Asking for Remote Assistance in Vista
To begin a Remote Assistance session, the novice must ask for help. That's done through either an instant messaging program or by opening the Remote Assistance programand sending an invitation file.
Using Instant Messaging
The simplest way to use Remote Assistance is through an instant messenger connection. The novice initiates the session by following these steps:
1) Sign in to Windows Live Messenger and open a chat window with your prospective helper, if one is not already open.
2) In the chat window, click the Activities button and then click Request Remote Assistance. Alternatively, click the Show Menu button and then click Actions, Request Remote Assistance. Your request appears as part of the conversation.
3) Specify a password for the session; the expert will be asked to enter the same password. If you have any doubt at all that the person at the other end of the instant messaging connection is who they appear to be, call the expert and provide the password by phone or send it by e-mail.
4) If the expert accepts the request (by clicking the Accept link in the chat window and correctly entering the agreed-upon password), Remote Assistance then attempts to make a connection and, if successful, displays a prompt on the novice's computer.
5) Check the e-mail address in the prompt to be certain that you're chatting with who you think you are - after all, this person will be able to see and (with your additional consent) operate your computer - and then click Yes.
Once the Remote Assistance connection has been established, you no longer need the instant messenger session; you can close that window if you wish. You can resume your online discussion in the Remote Assistance chat pane.
Sending an Invitation
If the expert and novice don't use the same instant messaging system, the novice can create an invitation file. The invitation file can be transferred to the expert via e-mail, a shared folder on the network or internet, or even on physical media, such as a USB flash drive. The novice follows these steps:
1) Open Remote Assistance, which can be done in any of the following ways:
- On the Start menu, click All Programs, Maintenance, Windows Remote Assistance. (More simply, type remote in the Start menu Search box and click Windows Remote Assistance).
- At a command prompt, type msra.
- In Windows Help And Support, click the Ask button and then click the Windows Remote Assistance link.
2) In the Windows Remote Assistance window, click Invite Someone You Trust To Help You.
3) If you have an e-mail program set up on your computer, click Use E-mail To Send An Invitation. If you use a web-based e-mail program, or if you want to transfer the invitation file to a shared location on your network, click Save This Invitation As A File.
4) Provide the remaining information that Remote Assistance requests, such as a password that you create for the invitation, the location and name of the file to create, and the recipient's e-mail address.
5) If you chose the file option, get the file to the expert; send it as an e-mail attachment or store it in a location where the expert can open it. With the e-mail option, Remote Assistance takes care of this detail in its last step.
6) Give the password to the expert, preferably in person or by phone. (If you include the password along with the invitation file, anyone who intercepts the message can pose as the expert and connect to your computer.)
After you click Finish, Remote Assistance displays a window and awaits a response from your invited expert. By default, the window (and the invitation) remains open for six hours. When the expert opens the invitation file, the expert's computer attempts to connect to the novice's computer, and displays on the novice's computer a message.
Tags: network,share,usb,remote assistance
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