Remote Access

[skimfla]

Hi,

Future thanks to all helpful responses.

I am renting my room to a stranger I met on Craigslist. I have a desktop and will need remote access to it while I'm out of the apartment. I am going to set up a different Windows XP account so the renter can use it.

Is there a way I can remotely log into my PC while he's logged into his account? Also, besides typical password requirements, what other security considerations should I be thinking about. I run my life on this PC and I run my account as Administrator.

I could load all necessary data to an external HD for use on a different PC so I dont have to 'remote' in, but I dont have time before I leave.


Thank you,
Peter

[oracleguy]

XP will only let one person use the computer at once, so if someone is using it directly, if you remote in, the other person will not be able to keep using it.

If you don't know the person and your computer is so important, perhaps you shouldn't let them use it at all?

[slushy77]

Peter, you are opening your pc to a whole can of security issues.

if you absolutely must let a stranger use your pc in your absense. consider setting your bios to boot from hard-drive only, and password protect it. It is possible using readily available software to load your valuable data onto a usb drive and format your hard-drive, or worse set your computer to become a malware server. I wont post details of the process on this forum, but it can be done within 1/2 hour.

Also consider chaining your pc to something solid

Accessing your computer as adminstrator allows rogue software to be installed very easily. In fact malware writers use this basic oversight to spread their works. If you access your computer remotely as administrator, you are increasing the chances of your password being intercepted.

Once your computer is secured, you could set it up as http or ftp server using a service such as no-ip. then you could access your files on the move

[lordspace]

Peter, you are opening your pc to a whole can of security issues.
....

slushy77 is right.
Why don't you create a regular user for him.

I believe there are some hacks out there where you can *fix* XP to allow 2 simultaneous sessions