Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How do I remote desktop from Leopard to a Windows XP Pro machine?

R

rogerh

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 15, 2006
91
1
Hi, I'm trying to remote desktop/VNC to a Windows XP Professional machine.

Any idea how I should do this? I believe Leopard has built in "screen sharing" but I *think* it only work with OS X.

Are there additional programs I need to install on my MBP and Windows box to get this to work right?
 
the screen sharing technology in leopard uses protocols which are platform independent. It's known as vnc. If you can install on the xp machine, put on a free program called tightvnc (google it), choose a password. Then in the windows firewall open up port 5900.

In the finder, go 'connect to server' and type in vnc://"the windows box ip address"/ and connect.

should be all good now.

ps perhaps the screen sharing thing you thought was confined to leopard/os x was the ichat screen sharing feature...
 
Thanks for starting this thread, gang. I'm about to switch, and was wondering how I could do this very thing-- I work in healthcare IT and am on an on-call rotation, which requires me to do remote work on servers back at the office. I thought I was going to have to do this in Bootcamp, but it's nice to know that I don't have to. :)
 
dXTC said:
Thanks for starting this thread, gang. I'm about to switch, and was wondering how I could do this very thing-- I work in healthcare IT and am on an on-call rotation, which requires me to do remote work on servers back at the office. I thought I was going to have to do this in Bootcamp, but it's nice to know that I don't have to. :)
Click to expand...
MS Remote Desktop client for Mac works very well for me. I use the old version. Even though it is not written for intel machines, it is fast enough. It just takes a few seconds to start-up. In any case, MS has a new version in beta right now, you could probably try that one as well. It seems to have a few more features.
 
theBB said:
MS Remote Desktop client for Mac works very well for me. I use the old version. Even though it is not written for intel machines, it is fast enough. It just takes a few seconds to start-up. In any case, MS has a new version in beta right now, you could probably try that one as well. It seems to have a few more features.
Click to expand...

Same here I must say. MS RDC is another one of those MS gems that you have to dig to find out about!

Of course, there are also GoToMyPc and LogMeIn which allow similar capabilities as well as other services (especially in file transfer from one machine to another). So, all in all, accessing a Win machine from a Mac is no problem.

As far as the Screen Sharing thing offered withing MacOS, I believe it applies to desktop access between Macs only. But, just looking at this Mac OSX service, it is very well implemented indeed.

NOW, it would be nice to have some easy to implement utility to access Mac desktop from Win machine desktop. I do not know of any popular app in that area... Ah! But LogMeIn sems to be getting something ready here (just found out about it):
https://secure.logmein.com/products/mac/Default.asp?lang=en

=RT
 
WirelessInn said:
As far as the Screen Sharing thing offered withing MacOS, I believe it applies to desktop access between Macs only.
Click to expand...
No, it's standard VNC. It's not as easy to use as with Leopard, but see below.

WirelessInn said:
NOW, it would be nice to have some easy to implement utility to access Mac desktop from Win machine desktop.
Click to expand...

It's as easy to do as the other way. Enable screen sharing (Leopard) or Apple Remote Desktop (Tiger) on the Mac. Download and install a vnc client (e.g. tightvnc works with Apple's VNC, realVNC doesn't because, in Tiger at least, Apple's server gives an unsupported version number). Open vnc client, type IP address of Mac and voila.

Of course, it's a bit more complicated to get working right if your Mac is at home behind a router. You have to open a port in the router. But that's true of any remote access and not Mac-specific.

Also, Apple's built in VNC servers are slow when working with 3rd party clients. If you need to do real work on a remote Mac, I suggest using VineServer instead of the built in VNC server.
 
The only "issue" I have with LogMeIn and GoToMyPC are that they are web-based services, requiring pass-through from the respective companies' servers. GTMPC in particular is a subsription (fee-based) service. LMI is free-for now.

MS Remote Desktop I feel is the best solution (assuming a clear network path between both machines), as it is a free and supported function for Windows (see attached image) and the free MS Remote Desktop client for Mac (http://www.microsoft.com/mac/otherproducts/otherproducts.aspx?pid=remotedesktopclient). I use it professionally for accessing both the corporate servers and client servers (mostly Win2K3), and is seamless, clean, reliable, and pretty much bulletproof.

Leopard's Screen Sharing (Mac-to-Mac only) is more of a RDC-type connection. Back To My Mac, well, I'm not sure yet if that requires a live connection thru .mac or not yet. If it does, then it's along the lines of GTMPC and LMI.
 

Attachments

  • ms_rdc-1.jpg
    ms_rdc-1.jpg
    59.2 KB · Views: 153
How do I remote desktop from Leopard to a Windows XP Pro machine?

JohnNotBeatle said:
The only "issue" I have with LogMeIn and GoToMyPC are that they are web-based services, requiring pass-through from the respective companies' servers.

MS Remote Desktop I feel is the best solution (assuming a clear network path between both machines),

Leopard's Screen Sharing (Mac-to-Mac only) is more of a RDC-type connection. Back To My Mac, well, I'm not sure yet if that requires a live connection thru .mac or not yet. If it does, then it's along the lines of GTMPC and LMI.
Click to expand...

JohnNotBeatle,
I believe the topic could not have been summed up any better! Hear! Hear!
Any idea on how to connect a Mac desktop from a Win machine w/o going thru an outside server??

- Roger T
 
plinden said:
No, it's standard VNC. It's not as easy to use as with Leopard, but see below.



It's as easy to do as the other way. Enable screen sharing (Leopard) or Apple Remote Desktop (Tiger) on the Mac. Download and install a vnc client (e.g. tightvnc works with Apple's VNC, realVNC doesn't because, in Tiger at least, Apple's server gives an unsupported version number). Open vnc client, type IP address of Mac and voila.

Of course, it's a bit more complicated to get working right if your Mac is at home behind a router. You have to open a port in the router. But that's true of any remote access and not Mac-specific.

Also, Apple's built in VNC servers are slow when working with 3rd party clients. If you need to do real work on a remote Mac, I suggest using VineServer instead of the built in VNC server.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, plinden. I had NOT seen your reply before I answered JohnNotBeatle's own reply. I think that you have here some good pointers for everyone - including the originator of this thread!!

- Roger T
 
on my mac it


i open

remote desktop connection: mac

then it wants ?

? that?

where do i get that on my xp computer?
 

Attachments

  • Picture 1.png
    Picture 1.png
    63.3 KB · Views: 117
Eric Lewis said:
on my mac it


i open

remote desktop connection: mac

then it wants ?

? that?

where do i get that on my xp computer?
Click to expand...

On your Windows computer you need to check two things:

Get the IP :

1. Click on Start, then Run
2. type CMD then click on OK
3. type: ipconfig
4. Make a note of the IP address for the section: IP Address

Confirm that Windows Remote Desktop is enabled:

1. Check that you have Windows XP Pro or Media Center Edition (not Home)
2. Click on Start, then Run
3. Type: winver, then click on OK
4. The banner window that appear should state the version of Windows
5. Right click on My Computer and select Properties
6. Click on the Remote Tab and make sure that in the Remote Desktop section, "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer" is checked
7. The default user allowed to connect is Administrator, if you need to add other users, click on "Select Remote Users" and add the required user in there.

The IP address you identified in the first step is entered into the Address box on your Mac in the Remote Desktop Client.
 
WildPalms said:
On your Windows computer you need to check two things:

Get the IP :

1. Click on Start, then Run
2. type CMD then click on OK
3. type: ipconfig
4. Make a note of the IP address for the section: IP Address

Confirm that Windows Remote Desktop is enabled:

1. Check that you have Windows XP Pro or Media Center Edition (not Home)
2. Click on Start, then Run
3. Type: winver, then click on OK
4. The banner window that appear should state the version of Windows
5. Right click on My Computer and select Properties
6. Click on the Remote Tab and make sure that in the Remote Desktop section, "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer" is checked
7. The default user allowed to connect is Administrator, if you need to add other users, click on "Select Remote Users" and add the required user in there.

The IP address you identified in the first step is entered into the Address box on your Mac in the Remote Desktop Client.
Click to expand...


i feel stupid...the one computer i was using was home

now im on pro on my other windows opps
 
Help....errr! what...

If from the Mac you use remote desktop to access a Win XP Pro machine can you open programs that are on the XP machine (like PC's version of Word, Excel, Acess, etc) even if you do NOT have those programs installed on the Mac?

You don't even have to have Windows on the Mac to run Windows programs?

THANKS :confused:
 
MacHiavelli said:
Help....errr! what...

If from the Mac you use remote desktop to access a Win XP Pro machine can you open programs that are on the XP machine (like PC's version of Word, Excel, Acess, etc) even if you do NOT have those programs installed on the Mac?

You don't even have to have Windows on the Mac to run Windows programs?

THANKS :confused:
Click to expand...

Yep.

Technically, your Mac is not running those programs. The Windows PC is running them and you are just accessing that PC. Then if you save a Word document, it will get saved on the PC, not the Mac. You could then e-mail it to the Mac though.
 
GregE said:
Yep.

Technically, your Mac is not running those programs. The Windows PC is running them and you are just accessing that PC. Then if you save a Word document, it will get saved on the PC, not the Mac. You could then e-mail it to the Mac though.
Click to expand...


Thanks GregE - that's sooooooooo cool. I can access an old PC without having to have Windows installed on a Mac in bootcamp, Fusion, Parallels.... JOY!

Cheers :D
 
Using only Remote Desktop assumes that your Mac has access to the network that the remote computer is on.

My work has changed the way they allow us to connect to the internal network. We no longer have a Cisco VNC connection client (which was available for OS X). We now have to go to an https: webpage with Internet Explorer, use it to download an ActiveX connection client, and *then* launch Remote Desktop. This limits me to using XP.

However, I use XP running from my Boot Camp partition inside VMWare. Once I set the Mac firewall to allow the connections from WMWare, it worked fine.
 
that's not true. we do that too and it works absolutely fine. you just need to know what address they're expecting you to connect to, it'll be 'localhost:<port>'
 
DENZIE said:
the screen sharing technology in leopard uses protocols which are platform independent. It's known as vnc. If you can install on the xp machine, put on a free program called tightvnc (google it), choose a password. Then in the windows firewall open up port 5900.

In the finder, go 'connect to server' and type in vnc://"the windows box ip address"/ and connect.

should be all good now.

ps perhaps the screen sharing thing you thought was confined to leopard/os x was the ichat screen sharing feature...
Click to expand...

wow that's amazing. another reason why mac os x is so awesome. only problem is i can't figure out how to send control-alt-delete. i'm using ultra-vnc on my vista box. any ideas?
 
Hello All. I am a new Mac Pro Owner. I would like to have access to my pc.


Now I own an xp home machine. So I put tight vnc server on it and would like to connect to the pc. I downloaded the new "Remote Desktop Connection mac"


You can find it here
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/networking_security/remotedesktopconnectionclient.html

Now I installed it and can't connect to the pc computer.

Now I put the ip address that was given to me (An router ip)

Now a new window pops up
(I attached the image)

It asking for a User and Password. Is that for the tightvnc? My pc is setup with an login name and password. Dose it want that?

Should I open an ports in the router or firewall? Also my router has wep on. Will that be a problem?

Thanks
 

Attachments

  • screen-capture.jpg
    screen-capture.jpg
    28.2 KB · Views: 125
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back