Remote Support

[dicklaw18]

Hello everyone, im trying to start my wn computer business and one of the services i want to offer is remote support. I need things that are inexpensive, since im just starting up and its nly part time, and i also need t find tols i can use remotely such as anti-virus scanning and spyware scanning and any tips or ideas are greatly appreciated!!!

 

[TechPro]

Hello

here is a free solution that I found a while ago:

http://lifehacker.com/software/vnc/g...ick-198532.php

Or there is logmein

https://secure.logmein.com/home.asp

they offer remote access services and programs but they cost.

The best way to gather information if you are offering remote support and are not using remote control software would be to write scripts to gather info and tell the customer to run them and send you the output. Batch files would prob be best.

Hope that helps out a bit.

 

[Mac]

One word. Dameware
You will find a whole range of RATs if you google. Most are detected as trojans but if you can get source you can fix that. You could just pack and crypt your server file so that AV's dont reconize the byte signitures. In any case most RATs use FWB which usually involves injecting code into a trusted process like the windows shell for example. Im not sure thats something you want to do to your customers comuters.
Also try sourcefore. Lots of free remote administration tools there.
For ease of use and functionality Dameware mini remote is by far the best.
I used a moded RAT with matrix chat. My few loyal cutomers love how they can chat to me while i work

 

[MrMille]

Is Damware really that good?

I think logmein is very clever, but the free version requires that I go to the customer site and set it up on their machine (as they aren't usually very good with computers)

I like the free version, as the montly sub is like 100 bucks.

Does the customer have to do anything to get dame work? apart from click on a link and click "yes/next" a lot?

 

[Blues]

I use Damware at work and it is a nice app I think for most people VNC is suitable its just how much will you really be using it. I will make note Windows Firewall does block it which is not a bad thing as chances are you are on the phone or can call them to have them disable it for the time being. I have not used it but once outside of our office network and VPN terminals so Im not sure how good it is with out being on the same domain and all.

 

[MrMille]

I could be wrong, I frequently am,
but all of the existing remote access solutions
involve somebody, i.e. you or your customer
fiddlying around with his/her router settings.

LogMeIn is the only solution that is really a single click away.

 

[Uf-Dah]

Log me in (free) is great for personal use, but I tired quickly of having to take 5-10 minutes walking through a customer through installing it. Then I had to keep track of their login's and two passwords.

I started using VNC and now it's not only branding my company's logo, it takes two mouse clicks and I'm in. I wish I would have found it sooner!

 

[MrMille]

Cool.

Could you tell me more about how you use VNC and how you branded it too.

Does it go through firewalls like a hot knife through butter, like LogMeIn?

 

[TechPro]

Cool.

Could you tell me more about how you use VNC and how you branded it too.

Does it go through firewalls like a hot knife through butter, like LogMeIn?

See the lifehacker link below, they make it soo easy!

Hello

here is a free solution that I found a while ago:

http://lifehacker.com/software/vnc/g...ick-198532.php

Or there is logmein

https://secure.logmein.com/home.asp

they offer remote access services and programs but they cost.

The best way to gather information if you are offering remote support and are not using remote control software would be to write scripts to gather info and tell the customer to run them and send you the output. Batch files would prob be best.

Hope that helps out a bit.

 

[hackaman]

Has anyone tried copilot?

I have been playing with some of the solutions listed above, but the one that intrigues me the most is copilot. It is NOT free, but it seems to be the easiest when you need to connect to someone who has never heard of port forwarding. You just give them a number and they surf to the copilot website and enter that number and the two computers are connected. Can't be any easier as far as getting connected, but it does seem a bit expensive. I would be happy to pay if the service is any good, but I am hesitant to pay a monthly fee. I guess to make a long story short... Does anyone know if this service is worth it, as I have only tried it?

Thanks

 

[Mac]

Is Damware really that good?

Yeah mate it is. All I need is their ip address and I am in. Usually the administrator password is blank (which explains why they require my services) so most of the time I don’t even ask for it. Then while I work (My sales hat goes on) I explain that any hacker could get in just as easy as I did.
I had checked out log me in a while back and log me in is still nice. But I suspect they are like drug dealers. Yeah it’s all good now, get ya hooked then jack up the price. Tell me you can’t see it coming lol.
I don’t have much trouble with routers & port forwarding.
Most of my clients know and trust my ability so they don’t mind downloading my software. Well I didn’t write the code but I edited it. Its reverse connecting (they connect to me) with FWB so firewalls are no problem at all. Its pretty secure (ARC4) I can see full system info at a glance, browse network drives, up & download, search, edit registry, password list, manage processes & services, active ports, analyze packets, remote shell, chat etc etc. Sometimes I use it but most of the time I just connect with dameware.
Edit: Dameware also supports reverse connections

 

[greggh]

We use Hands Free Network, http://www.handsfreenetworks.com/main.htm, It gives you a complete inventory of all your clients pcs, it also gives you the ability to remote control. Some of the best things it does are simple cleanup. It will make sure whatever anti-virus is installed is actually working. It runs scheduled scans, udpates the virus defs when the software itself hasnt. It also runs a defrag and a disk cleanup when needed (when the system is idle.)

It has a decent web interface to everything and is pretty cheap. A few bucks per pc you have installed as a client. Install on the client end can be done by you onsite or you can email them a link to an installer which will only ask a couple questions (which you can answer with them over the phone.)

I dont get anything out of telling you about them, just saying for the price it works out really good.

 

[MrMille]

I suspect several people on this thread are commending RAS's that they
A/Haven't tried
B/Have tried, but not outside one LAN
c/Have tried, and on more than one LAN, but without NAT'ing.

 

[greggh]

Luckily the one I use is a full remote management/monitoring/support system. It doesnt care if both sides are nat'd. It uses an intermediary server (VNC repeating) to handle that problem if it exists.

 

[MrMille]

Is handsfree based upon VNC and a repeater they manage?

Do they have repeaters in Europe or are they all in America?

 

[greggh]

The remote desktop part is based on the UltraVNC codebase. They actually give you the install discs and you setup your own server. It is called the ASI server (thats just their name for it.) So you actually run the server locally. You dont actually have to do anything to it. All OS and software updates to their software is done remotely by them. Its based on CentOS (red hat) Linux. So you just have to work out your own firewall issues (which every one of us here should be able to do.)

 

[MrMille]

I just tried crossLoop and remotely controlled a machine in Berlin.

It was horribly slow, and the session ended abruptly after exactly 6mins and 30 seconds.

Is that intentional? shareware?

 

[breadtrk]

Has anyone tried Sysaid or Spiceworks?

I use the paid version of sysaid at work and the free version for my personal customers. All they need do is click one icon and it brings up a page with a few quick questions for them about the problem. If I'm at the PC I can respond instantly and it also semd me a SMS to my phone and an Email to me.

 

[breadtrk]

Has anyone tried Sysaid or Spiceworks?

I use the paid version of sysaid at work and the free version for my personal customers. All they need do is click one icon and it brings up a page with a few quick questions for them about the problem. If I'm at the PC I can respond instantly and it also semd me a SMS to my phone and an Email to me.

The Sysaid remote works great, the remote feature of Spiceworks is just out of beta in the new release but I have no experience with it.

My network Admins use the full Dameware Utilities suite and swear by them.

I'm not affiliated with any of the above by the way.

 

[breadtrk]

I also want to add that Dameware remote has an option to turn off the service when you disconnect and an option to set the service startup as manual so the client has no extra stuff running in the background when not needed.

Even the ungeekiest client can be talked thru an ipconfig to get the connect IP.