Control your PC remotely TeamViewer provides access to any PC for troubleshooting or remote access purposes SKILL LEVEL
Straightforward
IT WILL TAKE 20 minutes
YOU’ll NEED
Windows XP or later
P
roviding troubleshooting support over the phone or by email can often be difficult and time-consuming. Experts will often diagnose and fix the problem in minutes if sat in front of the troublesome PC. And now, thanks to TeamViewer, you can invite experts to do just that… except the difference is they don’t have to be sitting in front of your computer! TeamViewer allows one person to view another’s desktop from the comfort of their own computer – and if the recipient is willing, they can even hand over control of their PC to the expert to help them investigate and fix the problem. Don’t worry – you can revoke access at any time. But that’s not all: you can also use TeamViewer for remote access to your PC from a variety of locations and devices, including your mobile or tablet. Here, I’ll show you how to use it for both of these purposes.
Jargon buster! Key combinations Keyboard shortcuts that need two or more keys pressed at the same time. Remote PC The PC that’s being accessed
Screen quality
To improve performance, TeamViewer makes temporary adjustments to the remote PC’s screen – tweak these settings via the View menu. 1
Actions menu
Click here to perform certain tasks, such as locking your remote computer or launching Task Manager via the [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Del] shortcut. 2
Send key combinations
You can’t directly use keyboard shortcuts on the remote PC – they apply to your own PC, so choose this option to send them. 3
File Transfer
Choose ‘File transfer’ to use the file transfer tool (see guide) or ‘File box’ for a drag-and-drop box on the desktop. 4
Extras from another computer to be controlled remotely. Whiteboard A virtual canvas on which one or more TeamViewer users can draw to illustrate a point.
Access additional options, such as adding another participant to the session or recording a video of your remote desktop actions. 5
TeamViewer box
This appears on the remote computer’s desktop, allowing anybody sat at that PC to communicate via chat, audio or video. 6
HOW TO | troubleshoot and access your pc remotely
1 Install on remote PC
Go to teamviewer.com and click the download link to save the installer to the PC you want to access – your own if you’re looking for troubleshooting help. Launch the installer. Leave ‘Basic installation’ selected, which allows you to access other computers from this PC too. Choose ‘Personal/Non-commercial use’. Click ‘Accept – Finish’, then ‘Yes’ if prompted to install TeamViewer. 94 | The Ultimate Networking Handbook
2 Invite others to connect
If you’ve installed TeamViewer to give someone else access to your PC (either for sharing files or to allow them to control it remotely), you need to communicate both your ID and password to them separately – the phone is probably the best option, here. They can then install or launch TeamViewer on their PC, type in your ID into the ‘Partner ID’ box and click ‘Connect to partner’.