What is the best remote desktop software?

[altitude2k]

I'm setting up an older PC of mine to record CCTV footage with a surveillance video capture card. This PC will be in a room where I can get away with a base unit but I don't really want a monitor cluttering the place up. Obviously I've set up this PC to load straight into Windows and load the software with no interruptions, however I want to be able to control this PC through my main PC via the LAN so as to monitor the footage and to resolve any problems that may occur. I was wondering, with your extensive collective knowledge of networking etc. what is the best software (I'm assuming 3rd party here - the PC in question has Windows 2000 installed) for remotely controlling a PC through a LAN. A free one would be preferable, but any suggestions would be good. I'm assuming most of these types of software have an automatic allow access function (to keep running on the PC with no monitor), but I'll add that requirement if it makes any difference.

Many thanks in advance.

[Splash]

If you need it to be free you're looking at some flavour of VNC essentially - have a google and see which you prefer.

[altitude2k]

Was having an unsuccessful mooch around for one but wasn't familiar with the term VNC. But now that I've got that it looks like there's plenty available. Cheers for that.

[directhex]

doesn't 2000 include windows' Remote Desktop capability? it's a bit nippier than VNC

[johnny02004976]

VNC is always a winner for me

[Pealy]

VNC here too, works really well in my wireless LAN even where signal strength is almost non-existant.. There's even a PocketPC version.

Link from the About box www.RealVNC.com

[behappier]

VNC here too, I can recommend tightvnc or ultravnc

[altitude2k]

doesn't 2000 include windows' Remote Desktop capability? it's a bit nippier than VNC

Yeah, just need to install the client on the machine. Might give that a quick go first. Thanks.

[abeacock]

I recormmend UltraVNC, using it at the moment to access my old PC during my current upgrade.

[geezerone]

VNC does have a big hit on CPU resources (50%) remember so will be a bit sluggish.

[Pealy]

VNC does have a big hit on CPU resources (50%) remember so will be a bit sluggish.

Hi - Do you know if that's on the server and host side? Is it just when there's a connection or all the time?

[geezerone]

The server side will take the 50% hit (25% if hyperthreading is on) but only when the server has a VNC client connected to it (system tray icon (on the server side) changes colour (typically part cyan) when a VNC client connects. If you google this you will see other people have experienced it as have I at work

[Moby-Dick]

doesn't 2000 include windows' Remote Desktop capability? it's a bit nippier than VNC

nope thats XP - you can install the TS client but you can't connect to a 200 pro machine with it ( only server with TS installed in remote admin/ applicaiton mode)

[Pealy]

The server side will take the 50% hit (25% if hyperthreading is on) but only when the server has a VNC client connected to it (system tray icon (on the server side) changes colour (typically part cyan) when a VNC client connects. If you google this you will see other people have experienced it as have I at work

Thanks for that, it's worth knowing as I often watch the CPU activity using VNC and I had no idea this would throttle the web server's performance.

[adam1701]

Make sure you keep vnc updated.

[Pealy]

Make sure you keep vnc updated.

For security reasons?