Microsoft Office Reference Guide

Mar 26, 2004

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By habit and because I like to save money, I generally shut down my home PC when I head out on the road. I make sure I have a backup of my main files for my laptop and don’t worry about accessing files.

But I have always been intrigued by GoToMyPC and when I wrote the previous update on creating help documentation, it occurred to me that for many IT pros, using this tool to help other users would be sensational.

When I try to help other PC users the biggest frustration I face, if I am on the phone, is that I cannot see their screen.

With this tool, that is no longer the case.

Installation is straightforward. I was able to install the main version on a Vista desktop. Then, using my password and access code, I was able to connect directly from my notebook and establish a connection. (Amazingly neither installation, even on Vista, required a restart of the system.)

Figure 9

Within seconds I saw my Vista desktop complete with the hidden start menu when I moved my mouse toward it. It is framed in the GoToMyPC interface and all that’s missing is my background graphic.

I could use my start menu easily enough.

Figure 10

Now I could launch Excel on my desktop machine. If I were supplying help I could watch my user go through his or her steps and correct them if necessary.

My first little hiccup came when I realized that Excel had probably opened on my second monitor of my dual setup. Then I noticed that I could easily toggle between monitors by using the right monitor icon — very cool.

Now I could work with Excel normally, even building a chart using my Office 2007 features. Again, if I were working with a confused user, I could watch and coach them and correct them if necessary.

The new version of GoToMyPC 6.0 includes audio but chances are I would be working over a standard phone line with speakerphone turned on. Either way the coaching would be much easier as I had access to the user screen. Sound is not currently supported if your PC is running on the Microsoft® Vista operating system.

Figure 11

I can also set up printers for my client machine to print what I see in GoToMyPC.

Figure 12

The only impediment I found was my own fault — I had logged in to Vista without full Administrator privileges so the file transfer capabilities were limited on my notebook.

Still, in less than fifteen minutes I had established a connection and could help any user.

In an office setting it would be straightforward to set up accounts for either training machines or regular desktop computers and then provide the access numbers to Help staff so they could monitor users activity and coach them effectively.

As a PowerPoint coach I could see exactly what my clients are doing, both right and wrong and not have to guess if was providing my services over long distance telephone.

Couple this with the road warrior advantages of the program, which means that you can retrieve forgotten files or actually run programs and send back information, it makes a great add on for Office users. You can also invite a second person to temporarily view or share control of your PC. And you are also able to securely access your PC from your Pocket PC, Windows Mobile or Windows CE wireless device.

All data is protected with AES encryption using 128-bit keys. GoToMyPC uses dual passwords and end-to-end user authentication. You can use optional One-Time Passwords to provide maximum security.

In just a few minutes I was able to set the program up on a host computer and log on and control it through my web browser. If someone was still working on the host computer, I could have monitored their activity and given them coaching or instruction over a phone line, or through their speakers on the computer of they were on Windows XP (not Vista).

Of course I could use the same functionality if I were telecommuting, traveling or trying to get something from work after hours. If I were a systems administrator I could control up to 20 PCs from wherever I happened to be.

I was also impressed with GoToMeeting, which I covered in a previous update for conferencing and also GoToWebinar. Both Citrix products seem extremely stable and easy to use.

But if you really want to use remote assistance for a help desk or similar function, Citrix also has another product GoToAssist, which is specially designed for handling the needs of larger companies with support service needs.

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