[SlickRCBD]

I'm trying to establish as Remote Assistance session with somebody who lives some distance away and up some steep stairs, and I have an inflamed tendon in my knee that limits my mobility.

She says she has a 2wire 1701HG router that her laptop uses to connect. I'm behind a wired network with a Linksys BEFSR41 router/switch.

I'm trying to use either Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium, or booting Virtual PC and running Windows XP Professional (32-bit). I recently found out that I had installed the wrong service pack off the wrong backup CD, and just updated to Service Pack 2. That fixed my inability to start a session with the host OS, but neither the host nor the virtual machine can connect to the remote computer after opening an e-mail invitation.

I'm convinced it's her firewall, but I've never seen the configuration screen for that brand of router. The best I could come up with was this link:
http://www.portforwa...ote_Desktop.htm
She said she followed the instructions for it, and that "Remote Assistance" was checked as an exception in Windows Firewall.

I've added port 3389 to the "port triggering" section of my router.
Here's some censored screenshots of the router configuration for the BEFSR41. All information on other open ports is censored.
http://www.flickr.co...1271440/detail/

Could somebody familiar with the popular Linksys router verify that I've configured it properly? I've had no trouble opening ports for an FTP and SSH server in the past, but I've had lots of problems with AIM & file transfer working fine inside the firewall, but not outside.


So, how do I get let my mother's cousin e-mail me a Remote Assistance invitation and allow me to see what's on her screen from miles away via the wonders of the internet age? Am I properly configured? I am able to start Remote Assistance sessions between my host OS of Vista 64HP and the virtual XP Pro, but I couldn't get her invitations to work.

Is there a more straight forward set of instructions I can send her if it's a firewall problem? I have never seen her configuration screen, and am trying to help her blind, and she didn't even know what a firewall was until I explained it to her. She thought it had something to do with flames and matches.

I know the obvious is to have somebody else try testing my own firewall, but I couldn't get in touch with anybody who knew what they were doing today. Hopefully I'll have better luck tomorrow getting somebody to help me test that.

[vie_ascenseur]

Hi,

just quickly, this might help you with the config screens for her router....

a 2Wire router is exactly the same as a BT Business Broadband router (and these instructions should work whatever your ISP), and from what I remember, most of the config screens are the same across most of the brand.

Here is some support from good old BT, its off their support website about "setting up port forwarding on your 2Wire router"

http://btbusiness.cu...a_id/9445/c/426,427,1951

Here's a quick summary of what to do, more detail and pictures on the bt site

Quote

• Select the Firewall tab.
  
• Click on the Firewall Settings link to display the Edit Firewall Settings page
  
• From the Select a computer list, select the computer to that you want to have port forwarding for.
  
• If you want to open specific ports defined by application rules, select Allow individual application(s).
  
• If you want open all ports for the selected computer, select Allow all applications (DMZplus mode) and go to step 10.
  
• From the drop-down list, ensure that All applications is selected.
  
• From the list of application rules, highlight the name of each application rule which specifies the port that you want to open and click on the ADD button. For example, the SMTP server opens port 25.
  
• The names of the application rules selected are displayed in the Hosted Applications list.

aparrently, going to http://gateway.2wire.net on the computer connected behind the 2Wire will go straight to the config pages (I take it that 2Wire have worked out that web addresses are easier to remember than IPs for most people)

Hope it helps

joe

Quote

If you want open all ports for the selected computer, select Allow all applications (DMZplus mode) and go to step 10.

I know there are reasons for doing this, but aint that opening up a massive hole that anything can get through!?

This post has been edited by vie_ascenseur: 07 November 2009 - 09:13 AM