topic Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro in Installation & update

remote desktop w/ xp pro

Red — Mon, 05 Jan 2004 23:42:31 GMT

Is there anyway to run Archicad through remote desktop?

Thanks for any help,

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Karl Ottenstein — Mon, 05 Jan 2004 23:50:39 GMT

Red wrote:
Is there anyway to run Archicad through remote desktop?

Hmmm. What's the way that it doesn't run through remote desktop? I've even connected to my desktop via my Dell Axim PocketPC wireless connection via remote desktop and could run AC ... but with a 240 x 320 pixel screen, who was I kidding?

Karl

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Red — Tue, 06 Jan 2004 00:28:40 GMT

The image below is the message I'm receiving.

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 06 Jan 2004 04:50:43 GMT

Red wrote:
The image below is the message I'm receiving.

Sorry. Tail between my legs.

I guess I had tried lots of things except ArchiCAD. I get the same error message - see attached photo of PocketPC screen. Artlantis, etc. run fine.

So...I'm with you! WHY can't ArchiCAD run from remote desktop? The error message is wrong anyway - ArchiCAD wouldn't be running on the client - it would be running on the host. The client is only viewing the host desktop.

Karl

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Jan 2004 07:49:59 GMT

Karl wrote:
I guess I had tried lots of things except ArchiCAD.

Have you ever tried VNC ? It's the software I've been using for years now to take control of a remote desktop, before WinXP introduced this feature... and ArchiCAD works !

Have a look at : http://ultravnc.sourceforge.net/ for optimized PC version.

As it's open source, there are ports to Linux http://www.realvnc.com/ (the original site) and even for OSX : http://www.redstonesoftware.com/vnc.html.

So you can control Windows/Linux/OSX via Windows/Linux/OSX...

But I don't know if there are clients for an Axim !

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 06 Jan 2004 20:16:11 GMT

Geoffroy wrote:
Have you ever tried VNC ? ...But I don't know if there are clients for an Axim !

I'll have to take a deeper look later - one of the web links you gave indicated a Windows CE version - which is the underlying OS of PocketPC, so maybe this would work!

I've used pcAnywhere for many years to take remote control - and without limitations, as you say with VNC... but it isn't cross-platform.

As an aside: WIndows XP's "Remote Assistance" provides the same kind of remote control, and is built into XP itself which makes it really convenient - no need to have a client install any software. I've found that fantastic for being able to help clients over the internet - I can see exactly what's on their screen. (Easy for direct connections to the internet - a pain or impossible if the client is behind a router or firewall.)

Thanks for opening my eyes to something new,
Karl

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Red — Tue, 06 Jan 2004 21:27:42 GMT

I WISH something could be done so that remote desktop could be used. I don't like putting useless software on my computer when a great program like remote desktop is built right in. As mush as I hate to though I will give VNC a try tonight and see how it works.

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 08:11:18 GMT

Red wrote:
I don't like putting useless software on my computer when a great program like remote desktop is built right in.

I disabled this XP feature for security reason : there is an invisible account that could be used to take control of your computer if the security of your computer is misconfigured...

VNC is open source, free, the server can be installed as a service or not, can be accessed via a web browser or via VNC viewer, each connection can be saved (with or without password) as a config file for quick connection, configuration through a firewall is easy, and it is cross platform. -> what else do we need...

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 08:17:47 GMT

Karl wrote:
As an aside: WIndows XP's "Remote Assistance" provides the same kind of remote control, and is built into XP itself which makes it really convenient - no need to have a client install any software. I've found that fantastic for being able to help clients over the internet - I can see exactly what's on their screen.

Can your client easily enable or disable this feature ? If I had to create an access to my computer for someone external (even you ) I would like to know when my computer is accessible or not, without having to manually start or stop a service...

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Karl Ottenstein — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 17:45:55 GMT

Geoffroy wrote:
Karl wrote:
As an aside: WIndows XP's "Remote Assistance" provides the same kind of remote control, and is built into XP itself which makes it really convenient - no need to have a client install any software. I've found that fantastic for being able to help clients over the internet - I can see exactly what's on their screen.
Can your client easily enable or disable this feature ? If I had to create an access to my computer for someone external (even you ) I would like to know when my computer is accessible or not, without having to manually start or stop a service...

😉 Yes, it is by invitation only. Under System Properties (right mouse My Computer), Remote tab, you can disable Remote Assistance altogether. Otherwise, you are able to send an encrypted invitation via email to someone - an invitation with a specific expiration period in fact (1 hour, etc.) Upon receipt, that person clicks the hyperlink in the email, and gets a dialog asking for the unique password that you entered on creating the invitation. (I always exchange passwords by telephone.) At that point, you'll see on your desktop (you have to be physically present) a message saying "Karl is trying to connect to your computer, do you want to allow this?". If yes, then your screen would appear in a window on my screen - but as READ-ONLY...one more level of security. I would be able to see what you see and do, but would neither be able to do anything on your computer or transfer files. If I needed to do that, then I would click on the "take control" button - and another dialog would appear on your screen saying something like "Karl would like to take control of your computer. Do you want to allow this?" If you click "yes", then all is like a pcAnywhere session at that point - I can control the mouse cursor, etc. from my end. I, too, would only allow a VERY trusted person do do that on my computer (!) ...in fact, I'm so paranoid, that's probably nobody! View-only mode seems safe though AFAIK.

Also, you can cancel outstanding invitations from the same wizard. Suppose you emailed me an invitation to view your screen, and then changed your mind. By canceling the invitation on your end, I'd just get an error message if I clicked the invitation link when I received your email.

Of course, this being a Microsoft product, there are probably huge security flaws somewhere!

Karl

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Jan 2004 10:15:35 GMT

Karl wrote:
😉 Yes, it is by invitation only. Under System Properties (right mouse My Computer), Remote tab, you can disable Remote Assistance altogether. Otherwise, you are able to send an encrypted invitation via email to someone - an invitation with a specific expiration period in fact (1 hour, etc.)

Wow all this seems well thought, nothing like this in VNC !

Karl wrote:
Of course, this being a Microsoft product, there are probably huge security flaws somewhere!

I read somewhere, but can't find it back, that there was a hidden user account (login name made of several letters and numbers) that could represent a security problem, unless you completely disable the service (this mean putting it in "disabled" stratup mode, manual is not enough)... Am I paranoïd ?

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Red — Thu, 08 Jan 2004 14:41:16 GMT

I got it to work last night with remote desktop. I started Archicad on the host and then remotely connected to it from another desktop.

But like Karl said

So...I'm with you! WHY can't ArchiCAD run from remote desktop? The error message is wrong anyway - ArchiCAD wouldn't be running on the client - it would be running on the host. The client is only viewing the host desktop.

This makes no sense!!!

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Jan 2004 15:17:05 GMT

Red wrote:
I got it to work last night with remote desktop. I started Archicad on the host and then remotely connected to it from another desktop.

Is it usable ?

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Red — Thu, 08 Jan 2004 16:39:19 GMT

Yes it is usable if you start Archicad on the host prior to logging on to it remotely. But I'm unable to start Archicad remotely on the host computer. The mystery to me is why you cannot start Archicad remotely because its starting on the host like it would normally.

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Karl Ottenstein — Thu, 08 Jan 2004 19:01:38 GMT

Geoffroy wrote:
I read somewhere, but can't find it back, that there was a hidden user account (login name made of several letters and numbers) that could represent a security problem, unless you completely disable the service (this mean putting it in "disabled" stratup mode, manual is not enough)... Am I paranoïd ?

You might be referring to the Guest account. This is a huge security hole. In peer-to-peer XP networks, the Guest account is what allows others to see shared folders/files on your machine. It is normally disabled from the login screen, but can be seen from the Control Panel, User Settings area.

Here's the flaw: the Guest account does not have a password by default - and also by default, you are not able to create one!

Thus, anyone accessing your network can access any shared resources.

To add a password to the Guest account do this: Enable the account. Then start a dos box by Start | Run | and then type cmd (enter) and then type the command "net user guest password" in the dos box, then enter. Close the dos box and go back to the User Accounts part of Control Panel and modify the Guest account. You'll now be able to create a password. Then disable the guest account.

From now on, every computer on your (peer to peer) network will have to use that password to access shared files or printers ... either (1) once, upon the first access after any reboot if they are running XP Home, or (2) once for all time - check the 'remember this password' when first accessing a shared resource under other versions of Windows. (Not sure how a Mac on a mixed network would handle the XP password.)

Well... even if that isn't what you were thinking of, a good tip for anyone running XP.

Karl

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Karl Ottenstein — Fri, 09 Jan 2004 06:17:05 GMT

Red wrote:

I got it to work last night with remote desktop. I started Archicad on the host and then remotely connected to it from another desktop.

I missed your message and just discovered the same thing! Will report the issue to GS - makes no sense that if AC is already running, we can connect to it with remote desktop, but if it isn't running, it will not allow itself to be launched.

Attached photo of Dell Axim wireless handheld running 8.1 on the host. Why I would want to do this with so few pixels is beyond me at the moment...

Karl

Re: remote desktop w/ xp pro

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Jan 2004 13:42:30 GMT

Karl wrote:
Well... even if that isn't what you were thinking of, a good tip for anyone running XP.

There is still another one, I think XP Antispy can remove it... AFAIK, it's a hidden account reserved for Microsoft remote maintenance...