We are looking for programs that allow one user to use another user’s PC over a windows network.
A requirement is that both users have an active screen, so that user1 can point at the problem he is having for user2 to help him with.
What are your favorites?
Thanks!
I use ammyy to manage my in-laws computer. Works pretty well and both users can see and interact with the session at the same time.
Lync/Skype for Business
Google Hangouts also works.
If you want to pay money, Cisco Webex
The best ones that I use are Logmein and TeamViewer. Only downside of Logmein is it requires them to share their Windows Credentials which might be an issue for some.
Two other good ones are join.me and showmypc.com
ETA: BTW those are all free, or at least have free versions.
Ammyy Admin was just in the information security news yesterday (cite1, cite2). Their site was apparently compromised so that malware was delivered when people installed the application.
I use TeamViewer to manage my family’s PCs.
If you’re in a corporate environment, I think Office Communicator has a screen share feature. Although it looks like MS has replaced Office Communicator with Skype for Business, which I’m not familiar with.
Hmmm. When I click the above link, Chrome returns a big red Security Error warning page stating “The site ahead contains harmful programs”.
I know that google can be pretty conservative when it comes to some websites so I clicked ignore and went there anyway. They advertise themselves as a zero-config remote desktop solution so I imagine that they route traffic through their own servers. That’s definitely a security risk but that’s how most other remote admin programs work, such as the better known Team Viewer.
Personally, I use UltraVNC which is a variation of the popular VNC software which doesn’t route traffic through a middleman but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who isn’t comfortable changing their network settings to set up static ips or configuring encryption plugins.
Our company uses Bomgar remote support software. It’s far more appropriate for an enterprise than personal use, though. They offer a free trial, but ultimately costs money.
I use WebEx nearly every day. Skype allows screen sharing but not remote control. I’ve used Lync, TeamViewer and Securelink also. They all have advantages and disadvantages.
A state agency uses Bomgar, and I believe that the victim must install a small program each time.
Thanks to all of you.
My only addition to this is that Join.Me is offered by the LogMeIn company [There’s a thread around here in which we discussed that the free version of LogMeIn was essentially discontinued (it’s available now only to LMI Central subscribers) and that, since it (both of them, really) asks for your e-mail address to use the trial version, they’ll be asking you to pay for it – or come back and pay for it – for years to come. Still, it’s a very convenient presentation tool that competes well against WebEx.
When LMI-free was being discontinued, I moved over to Teamviewer to handle family IT matters. The company also uses Lync which is connected to Outlook and we’ve used Skype in the past before GatesWorld bought them. We primarily use LogMeIn Rescue to do tech support, but that’s a product we’ve bundled with Central and LogMeIn Pro specifically for doing tech support on hundreds of workstations. That might be overkill for you.
–G!