If you are a geek like me, you are called upon often to help family and friends when they encounter computer malfunctions.

This has given me the opportunity to try different remote tech support tools.

I have used older products such as Microsoft SMS Remote Control and Netmeeting to troubleshoot technical issues while employed at a local government agency.

Microsoft Systems Management Server is a massive software package with multiple uses designed for managing software on large networks. It includes a remote control tool which was useful when needing to take control of a client’s machine to fix a problem or configure a program.  I also remember it was a bit quirky because it relied on a remote agent service installed on the client’s machine. There were times when remote control didn’t work at all and we had to navigate SMS’ bulky configuration settings to get it working again.

Microsoft Netmeeting is a program found on many earlier versions of Windows that allowed interaction directly with another client. I had forgotten it was also a remote tool until a colleague used it a a local consulting job. It worked fine but the network configuration required to make it work was not for the novice. Not ideal for ease of use.

I have also tried PC Anywhere by Symantec, which works decent and is secure and easy. It is not free though and is subscription based. The same goes for Rapid Assist by nTeras although Rapid Assist is designed to be used by the tech support specialist. I find these subscription-based licenses to be too restrictive and expensive for helping friends and family.

I recently discoverd the perfect remote technical support tool  for assisting friends and family. It’s free for personal use so it won’t cost you to help Grandma set up Skype so she can talk to the grandkids. It’s called Teamviewer and it can be found at http://teamviewer.com.  Easy to use just download and install it on both computers and then the client reads off their unique info and password so you can connect and take control.