Windows 7 Remote Assistance

Although Remote Desktop is helpful and common in organizations where the computers are owned by the employer and people do not keep personal files and data on their machines, home users need something that can give them more control over what a remote user can access. Furthermore, Remote Desktop grants complete, unfettered control of a PC to a remote user for long periods of time, but it isn’t so user-friendly for the person sitting in front of the computer. He is logged out of the computer and unable to see what is happening.

Windows Remote Assistance addresses this issue by enabling the user receiving the support to monitor exactly what’s being done throughout the remote help session. Remote Assistance also provides controls to enable a user to regain full control of the PC and terminate the remote connection at any time.

Remote Assistance is intended for use over the Internet; you will need a broadband connection that’s not busy with other activities, such as downloading files.


1. Access Remote Assistance by typing remote assistance in the Start menu search box and selecting Windows Remote Assistance from the results that appear (the easiest method) or by pressing F1 on your keyboard to open Windows Help, clicking More Support Options in the bottom-left corner of the window, and then clicking Windows Remote Assistance when the options change.

2. When Windows Remote Assistance opens, you can select either Invite Someone You Trust To Help You or Help Someone Who Has Invited You. Click the second option to help someone if you received an invitation through Easy Connect.

3. If you are requesting assistance, you will need to indicate how to send a remote assistance invitation. This will commonly be sent via email. If you have an email program installed on your PC, such as Windows Live Mail or Microsoft Office Outlook, click Use E-Mail To Send An Invitation. Otherwise, click Save This Invitation As A File, and then send it via webmail. Alternatively, you can click Use Easy Connect.

4. You will now be given a password. If you are using Easy Connect, tell or send the password to the person providing the support. Otherwise, email the invitation file that’s been saved to your PC.

5. If you are the person providing the support, either enter the password in the dialog box that appears on your screen, or open the invitation file you received.

6. If you are the person receiving the support, allow the person providing support access to your computer by clicking Yes in the dialog box that appears. At this point, the person providing the support can look at what’s happening on the other PC but cannot control it by default. This can be a useful security feature and handy when you just want to show someone what’s happening on your computer.

7. If you are providing support, in the Remote Assistance console, click Request Control. If you are receiving support, do not be too alarmed about someone taking control of your computer because you will be able to see at every stage what is going on.

8. When someone requests control of a remote computer, a dialog box appears asking if this is allowable. If you allow the access, you should also select the check box allowing the help provider to respond to User Account Control security prompts. This will mean that the person supplying remote support will have full control of your PC to repair it. If you do not select this option, you will have to respond to the UAC prompts yourself. This is a more secure approach and can be used if you do not completely trust the person providing the support, but it can also slow the process, and you will have to remain at your PC throughout the entire session.


The PC offering the remote assistance does not need to be running Windows 7. It could be running an older version of Windows that supports this feature.

Remote assistance using Easy Connect. Easy Connect allows two computers running Windows 7 to connect using Remote Assistance without the need to send an invitation file. This may not always be available depending on whether your router supports the Peer Name Resolution Protocol. Easy Connect is a very useful and easy way to connect two computers for remote assistance and is worth trying to see if you can get it to work. It uses a secure peer-to-peer network managed by Microsoft to handle the connection.

Source of Information :  Microsoft Press - Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out