Question: What is Remote Desktop Connection?

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Answer:

Remote Desktop Connection (also called Remote Desktop) is a program included in Windows.

The program allows users to connect to other computers as if they were working directly on that machine.  It will work across the Internet.

I have used the program to be able to connect to computers and servers that I support while hundreds of miles away from them.  I can connect in and I get the exact desktop of the machine I am connected to and can work on it just like I was sitting in front of the machine hundreds of miles away.  I know people who have set on office machine wo they can then work from home while having all the capabilities of the office computer.

To run Remote Desktop, you will need Remote Desktop enabled on both machines and running on the machine you are trying to access.  You can enable the program in Control Panel and the program will appear in the Start Menu.

Warning about Remote Desktop.  If you do not have a password on your desktop for your machine and you have Remote Desktop running then anyone, hackers, etc., can access your machine and it is just like they are in front of it and do damage and steal data.   Do not enable it unless you are planning to use the program.

Another way to help secure it if you do use it is to change the port that it uses inside Remote Desktop on the host machine and then when hackers scan your machine for open ports, they will not see it.

Remote Desktop can be a wonderful tool to work away from office, but it can be a wide open entry point for hackers.

Send me your questions about computers to my e-mail, dwight@dwightwatt.com, and tell me you read this in this paper. I will pick a question to answer each week.

Dwight Watt does computer work for businesses, individuals and organizations and teaches about computers at a college in northwest Georgia. His webpage is www.dwightwatt.com.