How to Enable Remote Desktop Web Connections in Windows XP Prof.

Contributor Icon Contributed by seamonkey420 Date Icon August 16, 2004  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows networking

This recipe explains how to enable/install the Remote Desktop Web Connection add-in. With a remote desktop web connection, you can access your PC from any pc that has Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher. Very handy for those of use with pocket pc’s or pda’s or who want to access their pc from a coffeeshop (ie macs).


Requirements:
Windows XP Professional
Always on / High speed internet connection

The first thing we need to do is to install the remote desktop web connection add-in (if not already installed).

Go to Start Menu > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs

Then click the Add/Remove Windows Components Tab. On the Windows Components Wizard, Click the Internet Information Services option, and then click Details.

A new window will popup, go to the World Wide Web Services option, click it and then Click Details.

On this new windows, click the Remote Desktop Web Connection. Windows will automatically select the other required components to run this. THen click OK on all of the windows and then click Next on the Windows Components Wizard.

Let it finish installing.

Make sure to open up the remote desktop web connection port (if you use a firewall) and also be sure that in Windows XP that your user is allowed Remote Connections (right click My Computer > Properties > Remote > Remote Desktop : Allow Users to connect remotely to this computer )
and has a password associated with his/her login name.

To access your pc via a browser, type in your home pc’s ip and add /tsweb
-for example: http://222.22.334.2/tsweb

You should be able to access your pc from any pc using IE5 or higher, no remote desktop client required!

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Viewing 4 Comments

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    I find that trying the remote desktop over the internet, using the external webaddress/tsweb, I get the remote desktop web page, but when I enter the name or ip address of any device I want to control then it can't find it - even if the device to be controlled is the gateway itself! There is a variation in response depending on whether I identify the host by name or by IP address but either way it fails.
    I can however get the other web pages on this ICF gateway. Needless to say remote desktop works fine on my private local network!
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    I have to say this article is pretty inaccurate. First of all this will not allow you to remote desktop into your computer from a Mac, PocketPC, or even an alternate browser on windows such as Mozilla. Remote Desktop over web takes advantage of Microsoft ActiveX controls and pretty much installs the Remote Desktop client in a limited way. You are still bound by the same restrictions and it just avoids downloading the remote desktop desktop client and running the installer everywhere you go.

    Also on another note this will not let you access your computer remotely without you opening port 80 for the webpage and port 3389 for the actual remote desktop. Remote Desktop over the web does not proxy the remote desktop over HTTP and therefore even if the computer hosting the remote connection page is the one you are trying to connect to, you will not be able to without opening port 3389 and connecting to the external ip address.
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    The recipe reads accurately to me and delivers instructions appropriate to its title. Perhaps you were hoping for something else. The author lets you know that the connection will work with IE5. It is sad to have to fire up that browser when you have seen the light and moved on to another browser. If you want to use an arbitrary OS to connect to a remote host, VNC would be a better fit as there is an impressive list of clients available.

    Your information about the TCP ports to open in order to access the remote system behind a firewall is helpful. One of the toughest steps to do when using software remotely is digging through the docs to find what ports to open. But, yes, you must open TCP ports to access services behind a firewall. It's like a law of physics that can't be broken.
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    Followed instructions, setup additional user, but can't access PC via IE6.x. the environment is 2 win XP-Pro PCs on LOCAL NW w/Linksys router to comcast. Set web Access up on wife's PC. 192.168.10.103/tsweb - nothing (cept MSN search site). User name is same as I use on my PC 192.168.10.107. I assumed that since I was going local I would not have to open a firewall port - but I even tried that tooooo - NO LUCK. all SPs & patches are installed no other firewalls - aNY SUGGESTIoNS

    tom
 
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