Category: Intermediate Computer Skills

In this lesson we will have a brief introduction to using Remote Desktop – a component of Windows that allows us to control another computer remotely.

Sometimes we need to operate a computer remotely. For example perhaps we are maintaining a website, and the data for that website is stored on a remote computer in a data centre elsewhere in the world.

Use the buttons below to navigate through the lesson

[show_slider name=using-remote-desktop-in-windows]
[the_ad id=”13518″]
In this instance we use Remote Desktop to control the remote computer.

First we find Remote Desktop in the Start Menu:

When we open the program we are prompted for the Computer to connect to.

This can be specified by an IP address, or by a computer name, or a URL. If we use a name or URL then the DNS server specified for our connection must be able to translate that name to an address. For example, when connecting to a computer on the local network our router will know what address the computer name translates to.

On clicking connect we are prompted for a username and password. We must have the correct credentials – otherwise anybody could be controlling our computer! These credentials can be local user accounts for the remote computer, or a network account that has access to the remote computer.

After entering the username and password we are shown the desktop of the remote computer. We can now control it as usual – anything we do on this desktop is happening on the remote machine and not on ours.

Finally when we are finished with our tasks on the remote computer we log off.

WARNING: If you select ‘Shut Down’ then you will turn off the remote computer. If you don’t have physical access to the machine it may be difficult to turn it back on – so be careful and consider whether you really want to shut it down, or just to log off!

Now you know the basics of how to use Remote Desktop.

[the_ad id=”13518″]

In this lesson we will look at another common computer maintenance task – removing temporary files using some free software.

When we use our computers often old temporary files are left lying around by programs. Over time they can accumulate and cause slowdown or low memory space. It is good to clean them up every few months.

Use the buttons below to navigate through the lesson

[show_slider name=cleaning-temporary-files]
[the_ad id=”13518″]

Luckily we don’t have to do this manually. Free software exists that will clean up these old files for us.

There are many alternatives you can use to perform this task but one of the most popular is called CCleaner.

CCleaner comes with professional versions that cost money but for the average home user the free version is sufficient for our needs.

Here are the steps to follow:

1. Download CCleaner from www.piriform.com (this is the original website for the software so we can trust them to provide a safe installer)
2. We will be using the Free version:
3. Run the downloaded file:
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process
5. Once the software is installed find CCleaner in the Start Menu and click it to open
6. We see a list on the left of all the options we can clean up.

1. There are two tabs at the top of this list:
2. First, the Windows tab. You can choose which bits of data you wish to keep and which you wish you delete. For example you may wish to keep your Internet History or Cookies or Autocomplete history for convenience. Alternatively you may wish to delete it to save space.
3. Open the Applications tab. Here you can choose any application data you wish to remove. For example if you use browsers other than Internet Explorer there may be options here to remove the temporary internet files for those browsers.
4. When you have selected the data click ‘Analyze’
5. Now you are presented with details of the data that will be removed. 
6. If you are happy to remove all these files then click ‘Run Cleaner’. WARNING: this will – of course – delete all the data you have selected. If you are unsure then untick the box for the data you want to keep and press ‘Analyze’ again.
7. Now you have saved the harddrive space and removed the temporary files.

[the_ad id=”13518″]