Getting Help from Another Person

When you want to get help from others, you must create a Remote Assistance invitation and then make this invitation available to the person from whom you want help. Although there are multiple ways to create and send invitations, the easiest and most reliable way to do this is to create an email invitation. As long as you've installed and configured an email program, such as Windows Live Mail or Office Outlook, you'll be able to send an email invitation.

You can create a Remote Assistance invitation and send it to your helper by following these steps:

1. In Control Panel, under the System And Security heading, click "Find and fix problems." In the left pane of the Troubleshooting window, click "Get help from a friend." Alternatively, click Start → All Programs → Maintenance → Windows Remote Assistance.
2. If the computer is not configured to send invitations, click Repair. After Windows Network Diagnostics analyses the problem, click "Try these repairs as an administrator" and then click "Close the troubleshooter." You will then need to repeat step 1.
3. On the "Use Remote Assistance", click "Invite someone to help you" and then click "Use e-mail to send an invitation."
4. On the "Choose a password", enter and confirm a secure password that is at least six characters long. This password is used by the person you are inviting and is valid only for this Remote Assistance session.
5. When you click Next, Windows 7 starts your default mail program and creates an email message with the invitation.
6. In the To field, type the email address of the person you are inviting and then click Send.

Once you've sent the invitation via email, the Windows Remote Assistance dialog box is displayed. This dialog box provides the following options:

Stop sharing
Starts or stops sharing control of the computer with the helper.

Pauses
Pauses or resumes sharing with the helper.

Chat
Opens a chat window for sending messages between you and the helper.

Settings
Allows you to configure the session settings.
Troubleshoot
Allows you to troubleshoot Remote Assistance.

Help
Allows you to open Windows Help and Support.

As long as you've allowed remote control of your computer, the helper will have a similar set of controls and will be able to access your desktop and Start menu, allowing the remote helper to fix your computer much as if he or she were sitting at the keyboard. If you haven't allowed remote control of your computer, the helper will only be able to view your desktop and guide you through chat.

For Windows Vista and Windows 7, Remote Assistance has been enhanced in several ways. First, two people can now simultaneously connect to a computer for troubleshooting. Second, if troubleshooting requires that the computer be restarted, the Remote Assistance session is reestablished automatically after the computer reboots.

Giving Other People Assistance

Just as you can use Remote Assistance to get help, you can use Remote Assistance to help other people. Have the person send you a Remote Assistance invitation via email. When you receive the email, double-click the invitation attached to the message. You'll then see a Windows Remote Assistance dialog box with a view of the other person's computer. As long as the person has allowed remote control, the view will have a similar set of controls as previously discussed, and will provide complete access to the person's desktop and Start menu, allowing you to fix the person's problem much like you could if you were sitting at the keyboard.

If you know that a user is having problems with his or her computer, you can follow these steps to offer remote assistance rather than waiting for an invitation:

1. Click Start, type msra, and then press Enter.
2. In the Windows Remote Assistance wizard, click "Help someone who has invited you."
3. Click the "Advanced connection option for help desk" link.
4. Type the name or IP address of the computer you want to assist, and then click Next to connect to the computer.