Connect to a computer via Remote Desktop in Windows 8

Remote Desktop is one of the applications that Windows 8 users have at their disposal in the Windows Store. Through it, you can access from one computer to another that is connected to the network or through the Internet, which is very useful when you need to access information from a computer that is in another location, for example, to provide support. or to carry out maintenance tasks.

In this new version of Windows, one of the main new features that attracts attention is the new format of the application, now with the Modern UI interface.This is not an impediment when using it, since from a computer with Windows 8 you can access via Remote Desktop other computers that work under any edition of Windows : XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows RT.

Getting started with Remote Desktop

The first thing to do to be able to use Remote Desktop is access the Windows Store and download the application. It is available in the Productivity section. Once installed, it will appear alongside all other Modern UI apps on the Home Page.

Before starting it, make sure that both systems are ready to work with remote connections. Specifically, the computer that is going to be accessed has to authorize incoming connections through this application. This feature is configured in the Control Panel, in the System option, activating the option “Allow remote access”Depending on the version of Windows of the system to which you are going to connect, there may be variations in this path, if you want to go directly you can do it through the Windows+Pause key combination.

Once the application has been downloaded to the Windows 8 system, from which another is going to be accessed through Remote Desktop and which already has permission to receive connections through this application activated, the time to launch the application Click with the mouse or finger on the app on the Home Page to open it.

Connecting remotely, “Hello World”

Once the app is open, the first thing to do is indicate the IP of the device that is going to be accessed To To do this, from said destination computer you can execute the command line, type the command “ipconfig” and press the “Enter” key next.In the result that is seen on the screen (of the type 192.XXX.XXX.XXX), the line that says “Ip address” is the one that is needed to access by Remote Desktop. Within the same local network, it can also be accessed through the name.

That IP address or name of the destination system is what you have to type to access through Remote Desktop. Favorite teams can be added for easy access on future occasions. Once the equipment is located, to establish the connection you must identify yourself as user, for which you have the following options:

• Through a user configured on the destination machine.
• By a user with a Windows Live ID account.

In both cases, the corresponding user password is required to access.

If the login is successful, the user sees the Remote Desktop access interface on his screen, which shows the screen of the destination computer, as it is at that moment; the top bar that allows you to switch the view between the local and the remote machine, and, as a novelty, the actions bar on the left side, through which you can activate the side toolbars on the remote computer.

What can be done through the Remote Desktop connection

The Remote Desktop connection allows access to all the functionality of the destination computer. In the opposite direction, there is no connection, that is, from the destination computer it is not possible to interact with the one that is connected. For example, information can be copied between both computers, allowing access to the local drives of the destination machine. Just copy and paste to move files from one computer to another.

Another interesting option is to carry out maintenance tasks, for example, update the system or give it a review to eliminate some type of spyware (don't say that this is not great for when someone calls you relative or friend asking for computer help and thus you save going to their house…).

Through Remote Desktop, you can also run applications on the target machine.For example, you can start Excel and work on a spreadsheet stored on the remote computer. This is very useful when you want to access information on your work computer from home, or vice versa.

Conclusions

Remote Desktop is one of the utilities that has been present in Windows systems for years and that in version 8 of the system presents as its most outstanding novelty a renewed interface, in keeping with the new Modern UI aesthetic. It is available in the Windows Store, being one of the most popular apps in the Productivity section.

This is precisely its strong point, improving the productivity of users of computers that need to connect to other machines to provide support, execute an application or access information.

In Welcome to Windows 8 | Improve the performance of your Windows 8 PC by optimizing storage drives