January 24, 2015
Image from http://www.komando.com/
There are plenty of reasons you might need to remotely access a computer that you are not physically sitting in front of. No, I’m not talking about for stealing information or spying on someone; you’re on the wrong site for that. Instead, perhaps you are across town and you need a phone number or email address that is only on your office computer. Or you are across the country on vacation when someone needs something else stored on your PC.
There are other reasons too you might need to access a remote computer. What if a friend or family member who lives in another city is having trouble with their computer and you’re the one they call for help? If you’ve been in that situation, I’m sure you know there are few things are more frustrating than attempting phone tech support, especially when you can’t see the screen the other party is using.
You have to visualize the problem based on what the person tells you, figure out a solution and then walk them through the solution. Even the slightest miscommunication can send you back to the beginning of the whole process.
In both cases, being able to take control of a computer remotely is the way to go. Does remotely controlling another computer sound too complicated or unsafe? It’s actually easier and safer than you think with a service like TeamViewer.
You can log in to your banking sites from the safety of your home computer, email yourself that important file, or see exactly what your friend’s computer problem is and fix it. Even better, TeamViewer is free for non-commercial use. You can’t beat that.
It can be a little tricky setting up a different computer for remote support or accessing your home computer. I recommend this program for more advanced computer users, but if you’re a beginner that has a computer guru handy, I have instructions for setting everything up.
Download Instructions
To download the program, navigate to the TeamViewer All-In-One download page by using my blue link buttons below. Be sure to choose the correct OS or smartphone option.
You can either click the green “Free Download” button in the blue header of the download page, or you can scroll down until you see a white skinny button in the center of the page labeled “Download v10.0.36897” with your OS logo next to it.
Note: Version 10.0.36897 is the newest version at the time of writing. The program version may update.
Your download should begin immediately. When the download is complete, open and run the installation file. You will need to customize the program to your needs to continue.
If you want to use your computer to access someone else’s computer remotely, choose the Basic installation. If you’re installing the program to access your computer remotely from another computer, select the Unattended option.
If you’re on a remote computer and want to access your home computer, click the One Time Use option. Choose the Personal or Commercial use, and check the option to show advanced settings to continue.
Be sure to read the License Agreement before continuing. Remember, you should always read the fine print before downloading anything to your (or someone else’s) computer!
Select the other options you want, like Remote Print, VPN, and Meeting Add-In for Outlook, and click finish to set up the rest of the Basic installation on your computer.
Instructions for accessing your home computer
On your home computer, download and install either the All-In-One TeamViewer program or the TeamViewer Host program. Run the program you downloaded and get the User ID and Password.
Then on your travel laptop or mobile gadget, download and install the TeamViewer All-In-One program or TeamViewer app. Enter your home computer’s User ID and Password to take control of it, and then save your home computer as a contact.
As long as the TeamViewer program is running on your home computer, you can load up its contact information to access it anytime from anywhere.
Instructions for remote support
On your computer, download and install the All-In-One TeamViewer program. Then have the person you’re helping download and install the All-In-One program on their computer.
If this is a one-time thing, they can download and run TeamViewer QuickSupport from the “Join Remote Control Session” link on the TeamViewer home page. QuickSupport doesn’t require any installation, so it’s a bit less involved to set up.
Once TeamViewer is running on their system, get the User ID and Password and put it in your TeamViewer program to connect. You’ll have full access to their system in seconds.
Privacy Note: TeamViewer has to be running on both computers for this to work. One person can’t take control of a computer without cooperation from the owner. Additionally, whenever you restart TeamViewer it changes the Password to prevent someone from using the same information to log in again later. So, when you’re done with any remote session, be sure to close the TeamViewer program for safety.