PC remote access

WE HAVE seen many applications that help us access files stored in PCs located at remote places (such as accessing files in our home PC from office through the web). This week we will have a look at some services that let us access/control our PC's desktop and fire applications installed in the machine from anywhere in the world, provided the machine is live and is tuned to accept commands from other machines located in remote locations.

PC Remote

The program `PC Remote' available at the site americansys.com presents you with multiple ways to capture the desktop of a PC located in a distant place. With the help of this program, you can access a remote computer through the Net or through the telephone line if the target PC is linked to a telephone through a modem.

To access the service, first download the utility (1.2-MB) and install it. Now, invoke the program by clicking the desktop icon. When you access the program, it will present you with two options - you can either connect to the remote PC which has the program `PC remote' installed or allow others to connect to your PC from a remote location. So, if you want to keep your home PC in such a state that it will allow others to access its resources, select the `Allow others to control this computer' option and then choose the method of access (Net, telephone and the like). Once the machine reaches this state, it has become a remote server so that others can access it. If you (or somebody permitted by you) want to access this machine from a remote location, you need to run the PC remote in your machine and select the `Connect to remote computer' option. At this point, provide the connection details (for example, if you are connecting through the Net, you need to provide the IP address of the target machine). If everything moves smoothly as expected, you will get access to the desktop of the target machine and can start using it.

Desktop organiser and remote access

Wintility is a software that helps you organise the documents stored in your computer to enable quick access. The program lets you create a catalogue that contains information on the way the different kinds of files are stored in your machine.

The program allows a user to create a customised catalogue based on the rules specified by him/her. In fact, you can create more than one catalogue — a catalogue of MP3 files and a catalogue of Word files. If you want to see only the Word files stored in your machine, just create a catalogue that contains only the Word files — this way you can easily locate and manage the desired files.

Apart from allowing you to organise your files efficiently, the service lets remote access of your desktop through the web. From this web-based view of your machine's storage space, you can remotely search for the documents stored in your machine.

The service also provides the facility to grant others partial or full access to your hard disk so that you can share information with your clients/colleagues. To achieve this web-based access, you need to sign-up with the service at: webwintility.com and this should enable the `Activate' button available in the Winitility software running in your machine. A trial version of the program (4-MB) can be downloaded from the site wintility.com.

Besides the programs discussed above, there are other products which fall in this category and help you access a machine from remote locations such as GotoMyPc (gotomypc.com) and eBlvd (eblvd.com/intro.html). But these services are priced and even for a trial version, you need to present your credit card details.

Virtual hard drive

A few weeks ago, I faced a slightly embarrassing situation. An article sent to a publication through e-mail had not reached the addressee and the deadline was approaching. When I got this information, I was at my office and as the copy of the article was in my home PC, I could not re-send it immediately. One solution to prevent this kind of embarrassment is to store the article in a drive that can be accessed through the Net so that we can access it from any place. Though I had access to a Net drive (my web server), I did not copy the article as it was not an easy task to undertake - not as easy as transferring the file from the hard disk to a floppy disk or copying it from one hard disk to another. But recently, I came across a program that helps us copy a file to the Net drive just like copying to another local drive.

The program `TeamDrive' turns our online storage drive (available in our web server or space gained through an online storage service such as idrive (idrive.com).

If you are not familiar with the online storage service, have a look at the article on `Online Storage Services' in The Hindu of June 29, 2000 to convert an online storage drive into a local drive by mapping a drive-letter (like E: and F:) across the Net. The online storage drive, converted this way into a local drive, helps us access the files stored in the online drive as if it is stored in the local hard disk.

For example, if the online drive is mapped to the drive letter `H:' and the file `storage.doc' is stored in the `C:' drive, we can copy this file into our Net drive through the command `copy c:storage.doc h:storage.doc'. We do not need to worry about an FTP client or other means to upload files to our Net drive. The program can be configured to map several services if you have more than one online storage account. The software can be downloaded from the link: teamdrive.com

Whyfiles

Where did writing really originate? What is the science behind grief? What is the chemistry behind love? What is global warming? Want to know answers to hundreds of questions of this kind? Access the link at: whyfiles.org/index.html, which aims to disseminate scientific facts behind the various events and incidents that occur in this world.

The site attempts to bring the scientific facts to the common man in a much simpler and comprehensible manner.

As the promoters of the site explains, ``the site uses news and current events as a springboard to explore science and the larger issues it raises'' and this way tries to bring the world of science near to the common people. Without any semblance of doubt, one can say that the service will be of immense use to students and teachers. For more details access the link at: whyfiles.org/teach/index.html

J. Murali

(The author can be contacted at: murali27@satyam.net.in)

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