Upgrade from Home to Pro? Need Remote Desktop

Discussion in 'Windows Virtual Machine' started by driver49, Jul 24, 2007.

  1. driver49

    driver49 Member

    Messages:
    64
    Well, I now think I f'd up... I got Windows XP HOME edition for my MacBook, because I did not want to spend another $100 (on top of $200 for XP Home + $80 for Parallels) in order to get a "full" version of XP Pro. I am now regetting that choice.

    I like to use XP Pro's "remote desktop" function and I didn't get Pro because I thought I'd read that there are applications out there that can add the remote desktop function to XP Home. Well, turns out what I'd read about is just a dumb "widget" that just launches the remote desktop function if you already have it in XP Pro. Yeah, that's what I was looking for -- a fancy shortcut!

    So, two questions: IF I decide to upgrade to Pro (talk about penny wise and pound foolish -- another $200 instead of the addtional $100 the full Pro would have cost in the first place), can I install an upgrade via Parallels, once I've already got version of Windows running in a virtual machine? Seems the machine would not care once I've got an authorized version.

    A better solution would be... anybody know of an application or applet that I can add to Windows XP Home that will give me the same functionality I had from the Remote Desktop function in XP Pro?

    Thanks,

    --PS
     
  2. darkone

    darkone Forum Maven

    Messages:
    804
    will VNC not help you out at all ??
     
  3. driver49

    driver49 Member

    Messages:
    64
    I'm looking into VNC now, it looks like that will do what I need done... but the way you phrase the question makes me curious: is there a VNC built in to the Mac? Or are you talking about something I need to add (like realvnc.com, which is what I"m looking at now.

    Quick replies... love it. Thanks.

    --PS
     
  4. darkone

    darkone Forum Maven

    Messages:
    804
    realvnc.com was what i was refering to. My phrasing was questioning if there was something that RDP would do that VNC didnt that you required that was all ;)
     
  5. driver49

    driver49 Member

    Messages:
    64
    Sets up really easily, I guess, is all. I haven't quite got realvnc working yet... ummm... probably the wrong place to be asking (except that I get answers here!) so, uh... do I have to have realvnc installed on both computers? Having it on one doesn't hook into the RDP on the other?

    Yes, you may slap me.

    Thanks,

    --PS
     
  6. kevinw

    kevinw Hunter

    Messages:
    183
    You need to install the "server" part of VNC on the machine you want to connect to and the "Viewer" software on the machine that connects to the "server" of whatever VNC ssoftware u are using. (I have only used TightVNC in the past and only windows to windows.)

    I am also experimenting with this but I have some doubts that it will do what I want. that is I want to remote connect from a windows machine to my MAC. I'm not even sure there is compatiable software that will run on each different machine to allow me to do that.

    So then I also wonder if I install VNC server software on the Windows virtual O.S. on the MAC if I can connect using remote desktop? You have to do it with a real IP address not a network one. I do know that to make that work you have to have a password protected admin user on the server side.

    Maybe someone has tried all this and knows the answers?
     

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