Configuring Remote Desktop In Vista

First make sure you have an Internet connection, preferably broadband. Next you will need your IP address. Go to http://www.whatismyip.com. Your IP address will be listed across the top. Keep this for later.

*If you have a router in place, make sure you open the proper port for Remote Desktop and forward it to your computers internal IP address. By default, the port number is 3389.

Head over to the Control Panel by selecting the 'Start' menu and then 'Control Panel'.

In the Control Panel select 'System and Maintenance'.

Then select 'System'.

Then 'Remote Settings' along the left hand side under the 'Tasks' heading.

When the settings dialog appears, select the option 'Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop (less secure)' to allow any version of Windows to connect to your computer. Select the option below that if you only want to allow Windows Vista based computers to connect to your computer.

Now, from another computer, select 'Start', 'All Programs', 'Accessories', 'Remote Desktop Connection'. Type in the IP address (from above) of the computer you are trying to connect to remotely.