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williamwa... williamwa...
 
M$2 June 13, 2009 03:15 AM

Can I use my MAC by remote access from a PC?

Windows offers remote access to and control of a remote Windows machine via Microsoft Terminal Server and client. With this system, I can connect to another PC and "use" it exactly as if I were setting at the remote computer. There is no noticeable delay. This feature is built in to the more advanced Windows operating systems.

I need to control a MAC this way. ( From a PC ) There are many sites with instructions as to how to do this. I have tried four or five of them and none of them work.

I have also tried several VNC "solutions" . The term solution is being very kind. These connections are very easy to create and the software is mostly free but you cannot really "use" the remote machine. I can control it if I am very patient but the response is much too slow to be usable.

Does anyone know of a system for the MAC that is as easy, fast, and reliable as the Windows system?
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robbrown robbrown
 
 June 13, 2009 08:42 AM
Hi William, here's what I do:

You need to turn the VNC server on in your system preferences on your Mac:

1. Open your System Preferences.
2. Check Screen Sharing (second option)
3. Click the Computer Settings button
4. Check VNC viewers may control screen with password
5. Enter a password

On your windows PC:

Download RealVNC for free from here: http://www.realvnc.com/products/download.html

Install it an run the viewer.

In the box that appears when you run the viewer, enter the IP Address of your Mac and the password you chose earlier.

That's it! This is lightning fast, free, and not too bad to setup. I use this every single day and love it!
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I believe you were the only one that actually read the question.



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williamwac... williamwac...
 
June 13, 2009 10:12 PM
Hi Rob.

I found instructions similar to this on several web sites.
Sounds really good but doesn't work.
It will not allow either of my PCs to connect to my MAC. Tthey can see the MAC, but it rejects the connection. "Connection Aborted (10053)"

I have tried it with the Real VCN viewer and the Ultra VCN viewer on the PC. They are easy to set up but the only way I can connect to the MAC is to run the Ultra VCN Server on the MAC.

My System Preferences has both Screen Sharing and Remote Management options. I can't connect using either one of them.

My OS is:

System Version: Mac OS X 10.5.2 (9C2031)
Kernel Version: Darwin 9.2.1

Searching for that error message, I am advised to try the TightVNC viewer.
http://www.tightvnc.com/download.html
I did that and it worked first try. AND It is by far the fastest VNC viewer I have ever seen. ( That said. It is still pathetic compared to mstsc.exe.)

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robbrown robbrown
 
June 14, 2009 09:31 AM
Port 5900 is being blocked by your router or software firewall.

Open up 5900.

http://www.realvnc.com/support/portforward.html

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williamwac... williamwac...
 
June 14, 2009 07:09 PM
Thanks! You are a genius.
Working great now.

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Other Answers (3)

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stanar stanar
 
June 13, 2009 03:41 AM
According to this blog, VNC server is built in to the OS 10.4.

Not sure what version of MAC OS you have. If it is 10.4+, I would try this option. Below are the links with screen shots.

Since you have mentioned that you tried different versions, try the enterprise edition but it's not a freeware.

I use VNC a lot on windows machines since we can access the console without password protection using VNC. To access via remote desktop, you need password protect the windows user. anyway this is outside the scope of this question.
Source(s):
http://www.dssw.co.uk/blog/2007/05/14/a-vnc-server-is-included-in-mac-os-x-...

http://www.macminicolo.net/Mac_VNC_tutor.html


Tags: access, osx, mac, vnc, remote

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cp24 cp24
 
June 13, 2009 03:55 AM
Try to use Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection: Mac. Despite its Beta status, it works reasonably well. It uses the same technology of the Terminal Server products.
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/networking_security/remotedesktopconnectionclient.html

It works for the following client:
- Windows Vista Business
- Windows Vista Enterprise
- Windows Vista Ultimate
- Windows XP Professional
- Windows Server 2003

Of course, the remote desktop connection on the Windows PC must be enabled before you are able to connect.


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stanar stanar
 
June 13, 2009 05:02 AM
I believe @williamwaco wants to access his MAC remotely from a windows PC and not the other way. So he needs to install/configure VNC server on the MAC and a VNC client on the windows PC (I read in of the sites the browser plug in doesnt work with VNC server on MAC).

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cp24 cp24
 
June 13, 2009 06:35 AM - New Source
Thank you @stanar. Sorry about the incorrect answer. One of the options is:
LogMeIn Free
https://secure.logmein.com/products/free/

The free version gives you basic remote access and desktop viewing to your desktop (including Mac).
https://secure.logmein.com/products/free/

The difference between free and paid version is available here
https://secure.logmein.com/products/free/features.asp

The paid version starts from $69.95/year
https://secure.logmein.com/products/pro/purchase.asp

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trevortye trevortye
 
June 13, 2009 10:12 PM
Hi William,

There are several ways to do this, you can use remote desktop for the Mac as stated before it is built in into 10.4 and newer, that being said other third party VNC Servers such as Vine VNC Server does run faster then the native one built into OS X. You can also SSH in using terminal services, but you need to know how to SSH in know the proper commands. Also you can use other pay for 3rd parties such as logme in. My preference since I have multiple monitors is to use the built in OS X VNC Server, that way I can see all 3 monitors. If you want performance I suggest using VINE VNC Server or SSH.

Vine VNC Server
http://sourceforge.net/projects/osxvnc/

SSH for OS X
http://www.panix.com/help/sw.macosx-ssh.html

Apple's Remote Desktop
http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/

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