bioneural.net » messenger

Remote assistance that works

Bruce — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:18:24 +0000

It can be a struggle to provide remote assistance via Windows Messenger when both parties are behind NAT routers, even when UPnP is supported by both devices and computers, and port forwarding is in use. UltraVNC SC is a custom-configured "single click" VNC server used to initiate a support request; the "expert" runs UltraVNC in listening mode and forwards port 5500 on their router (the novice doesn't need to configure their own router). More here. This worked for me where RealVNC and Screen Sharing (vnc://x.x.x.x) failed.

Remote Assistance and NAT routers

Bruce — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:54:34 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

My parents have a PC running Windows XP. From time-to-time they encountered glitches, and it's been useful to establish a Windows Messenger connection and thus provide remote assistance using the tools built into the OS. The remote "expert" (that would be me) is able to see what they see on-screen, and to take control of the screen to help diagnose problems. It worked fine so long has my parents had dial-up Internet, even when I was asisting from my Mac via Parallels. But when they got broadband this functionality broke—all because of their NAT router. When Dad asked for help after conversing in Messenger the connection would fail, and I would be notified that "Remote Assistance connection could not be established because the remote host name could not be resolved. Please try again." Microsoft have a Knowledge Base article on the subject. The issue arises, apparently, because our computers are not in the same private subnet or because Microsoft Windows Firewall does not allow the computers to connect to Microsoft .NET Messenger Service servers. To resolve this the article details the process of making a custom RAInvitation.msrcincident file containing the public IP address of the computer needing help, and e-mailing this to the expert who can then use it (within a certain time frame) to make the connection and provide assistance. It's a hack, but it works. The thing is, there should be no need for a hack. Microsoft says: If the computer that sends the Remote Assistance invitation and the computer that receives ...

MSN vs. Windows Messenger

Bruce — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 21:42:04 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

I don't spend more time using Microsoft Windows than I have to, so I'll admit to not keeping up with what's new. I do have a .NET Passport (I'm still not entirely clear what .NET is) which I used to access my Hotmail account, and to log in to Windows Messenger from Windows XP, or MSN Messenger from Mac OS X. So why would I want to install MSN Messenger on my PC? Not that more confusion was necessary, but apparently the exploited Windows Messenger Service is not related to the .NET Messenger Service or Windows Messenger. Furthermore, it would seem that I can use .NET services without actually installing something called the Microsoft .NET Framework that appears in Windows Update. More to the point, why is it seemingly so hard to find basic information about the differences between MSN Messenger (v7) and Windows Messenger (v4.7)? I tried several Google queries before I got anywhere, and none of the useful results were from Microsoft. As far as I can tell: both do text IM, voice, and video (PC to PC anyway); both require a .NET Passport (or Microsoft Passport, or just Passport as it seems to be known now); either works with Windows XP (although Windows Messenger requires it); MSN Messenger is adware (see screenshot), while Windows Messenger is ad-free. A Microsoft table on Windows accessibility features lists MSN Messenger as a consumer product, and Windows Messenger as a business product. So I think we are talking about two IM clients that both use the .NET ...

Instant messaging matrix

Bruce — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 10:10:05 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

You have a Mac; they have a PC. What IM software will let you type, talk, see, and send across the Great Divide? The IM phenomenon According to Wikipedia: An instant messenger is a computer application which allows instant text communication between two or more people through a network such as the Internet. This definition accurately describes the situation in the 1990s, but the phenomenon that is instant messenging (IM) today is much broader than the exchange of realtime text messages. Type Good old-fashioned typing still has its uses, and it doesn't require much in the way of bandwidth or processing power. Perhaps the main advantage is that you don't have to think about a reply in realtime as on the telephone—but nor do others wait hours or days for your e-mailed reply. Typing gives you time to think of a suitable and reasoned reply (with spell checking!)—without being put on the spot or having to endure an uncomfortable silence. It's also very easy to copy-and-paste a URL or other information into a chat window. Talk Sometimes, as BT say, "it's good to talk". Voice calls can be made PC to PC and North to South hemisphere for no additional communications cost, even if both parties have 56K modem access. Broadband is better of course, but even then call quality can be variable. Getting this to work from behind your firewall and/or NAT router can pose something of a challenge. See If talk is good, then talk with moving pictures must be better, right? Sure, it is nice to "see" ...

Messenger Service and pop-ups

Bruce — Fri, 03 Oct 2003 14:35:20 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

Getting annoying pop-ups from spammers like "www.DESTROYADS.com" when Windows Messenger (4.7) is running? These are taking advantage of the Messenger Service which can be disabled without affecting your ability to use instant messaging for chat: From the Start menu, choose Run and type in services.msc then click OK; A new window appears with lots of "services" listed on the right hand side; Scroll down to find the Messenger service; right click it and choose Properties; Under Startup Type select Disabled; Click the Stop button; Click the Apply button; Click the OK button. Update: Windows Messenger 5.0 lets you "filter out instant messaging spam". Download here. Might this address the issue? Update: Microsoft plan to disable Messenger Services with Windows XP Service Pack 2 according to a report at The Register.

Windows Messenger via a NAT router

Bruce — Fri, 03 Oct 2003 13:39:17 +0000

From http://www.bioneural.net :

So you need to enable voice and video communications with Windows Messenger through a non-UPnP firewall... To enable voice and video communications with Windows Messenger (4.7) through a non-UPnP firewall (such as the brilliant Vigor2200usb), configure the firewall to allow incoming traffic on UDP ports 5004 to 65535. For other purposes, enable the following ports: File Transfer: 6891 (to allow 10 simultaneous file transfers open ports 6891 through 6900); Application and Whiteboard Sharing: 1503; Remote Assistance: 3389.