Simple, Free Web Remote PC Control?

MeatballCB writes "Hey folks. Being the 'technical' guy of the family, I often get calls from friends and family members when they're having PC issues. Most of these folks are not technical, so trying to troubleshoot problems over the phone can often be a challenge. Anyone know of a simple-to-use and (preferably) free service that would allow for remote viewing/control of their PCs? I know there's WebEx and GoToMyPC, but I hate to pay for something I'd use once every two months. I also know about VNC, but trying to walk someone through opening up ports on their router that thinks their Internet is broken when their homepage gets changed is not realistic. Anyone know of anything that would be easy to set up and use?"

Comments

$125.00 per hour

[mrmeval]

It fixed my problems instantly when I quoted them my rate. I got tired of being abused by people who refused to learn how the system worked. This was a directed refusal they take pride in. I made my point that I was not longer their slave. Now they get to pay someone who likes the abuse. I would point out the relationship has a whiff of BDSM but they'd not understand that either.

Re:$125.00 per hour

[Clover_Kicker]

What if I like my family?

Re:$125.00 per hour

[Anarchduke]

What if I like my family?

$40.00 / hr.

Re:$125.00 per hour

[LordVader717]

It's no problem if it's an occaisonal question, but the learned helplessness that many people demonstrate is just insulting.
When I find them a fix it usually involves a few minutes of googleing, why can't they at least do the same?

Once a freind asked me to come over for some help and I told him to do a very simple task with clear instructions which he was perfectly capable of. He couldn't be bothered to do it.
Am I supposed to waste my time just because that's their easiest way out?

In future I'm just going to send them this link http://xkcd.com/627/

Re:$125.00 per hour

[Anonymous Coward]

One great way to avoid being nagged for favors is to take extra time to do them, then do them in a way the recipient won't ask again.

I solve most such Windows problems with a format/reinstall/no data rescue (I suspect teh virus ate it).

You could grow a pair and say, "no, I do not have time". Or advise them to 'rescue their data', 'reinstall the OS'. This way, you do neither. Another big help. Run linux and use OSS apps. People ask me to help them pirate, I explain what I use and they are uninterested because they think they need Windows, or Office, or *shudder*, Nero.

Re:$125.00 per hour

[LordLimecat]

In otherwords do the favor in a way theyll be sorry they asked. Couldnt you just say "no" and make everyone happier?

Re:$125.00 per hour

[ajlisows]

Here is the thing. My "extended support network" (myself included) prides itself on being able to do things on their own. We noticed some problems with that. Me trying to fix my car and fucking it up worse, friends trying to fix simple computer problems and ending with a computer that won't boot, etc.... I'm pretty lucky actually, much of my "extended support network" has skills that I do not and that are more expensive than computer fixing. My mechanic buddy calls me? I'll drop practically everything to help him. The guy I know that does HVAC, electrical wiring, and some plumbing? I'll help him in a snap. That guy that does drywall and other home remodeling? Sure! I'm called upon more often...but I come out ahead in the end. ;)

Re:$125.00 per hour

[bigstrat2003]

Quite right. There are very few people who I'll do tech support for (and all of them are so important that they get it for free, but that's another topic). My parents are two such people. They fed, clothed, and raised me for 18 years without any real benefit to themselves. The least I can do is help them out when they can use a hand. I won't destroy my life just to give my parents a bit of help, but I'll inconvenience myself to very great extents to help them out. Anything less is selfish.

Re:LogMeIn

[fm6]

I use Logmein for this purpose too (and agree that it's really good software), but it's a little early to close the discussion. Installing the free version on every machine you want to support is a pain, especially if you have to talk somebody else through it over the phone. There's a simpler "rescue" version, but it's not free, or even cheap.

The latest version Skype has a desktop sharing feature. No remote control, but if you can see the other screen it's easy to talk people through most tasks. Still a pain to install, but at least Skype is something people have a day-to-day use for.

TEAMVIEWER.COM!!!!!

[Pax681]

well for Teamviewer is kick ass. free fopr personal use and does all sorts of other things you mighty like such as VPN.

have a looksee, it really is quite nice and i have found there is much less lag on it as compered to other remote control apps

This is the one

[zippthorne]

Mod parent up!

Remote Assistance comes with all versions of windows, so you don't have to worry about sketchy third-party apps or waste time downloading and installing something. It's a little more tricky to do with the home edition, but I've helped family members using XP home on both ends. As long as you follow the directions, it's not too much of a hassle.

Other operating systems have similar functionality as well under different names. (OS X, for instance calls it "screen sharing", offers several ways to use it - iChat is probably the dumbed-down-est way, but if you want to get fancy, you can tunnel it over SSH and even enable it from within the terminal session. Ubuntu calls it "Remote Desktop" and has a whole slew of applications in the repository that do varying levels of VNC. tunneling over ssh is as trivial as on the mac, or maybe it's the other way around. I doubt apple was the leader in having secure shell implemented.)

There's really no need to go buying fancy software you heard advertised on Rush or during an episode of 24. All of the modern OSs were designed around network use and have fairly complete tools for doing everything more robustly and securely than things like "gotomypc" appear to offer.

Re:Remote Assistance

[MyFirstNameIsPaul]

Yes, mod this up please. Interestingly, mine works without opening any ports and I have UPnP disabled. Some kind of weird miracle, I guess...

Re:logmein.com

[Lumpy]

While this would work fine for family, installing logmein that allows you access whenever you want is probably not a good idea for friends, and they would probably dislike it.

Then they can PAY ME for support. if they dont like it then they can go find someone else for FREE support.

I have a couple of friends that whined about it, I said, sure, you pay for this other service monthly. They instantly stopped whining when they realized I was not going to spend money monthly for them.