- Case in Point: My Browser's Broken!
- Better, but Still Not Best: Free VNC Options
- RDP: Close, but No Cigar!
- Workable Option 1: The Commercial GoToMyPC
- Workable Option 2: TeamViewer for Noncommercial Use
Workable Option 1: The Commercial GoToMyPC
Next, I went out and bought a minimal copy of the excellent Citrix Product GoToMyPC. Though this software is pretty expensive (I paid $269.40 for a two-year license for two PCs, which lets me take over and manage my Dad's desktop until March of 2012), this program makes it extremely easy for a computer-savvy account owner to set up and configure a remote connection for someone who knows little or nothing about computers.
Once I set up the download information for Dad's machine, all he had to do was to log in to the GoToMyPC website, provide the login credentials that I set up for him, and then download and install a completely pre-configured version.
Since then, the software updates itself whenever I establish a remote session to his machine, and I have been able to access his computer as needed without a single glitch or hitch ever since. He can watch what I'm doing as I'm exploring or fixing his machine (and has learned a few basic things about the Windows interface, Windows Update, and his Norton Internet Software security suite along the way).
Although it is pretty costly, GoToMyPC has been able to do everything I've asked it to and has made working with Dad remotely much easier and more palatable for both of us. Highly recommended.