remote repair

[sweenster]

here's an idea...

would it be possible to repair someones computer via the internet? My idea is that you get the user with the broken PC to download some software which then allows remote access. That way I could fix someone elses PC from the comfort of my own home/office rather than having to visit their property to do it physically. This could be used for simple things like driver updates, spyware and virus removal, reinstalling software etc etc. Formats and re-installs might not be possible.

Obviously there would be a lot of privacy issues etc to deal with such as leaving the software on someones PC after it has been repaired, but those can be dealt with in due course.

Any thoughts on this??

[A1ien51]

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/remoteintro.mspx

Eric

[sage45]

You can also use many after market programs... A couple of the more popular are:

PCAnywhere and WinVNC/VNC/TightVNC

One issue is the use of firewalls, you may need to implement some further configuration in order to make it work.

As for your idea that Formats and re-installs might not be possible, that in of itself, is not true. You can actually setup a computer system to where you can tell it to reinstall software or reformat and reconfigure the system. I was responsible for just this in dealing with the computer systems for a local hospital and handling remote install and remote imaging.

-sage-

[Jason]

how would a reformat work if you need your software on the computer to do the remote access?


Jason

[sweenster]

well i suppose you could transfer a file to the computer, ask the user to put the windows CD in the drive, and get them to run the file.

[sage45]

You wouldnt even need them to do this...

Using one of two auto install methods, Batched/Scripted/Unattended Install or Imaged install, it is easy enough to install any operating system so long as it will use one of these methods.

The only problem(s) you would have are:

a.) Package delivery - How to get the package to the system. Various methods include -- using a cd, using a server or using a hidden partition on the system itself. Theoretically, you could, use your system as a server, however, depended upon the speed's of your connections and the amount of resources on your system, this would not, currently, be a lucrative or secure method...

b.) How to initiate the install - After you decide the method you wish to use, you then need to decide how you wish to initiate the install. One such method as listed above is simply having the user use a prescripted image or unattended install CD and having the user boot-up with this CD. Ideally, the CD is setup in such away that once the users boot's up with it they will not really need to touch it until the OS is configured and ready to ask them for their personal information. Another method is to use a program that initiates a virtual floppy disk on the system. This virtual floppy disk, when ran, will reboot the system into any environment you deem as your bech OS or the OS that you will use to run the batch or imaged install.

c.) Putting it all together - I setup an environment where I used two of the above methods flawlessly. Personally I have never been a big fan of the Unattended Install method, however, with WinXP's Pre-Installation Environment and the right scripts, this can be quite an efficient way.

In the environment that I setup, the support technician would run a Virtual Floppy Disk, if the computer was connected to the network, or put in a cd and reboot the system, if the computer was not connected to the network. The Virtual Floppy Disk, would reboot the system and automatically connect the system to the network for an imaged install. With the right imageing scripts and software, you wouldn't even need to tell which image to use. However, I did have the batch ask a few questions of the tech/user so that we could ensure the correct image was being used. For the CD, the CD was custom made to the spec's for the system. In some cases, the CD had to be spanned across many CD's in order to hold the entire image. However, other than switching out the CD (if spanned) the technician/user had to do nothing except wait for the process to finish. As for amount of time taken to complete the imaging process, I had average times of 5 - 15 minutes.

The whole idea here is to have this process as automated as possible. And you don't have to have the user run the file (if you choose the Vitrual Floppy Method), you could initiate it yourself while remoted controlled into their system. The virtual floppy would handle the reboot sequence.

Below are some Microsoft articles that reference various deployment methods.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;321880&Product=winxp
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;324874&Product=winxp
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;842564&Product=winxp

HTH,

-sage-