CynicX

I like to sit in my living room while watching tv or playing video games I like to download music, talk on AIM and post on forums via my laptop. When I download music I transfer it too my desktop via home network. Thing is if I want to listen to the music I have to goto the desktop and play it there since it has the nicer sound system with sub 4 speakers blah blah.....

Is there a way for me to play my music on the desktop with its nice speakers through the network from my laptop without me going to the desktop and doing it manually?

WT

Setup RDP (microsoft's free Remote Desktop) granted you have XP if not another good choice is tight-VNC it is free too and you can even surf to it via WEB interface (if thats how you set it up), I do this from work to one of my WIN98 Machines now and then were I store some data.
Good Luck...

CynicX

Yeah I was starting to play with remote assistance but I didnt know if it would do the trick...i gotta look into it a little more.....thanks, at least I know its possible

CynicX

ok when i bring up remote desktop I dont see my desktop on the list....or any computers for that reason.....how do I enable remote desktop so i can see it?

CynicX

wait i just found on the internet that there is now remote desktop for windows xp home......darn i knew i should have have got windows xp professional.....what else do you guys suggest...?

WT

Dohh sorry forgot its not on Home I only use XP pro on everything thats has XP on it
Well do a google on tightvnc or just vnc in general its free and works pretty well too. By the way remote assistant is probbaly not what you want.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I know a way, but it involves having "TV out" on your vid card on your desk top, and a wireless mouse.

1. If your video card supports TV out, you can mirror what is on your desktops monitor on your TV in the living room.
Using your TVs remote, you can switch back and forth from regular TV to video 2 or 3 (whatever your VCR or DVD player is not on) and you can see your desktops screen on your TV.

2. Logitech wireless mouse like I have will work in the other room, it transmits far.
Once you see your PC on your TV, use the wireless mouse to access the MP3 folder on the desktop, and fire up a song.

CynicX

thanks....this program tightvnc works pretty good....i wish the refresh was faster but beggers cant be choosers....I'm actually on my laptop, working on my desktop which is online....hehe does that make sense?

WT

Yeah I too find the refresh is not the best, you may try a google on Real VNC they are always working on upgrading that version and it may be better worth a try for free Yeah kinda adding to the latency to surf through your desktop from your laptop... Think its due to the way tight VNC code is written to be so small so they didn't put to much compression code in it to keep the system resources low for different OS's.
Glad it worked out I will say remote desktop for XP pro is much faster.

CynicX

yeah i realize its adding a little latency, i was just having a little fun.

Hey I got a question for you though, this is kinda dumb but I cant figure out how to leave tightvnc running on the desktop so I can activate/connect to it from the laptop. Right now I am having to goto the desktop and click "add new client" then enter my laptop computers name. I want to just be able to turn on the laptop and start tightvnc and connect and just use the desktop as a server sorta thing...you know what I mean?

CynicX

lol, i know i'm posting alot in my own thread but here is the problem I'm having and maybe some of you more experieced network operaters can answer....

I have a desktop, and a laptop.....now I want to just access the desktop via VNC. I can run a server on the laptop and connect too it from the desktop with no problem. But if I run a server on the desktop, I cant get the laptop too connect to it, it always times out. If I run a the VNC in a listening mode on the laptop, and manual goto the desktop and click "add new client" I can add the laptop and everything will work, but I want to use the desktop more like a server so I dont have to do anything manually on it.

I dont really get it, I dont have any firewalls running on the desktop, and if it was in the router I wouldnt think it would work the other way around....

Thanks in advance!

WT

Yeah your posting faster than I can answer ...
Okay guess you figured how it up as a server now so its always running in the background right (listening mode)?? If so it should be just waiting for a connection from the laptop. If you haven;t figured out how to make it run just make a shortcut for it in your startup folder so everytime windows starts it will run the TightVNC Server. Now its running put your mouse over it( should give you your ip address ex.192.XXX.XXX).
Going to assume your using IE to access the desktop right ?
If so just put the IP address in and :5800 thats the port TightVNC deffault to listening for a connection on. So in IE it will be "http://192.168.1.XXX:5800" less the quotes, it should them run java and ask for your password if you set one up, I recomend this
Good luck and have more fun now ....

CynicX

Well heres the problem....if I have the server running on the desktop, I cant connect to it from the laptop....but if I run the server on the laptop I can connect too it from the desktop...

I CAN get it to work on the laptop (meaning laptop viewing the desktop), but I have to goto the desktop and click "add new client" and type in my laptops network name, while the laptop is running in listening mode.

If I setup the server on the laptop, all I have to do is goto viewer on the desktop type in the name of the laptop, since it has the server running on it, and it will connect right up. But it wont do the opposite, I cant just leave the server running on the desktop, I have to manually connect FROM the desktop to the laptop....

Am I making any sense, this is hard to explain....but basically it works one way but not the other....and I'm setting it up the right way because it works everytime when the server is on the laptop....Do you understand or do you want me to try to explain it better?

WT

Okay best guess is maybe a firewall issue but I recall you saying that its not that, next thing that comes to mind is maybe its not in the same network domain/workgroup, this is what I would do to see instead of using the PC name to connect use the IP address, that rules out routing via name resolution and should connect you directly unless something on the desktop is not allowing the connection.
Let me know if that works or not....

CynicX

Hmm....It does the same thing....I can connect to the laptop via desktop using IP but not vise versa...it times out...I'm at work right now so I cant play with it....but maybe it is a software firewall issue....I had it the windows firewall disabled but when I set up a home network it automatically reenabled it. Although when I started realvnc it asked if it had permision to connect, and I clicked yes....So when I get home I'll just disable it again....hopefully that will work....

t3yfg5

just setup a really long mouse and keyboard

CynicX

lol and put mirrors up all around my house so I can see the reflection of the monitor in another room


Seriously though I figured it out. The windows software firewall was blocking the connection. Even though when it asked me if the program was allowed to open ports I said yes, but I guess it didnt like that idea. Once I disabled the firewall it works perfect

BTW...RealVNC is a little nicer then the TightVNC. Although the programs look nearly the same, RealVNC is alot less buggy. It also has a better refresh rate.

WT

Yeah figured RealVNC was more updates since they always add to it and fix bugs and TightVNC is what it is with no updates since they competed it
What you want for free LOL well glad you got it all worked out it may be as simple as adding the 2 ports VNC needs to use for you to be able to leave the firewall running, which would be the best thing to do if possible.

CynicX

well i'm not too worried about microsofts software firewall....i have a hardware firewall in my router and it seems to hide the ports pretty nicely according to DSL reports.....