also uninstalls easily and cleanly, so it is generally a safe
program to add to your system.
After you download the setup program, double-click
on it to launch it. It is fairly straightforward to install.
Follow the prompts. When it is done, there will be an entry
called TightVNC in the Start/Programs menu. Although it may not
be
required, it is probably a good idea to reboot the computer after the
installation finishes.
After rebooting, go to the
Start/Programs/TightVNC/Administration menu and run the Install Default
Registry Settings. Follow the prompts and allow these settings to
be installed.
Although there are several ways to run TightVNC, the
following procedure should work in most cases. On the remote
computer that is going to be controlled (the Server), go to the
Start/Programs/TightVNC menu and run the Launch VNC Server program.
The first time this program is run, it presents a number of
settings to the user. Most of these can be left at their default
values. However, it is important that you do select a password.
DO NOT RUN VNC WITHOUT USING A PASSWORD. There are network
programs that can sniff for a VNC Server. If they detect your VNC
Server running and you do not have a password set, they can completely
take over your computer. They will have access to virtually all
the functions you would have access to. Please choose a password
and remember it.
For the other computer (the Client) that will be
remotely controlling the server, one must launch the TightVNC Viewer.
(Any of the various options will work, with varying degrees of
performance. Try the Best Compression option first.) When
the Viewer is launched, it will ask the operator for an address of the
Server. The operator must have the IP network address of the
server computer.
One way to get the IP address of your computer is to
run a DOS window. This can usually be launched from the
Start/Programs/Accessories menu using the Command Prompt program.
The location of this program does vary with different versions of
Windows, however. When the Command Prompt window appears, type
"ipconfig". The computer will respond with various information
about its network configuration. Look for the IP address.
The operator on the Server computer will need to send this IP
address and the VNC password to the person on the Client computer.
When the Client (Viewer) enters this IP, if a
connection can be made, they will then be prompted for the password.
If the password is verified, a window will open which will
display
the Server computer's desktop, and the program will be running.
Although it is possible to configure TightVNC Server
to always run at bootup, I recommend that this not be done. This
presents another security risk. It is best to arrange a time for
the Server and Viewer to both be run, and to only run the Server as
needed.
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