17 replies to this topic

[ichase]

My wife and I have some good friends of ours that live about 300 + miles away.  Their son got a virus on his Windows 7 laptop.  I am very familiar with this virus as I have cleared this virus twice in the last 2 weeks for 2 clients.  She stated that she had to pay $129 to have a "tech" remote desktop into her son's computer and run MalwareBytes and clean the virus/Malware from her son's computer.  (of course like that last 2 computers that I cleaned, pornography websites were the culprit)
I have read a little on remote desktop and being able to take control of someone's computer (of course with their permission) and make repairs.  Here is a situation that could have saved our friend $129 if I could have remote desktoped into her son's computer.  Everything they had to pay $129 for I could have done myself and of course done it for free.

In Linux, is there a "Best way" or "Best Application" to use that could remote desktop into a client or users computer (Windows based OS) so that I could make repairs or run virus scans should this happen again.  Her son is 17.  It's going to happen again.  

I have read some stuff on a Linux application called rdesktop.  Have not checked to see if this is available via Arch Linux but am sure it is.  Has anyone used this program in Linux to take control of a Windows OS on a clients, friends, relatives computer?

Your opinions are always appreciated.

All the best,

Ian

Edited by ichase, 17 January 2012 - 11:55 AM.

[securitybreach]

This may help: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Rdesktop

[ichase]

This may help: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Rdesktop

Thanks Josh.  Have you ever used this program before to remote into a Windows OS?

Also, would this allow me to plug in a USB flashdrive that has a virus/malware removal software on it and use it on the remote user's computer?  My son who does not live with me constantly asks me for advice to get things working on his computer.  Normally I can talk him through stuff over the phone like when he installed MS Office 2010 that I bought and sent him.

Obviously, this is new to me and I would really like to read some good "how to's" so that I can use this VERY usefull feature in the future.

I have been googling different things, but I know the people here at BATL are very knowledgable and you all seem to explain things in a much easier way that I understand.  Maybe it is because I have been reading your post for so long.  

So in other words, I am once again admitting that I am taking advantage of your knowledge, and thanking you for it at the same time.  

All the best,

Ian

Edited by ichase, 17 January 2012 - 12:47 PM.

[securitybreach]

Thanks Josh.  Have you ever used this program before to remote into a Windows OS?

Also, would this allow me to plug in a USB flashdrive that has a virus/malware removal software on it and use it on the remote user's computer?  My son who does not live with me constantly asks me for advice to get things working on his computer.  Normally I can talk him through stuff over the phone like when he installed MS Office 2010 that I bought and sent him.

No I have never used this application before but I do see on the wiki page that USB is not working right now:

Still unimplemented are:
Remote Assistance requests
USB device redirection
Support for the additional features available in RDP 5.1 and RDP 6 (including multi-head display spanning and window composition) also have not yet been implemented.

You could also try Mikogo too: http://www.mikogo.com/product/what-is-mikogo/

The package is in the AUR repos as well:

CODE

╔═ comhack@Cerberus 11:13 AM
╚═══ ~-> packer -Ss mikogo
aur/mikogo 4.3.110804-2
    Mikogo screen-sharing server

[securitybreach]

Here are some other ones too: http://www.mynitor.com/2010/02/07/15-remot...ions-for-linux/

[LilBambi]

You could try TeamViewer.com - free for personal use. Works in Windows, Mac, Linux, Mobile.

You could also use LogMeIn but it is only for Windows, Mac, Mobile. No Linux.

Or you could use this Wikipedia comparison of remote desktop software*

* Be sure to do that before tomorrow (the 18th) when Wikipedia goes dark to fight SOPA.

[securitybreach]

* Be sure to do that before tomorrow (the 18th) when Wikipedia goes dark to fight SOPA.

[striker]

I'm using Teamviewer myself like Bambi mentioned, albeit on Windows computers. However, it works splendidly and you don't need to read a manual of 100 pages, it explains itself, in other words it's easy to use.

[burninbush]

Here is a situation that could have saved our friend $129 if I could have remote desktoped into her son's computer. Everything they had to pay $129 for I could have done myself and of course done it for free. >ichase


++++++++++++++

I have a suggestion: when you get it fixed, then use Teamviewer or whatever method to make an image of his hd partitions, then burn to optical disks with which they can restore it at will.  Nothing works better than restoring an image, essentially makes you invulnerable to any corruption problem.  

[ichase]

Thanks everyone for your time and great advice.  

@burninbush, the computer is fixed.  They gave a tech their credit card number over the phone and he cleaned the virus remotely.  Now with that being said, making a clone or image of his harddrive via remote desktop will be something that I need to spend some time reading up on as well.

This is an area of computing that I have never delved into.  I do quite much work with software installation, data recovery, virus removal, hardware replacement etc on physical machines but performing software/OS maintenance via remote desktop is all new to me but something that I have been meaning to get up to speed on because I see where it can be extremely useful.

Not to mention the ability to remote into my own computer if I am away.  

[jimg]

I used to use reverse vnc to help friends.  It worked reasonably well.

The setup page that I have bookmarked is dead, but I found an alternative called gitso.

[jimg]

To remote into your Linux box I would highly recommend nxserver / nxclient.  NoMachine

[ichase]

Thanks for the links jimq  

[securitybreach]

Not to mention the ability to remote into my own computer if I am away.  

Well you could easily do that with ssh: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ssh

I am always connected to all of my machines and my Linode(VPS) via ssh.

[burninbush]

Now with that being said, making a clone or image of his harddrive via remote desktop will be something that I need to spend some time reading up on as well. >ichase

++++++++++++++++

The remote desktop is one problem, making an image is another.  Today, you might as well use the linux app named partimage.  Works very well, I'd judge it as easy to use as Ghost, and easier than clonezilla.  

So then, partimage makes the image file(s), and you then need to copy the image files onto a dvd or other external media [since his local hd may be dead or too corrupted to use].  The simple thing to do is to get a small linux distro [pmagic or RIPlinux is what I use, both include partimage]; use growisofs -Z to write it to dvd as the first session of a multisession burn, then burn the image files to it as further multisession burns.   Up to about a 10gb windows partition will fit onto a single dvd.  Both pmagic and RIP include Firefox, so you can use the disk to access the web also if needed.  They also include some recovery stuff like testdisk and password recovery.  

Having an external usb disk will make all this very much simpler -- and both the imaging and restoring will run faster than from an optical disk.  OTOH, dvd blanks are cheap and almost never crash, while a usb disk with an internal hd is vulnerable the same as the puter's internal disk.  

I used to use Ghost exclusively, and still would except that the older versions I have onhand don't recognize the SATA optical drives I now use.  Probably a newer version would, but having switched to partimage I'm happy enough now with the linux solution.   Whatever you use, after making the image files, you must verify that you can restore with them -- i.e., prove to yourself that you actually have a good backup.  

[ichase]

burninbush,
Cloning is not the issue.  As I am a very big advocate of PartedMagic and I use Clonezilla on a weekly basis to clone my Arch partitions on both my laptop and desktop.  But how would you use these tools to clone a partition on a computer that is a 1000 miles away.  I am getting more educated in regards to a program called Teamviewer.  But If I boot into PartedMagic, I can't see how I would be able to get into my son's computer and clone his windows partition.
Now, he is a pretty smart young man, so I am sure I can talk him through it.  At 18 years of age though, he does not have the time for such things.    Remember being that age?  

[Temmu]

... At 18 years of age though, he does not have the time for such things.    Remember being that age?  

yes, there was precious little in the way of personal computing then   so no need for remote desktop...

[ichase]

yes, there was precious little in the way of personal computing then   so no need for remote desktop...

True, until he calls me and says "Dad, I got a virus"  or "Dad, I did this or that and can't get on Facebook"