Simple remote connection on Windows[]
This is a remote desktop setup with VNC, where the user only needs to double-click a connect.bat file in order to request a remote desktop connection. It installs a display driver for you to ensure more optimal throughput (only transmits parts of the screen that are changed).
Usual disclaimer: No guarantees. Please share experiences. It works on Windows XP SP2 setups. I have had reports that it worked on Vista, albeit it might have needed some permission/firewall tweaks.
I wasn't sure how licenses were for the different applications, so i wanted to start with references to what's needed and only supply a howto guide. I might package some of the stuff, if i gather info on all of the licenses.
Client setup[]
- Make a folder for the helpdesk application (e.g. c:\helpdesk) and a subfolder for the dependencies (e.g. c:\helpdesk\program)
- Extract winvnc.exe and VNCHooks.dll from the TightVNC set of executables (don't need the installer) into the c:\helpdesk\program folder
- Download the DFMirage driver (dfmirage.exe) into the c:\helpdesk\program folder
- Extract sleep.exe from the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools into the c:\helpdesk\program folder
- Make a c:\helpdesk\program\setup.reg file with the following contents:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ORL\WinVNC3] "SocketConnect"=dword:00000000 "AutoPortSelect"=dword:00000001 "InputsEnabled"=dword:00000001 "LocalInputsDisabled"=dword:00000000 "IdleTimeout"=dword:00000000 "LocalInputsPriorityTime"=dword:00000003 "QuerySetting"=dword:00000004 "QueryTimeout"=dword:0000001e "QueryAccept"=dword:00000000 "QueryAllowNoPass"=dword:00000000 "LockSetting"=dword:00000000 "RemoveWallpaper"=dword:00000001 "BlankScreen"=dword:00000000 "EnableFileTransfers"=dword:00000001 "PollUnderCursor"=dword:00000000 "PollForeground"=dword:00000001 "PollFullScreen"=dword:00000000 "OnlyPollConsole"=dword:00000001 "OnlyPollOnEvent"=dword:00000000 "PollingCycle"=dword:0000012c "DontSetHooks"=dword:00000000 "DontUseDriver"=dword:00000000 "DriverDirectAccess"=dword:00000001 "LocalInputsPriority"=dword:00000000 "Password"=hex:30,9c,6d,b7,58,ca,64,90 "PasswordViewOnly"=hex:30,9c,6d,b7,58,ca,64,90
- Make a c:\helpdesk\connect.bat with the following contents:
@echo off address=helpdesk.company.com rem Setup if necessary if exist "%userprofile%\.dfmirage" goto mirageok regedit /e "%userprofile%\.dfmirage" "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\dfmirage" if exist "%userprofile%\.dfmirage" goto mirageok echo Setting up connection for first use... program\dfmirage.exe /sp- /verysilent /norestart :mirageok if exist "%userprofile%\.vnc" goto vncok regedit /e "%userprofile%\.vnc" "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ORL\WinVNC3" if exist "%userprofile%\.vnc" goto vncok regedit /s program\setup.reg :vncok echo Done. echo. :runProgram echo Connecting... program\winvnc -kill start program\winvnc -run program\sleep -m 500 program\winvnc -connect %address%
Host setup[]
For the person that wants to take over the other computer (the sysadmin), you merely need to start any VNC viewer (perhaps TightVNC), with the -listen argument:
vncviewer -listen