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Not true. It can power on systems remotely.

http://www.radmin.com/radmin/intel_amt_features.php ...really really scary.

>> Asks reader k280: "What alternative tools are available for free, and how do they compare to LogMeIn?" Okay, so its not free, but its a one time $50 per server install and is full of awesome goodness.... radmin http://www.radmin.com/

I'm 2,500 miles and two time zones away, so I can't exactly troubleshoot things from here

Assuming the problem that needs to be troubleshot isn't network related

In no particular order of preference
TeamViewer
LogMeIn
Techinline Remote Desktop
CrossLoop (I hadn't heard of this one before searching just now but it looks interesting)
Radmin
RemotePC
There are a lot of remote support options. Some good ones are even free.

My personal suggestion is Splashtop. It isn't a remote support tool but it has client's for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and BB 10/PlayBook OS2 so you could log into your mother's PC from your tablet and fix what needs fixing. It's also a one time cost opposed to a subscription.

At some point your mother will need to do something the tablet cannot do. You can still get an inexpensive tablet for her.

by UnrefinedLayman:
Wireless network config management - Last time I checked my Windows 2000 laptop with an Intel wireless card came with drivers that include a management program for wireless networks. Doesn't every driver come with a management program?
Remote Desktop - Remote Administrator (http://www.radmin.com/) does everything I need it to do.
Group Policies unavailable below XP - Not needed for a stand-alone home system is it?
Windows Media Player 10 - Not an improvement (like someone else said), 6.4 was the last good version.
Fast User Switching - Again, not needed for a stand-alone home system.
Better EFS functionality - OK fine no agrument there, if you use EFS of course.
New version of Sysprep, better unattended setup functionality - Yep no argument here either, W2k is a b*tch to install sometimes.
AMD64 - I've always used Intel, and never 64. I use Sun Solaris on 64bit systems at work, but that's about it. Who needs 64bit for home use?
Integrated CD writing - Nero is better than any integrated software. Plus the popups every time you put a CD in are kind of annoying.
Larger base of hardware compatibility - Uhm... please enlighten me on this one because I've gotten all of my hardware to work with w2k just fine. New or old they all work. The only setback was when installing W2k Pro on a new Dell laptop, I needed to add custom drivers to w2k - but the drivers do exist, so w2k does support all of that hardware.

When I worked on a rather large IT company in the old days[a year ago] with a lot of clients I found that Radmin was the best choice. The speed and refresh rate of it is great. Much more than in any standard VNC programs I have tried. Plus the option of using a radmin computer as a gateway to another radmin computer is great when trying to help cusomers over a vast WAN. Plus it has shell and file transfer possibilities. And I found it useful for checking how my EVE Online pilot was doing from work.

Only problems is that is is Windows Only.

For adminin linux or unix computers I just use SSH and an X tunnel. Heck. I even ran Maya between continents using that method. Both systems running Irix.

To admin the Windows servers at work I use a combination of an SSH tunnel and RDP.

As a test, we are running Radmin over a VPN.

(VPN is Virtual Private Network, for those who don't work with these things. A VPN allows a remote machine to behave as though it is connected to the local network.)

Have you ever heard of anyone breaking into a DES-encrypted VPN with a pre-shared key? I'm guessing it would be difficult.

The Radmin web site says Radmin is entirely encrypted.

Is a VPN safe and appropriate communication for VNC?

Is that true about the latest version of Radmin? This Radmin comparision with Real VNC says that Radmin communication is entirely encrypted. There is no option to disable encryption.

Many questions:

Why did you choose TightVNC? Why not RealVNC, UltraVNC, or TridiaVNC?

Is it better to pay for VNC software, like Tridia VNC Pro or Radmin? Which software has video resolution scaling of the remote desktop?

What security is best? Is it good to use a VPN for secure access, or is SSH better? What Windows SSH server do you use?

What VPN hardware is best? We bought a NetGear FVS318 hardware firewall/router/VPN for a customer, and discovered that the remote administration password is openly transmitted. We found that logging out in the remote administration menu didn't always actually log out. We found Javascript errors. With the 2.4 firmware, more than one client can be logged in at the same time. That situation, two clients at the same time, would give an error message with the 2.3 firmware, so things seem to be going backward in some ways, in firmware that is already shaky. Our experience with Netgear technical support is that it is very limited. On the telephone we got someone in Tamil Nadu, India, who was allowed to practice for a short time with Netgear equipment, but who doesn't any longer have access to actual equipment. The online tech support just gave error messages. Not only that, but Fry's and Netgear arranged a rebate trick. They have a very long rebate receipt, and ask you to enter your address both at the top and at the bottom. If you don't enter it at the bottom, they deny your rebate.

My philosophy is that if I need to remotely administer anything on my home network (including my LinkSys gateway), I'll do so over eSVNC or Radmin from the inside...

I've been running VNC on Windows for quite some time and the built-in JAVA client is great for accessing from remote locations where I might not have a viewer.

That said, I've also paid for another bought another program called RAdmin. It's quite a bit faster than VNC (at least 3.3.3), uses fully encrypted data transfer for all connections, has built-in file transfer, remote shell, and remote shutdown/restart capabilities, and is very small and easy to install. They have a free 30 day evaluation which you might want to have a look at ($35 to buy). Just a very happy customer.

While I use VNC when I'm out of town and want to remote access my machine at work so I can get in from anywhere, when I'm connecting two of my own machines, I use RAdmin for the speed, security and features. Unfortunately RAdmin isn't cross-platform (or an open protocol), so it's somewhat more limited than VNC. Each has their uses.

Easily implemented solution: don't share your information, but access your own PC from anywhere and use it as you would elsewhere. This is easily available now for PC's, and could be extended to PDA's, phones, etc. with a little more work. Start with a web-centric remote administration product like GoToMyPC or Radmin.

GoToMyPC is terrific; it uses a central server to connect you from a browser through firewalls to your PC regardless of its current IP address. The software currently cross-platform only on the client end; the server is still Windows-only, but that could change. The go-between server software can be licensed, so it's not even necessary to have a third party broker the connection to the home PC.

I use:

• Encryption for the masses for partition encryption
• Remote Admin for 128 bit-secure visual remote administration
• A D-Link 704 firewall/router/switch

(I assume there are 3rd party products available since before to do the other stuff you mention - I don't need them. I also have no clue what that advanced imaging stuff is .. a replacement for ACDSee?)

... and all this boils down to one thing: Microsoft uses the dominance of their operating system to push their own products above 3rd party developers. Wasn't this what the DOJ were going to stop?