Virtual access: Using Logmein To Access your PC

Access a file on a computer from one that is some place else
I work in a technology services company and the most essential part of my daily routine is to be able to access data from wherever I am. Since most of this is work-related, I end up spending quite a lot of time on the computer. But then I can also remember those days—and I think most people do have those days—when I have a file that I need at work on my home computer. It is that important presentation I have worked on all night and, dang it, I even forgot to copy it to my pen drive.

In such a situation, what do you do? I think there are two options:

Call wife / sister / parents at home, ask them to go to your PC, look for the file and email it to you. This is the most simple solution, but it often does not work. Most of the time, the file cannot be located. And then they find something that they should not be looking at, and the conversation takes a different angle. There is also the possibility that the folks at home are tech savvy at all and operate a computer.

Take a cab/ train back home, go pick up the file in your pen drive and head back to office. In the old days, this was a feasible option, but with distances between work and home increasing, and commute times logging over an hour or so for most of the people, this option could be out of the question

If this is a situation that you often find yourself in because of forgetfulness or because you work on more than one computer, there is a third option to getting the required file—and best of all it’s free. Though there are paid versions of the software that facilitates this, for a home user I think the free version—admittedly with less features—works pretty well.

Head to www.logmein.com. There are a number of softwares available on that site. The one we need is Log Me In Free. To get this click on “Products”, and the select “Log Me in Free”. Note: Download this on the PC that you will want to control remotely, not on the PC from which you will be controlling.

For the downloaded, you need to sign up first. Click on the download link and it will take you to a form. Fill in your email address (this is going to be your user name), then type in a password (make sure this is secure). Select your country, and then fill the other two boxes, and click on create account. Once done, this will bring you to a new screen, which will give you the option of adding a computer. Click on “Add computer” and it will start to download a software on your PC. Download this, double click and install, and you are all set up for a hassle free future.

Whenever you need to access the PC on which you downloaded the software from your office computer, open www.logmein.com using your favourite Internet browser, log in with the email ID and password that you had entered earlier—and you will see your computer. If your home computer is switched off, you will not be able to access it. So ensure it is on—either keep it on or ask someone to switch it on for you. Click on to your computer, select “Remote Desktop”, and voila, you have the home desktop on your office computer.

Go ahead, transfer files, or maybe browse a website, that your corporate LAN does not allow you to do from the office or check on the status of the downloads you had programmed your PC to do.
Happy virtual desking.

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The Above article appeared in the Indian Express, on Sunday, June 1, 2008.