remote assistance

I have several machines with xp home (a couple of desktops and laptop). I used to be able to take hold of one of the desktop but now it says "remote host name can't be found" (or something similar).

Also, I tried to grab the laptop over my small office network and it worked fine (using Net Messenger). But when the laptop is in a different environment I keep getting the same remote host name problem.

I've checked the firewall settings. And as I said, I was able to make this work with one of the computers in question but I can't now. I can do other machines so I don't think it's mine. And Net Messenger works fine so I know to a certain extent they are communicating.

I'm probably leaving out one detail. My "older" parents out of state are on the other end of this process that keeps failing. What might we be doing wrong?

Thanks.

 

Is either end of the connection (or both) using NAT thru a router?

Exactly how are you locating/finding/discovering the ip addresses or host names you are trying to use?

 

Please understand I know just enough about this to be dangerous...but there is a router with their machines in Florida. Thinking that might have been the problem I asked my father to bypass the router and plug directly into his laptop from the cable modem. It still didn't work (but it did work in Ohio when I tried it earlier).

As to your other questions about how it's accessed, frankly it's however XP does it.

Thanks for trying to help.

Ed

 

Ed - we ain't done yet by any means.

For some details on NAT and why I thought that would cause you problems (since you will probably need to know this stuff later on for something else) take a look at my response to BillyBob in This thread.

But having him connect directly will have gotten around those problems.

As to the other question - to connect to any resource on the internet, you will either need the IP address or the name of the computer at that end. Chances are his IP address is dynamic which means he could get a different one each time he connects but should keep one for all of an online session, no matter how long. The name will always start with the actual computer name but the ending parts will vary according to which ISP he is using so a computer Dad could easily be dad.ohio.isp.com in one location but dad.florida.isp.net in another.

So basically, I think you need to get him to run ipconfig /all from a cmd window and provide you with the current information you need.

 

Newt--
Thanks for the lesson in NAT 101. And also for the other help. I'll spend some quality time on this today and this weekend and report back. Thanks again for the overviews and direction.

Ed

 

I'm still striking out. It must be somehow tied in to the router, but what should I do? The computers were not getting on the net so their (my parents) ISP told them to reboot/reset the router. They did and they get on the internet fine, but still nothing with the remote.
To refresh we communicate fine via Messenger but when I try to take the machine (or vice versa) the message "remote name can't be found" or words to that effect come up.

Waaahhh!!!

Ed

 

Did you get them to find and tell you the name their computer is using at it's present location?

 

I'm sorry, I'm not following you. All I know is it worked in Ohio and it ain't working now.

When you say "name" do you mean the name they gave it when they set up the network, ie "florida desktop" and "Bill's laptop "?

Ed

 

First off - if the names you listed were real, I strongly suggest renaming the PCs to avoid spaces and any non-alpha/numeric characters.

Now to what I meant by the name changing. Here is some information from my computer on our local LAN:

I did a ping -a 172.29.11.64 (my IP address today) and got
Pinging PMUUSWXPW9NTW9.us.pm.com [172.29.11.64] with .....

So, my PC name where I am now is PMUUSWXPW9NTW9.us.pm.com but if I carried it home and hooked it up to my ctc.net connection, it would become known as PMUUSWXPW9NTW9.vnet.net

Same computer name of PMUUSWXPW9NTW9 but the internet name would have changed based on my new DNS structure from the ISP.

 

finally

Hi Newt--
I've finally had time to work on this...thanks for your earlier advice. It, I think, led me to the answer...sort of.
I fiddled around with the router and found the DMZ settings. For the times that I want to access their computer, couldn't I enable this feature? Or am I really creating more work...
Thanks.
Ed

 

Heynow

DMZ pops you wide open to the world, defeats the protection afforded by a router.

Would be ok if in fact you turned it on and off. But if you forgot?

Better option: on the computer being called, use port mapping also called port forwarding.

Map the IP address of the called pc to be forwarded to port 3389. This is the terminal services port used by remote support of XP and windows terminal services ( of which XP remote is a cripled, lite, trimed down, one connection only version of). Smile!

Others could possibly find this port but if they do they will need the XP password to log on. This better than having all ports open as in DMZ!

This way you can leave it and not have to take the time to activate DMZ and then to shut it off!

mike

 

Thanks Mike--

So I go to "forwarding" in the router of the machine that I want to communicate with and simply type in the service number you mentioned and hit apply?

Sorry to be dense. but I truly just know enough about this to be dangeous.

Ed

 

Well you found DMZ on your own!

It is almost as simple as DMZ. Take look at it and get back with the details that you do not understand!

Or like I said if DMZ works for you and you are sure you will remember then use it!

There are millions of people using modems, cable modems and dsl modems with no router or firewall 24/7 they are exposed, some do get hit. But some of them may also win the million dollar lottery. Odds about the same.

Be careful, all you can reasonably do, but don't be parinord.

Mike