Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Offering Remote Assistance via DCOM

If you start Windows Remote Assistance by typing msra /offerra at a command prompt, you'll see a dialog box similar to the one following:

Here you can enter the computer name or IP address of a user you want to assist. The ability to offer assistance in this way is intended primarily for corporate help desks and technical support centers within large organizations. It uses DCOM connectivity and requires prior configuration of the novice's computer, including configuration of that computer's firewall and user accounts; this is most easily done through Group Policy on a domain-based network. If you're trying to assist someone on a small network in a home or business, this option isn't for you; your best bet is to establish the Windows Remote Assistance connection through the methods described earlier. (The reason DCOM connectivity is not readily available in workgroups is primarily security. Allowing anyone to offer assistance to someone else is rife with danger.)

Make it easier for the novice to request assistance
The ability to offer assistance via DCOM is impractical except for experts in a domain environment. If you must rely on your novice friends to initiate a request by sending you an invitation, you can help them out by creating a shortcut on their desktop that creates an invitation and attaches it to an e-mail message; all they need to do is click Send. To do that, use the /Email option with Msra.exe. For details, at a command prompt type msra /?.