Using Remote Assistance to Invite Another User to Troubleshoot Your Windows 7 Computer

There will always be that time when you may encounter some problems or get stuck with something you don't exactly have a clue what it's all about while using your new Windows 7 operating system. It's always pretty convenient if you have a friend or colleague whom you can ask help from. I'll show you how to use Windows Remote Assistance to have someone you trust to help you with your concern remotely by allowing him/her to connect to your computer to help you troubleshoot the problem.

Windows Remote Assistance actually started out with Windows XP and it was also included in the Help and Support section. It was then already a stand-alone application in Windows Vista. Below is a simple demonstration of the Easy Connect feature of Windows 7.

Request Help
In order to request support on your Windows 7 computer, type “troubleshooting” into the search box and press Enter to bring up the Control Panel view. Click on “Get Help From A Friend”.


Then hit on Invite someone to help you


You can now save an invitation file as an attachment or you can automatically send it using your default email program. If the other computer is also a Windows 7 computer, the simplest method is to Use Easy Connect so the other user will just need the generated password.


Remote Assistance will open up with the Password you will give to the person you’re requesting help from in order from them to connect to your computer.



Accept Invitation to Help
The helper computer needs to access Remote Assistance and click the link to offer assistance. In here, download the Invitation attachment and double click to launch <Remote Assistance.


After the invitation is sent then just double click on it to start Remote Assistance.


Once Remote Assistance open ups, you will be prompted to key in the password given by the machine that needs help.


You will now have a remote view of their machine and you can now start diagnosing the problem. The controls at the top will allow you to gain control of the computer, change view settings and chat with the user.


You can also access XP computers for support as well but they will need to send an invite to the Windows 7 computer.


Miscellaneous Info
Another way to launch Remote Assistance is through Start \ All Programs \ Maintenance \ Windows Remote Assistance. This also works on Vista.


To start establishing a session, you need to approve the helper’s connection.


When the person helping you is requesting to take control of your machine, you will get a confirmation to approve control. You will notice that the graphics settings will switched automatically to lower quality making it easier on system and network resources.



During the Remote Assistance session, you can chat with each other which certainly comes conveniently if talking on the phone is not possible.


As the person getting help, you can also change different sharing settings.


A list of computers that you have done remote sessions with will also be stored for easier access in the future.


This should help you with doing Remote Assistance sessions to help out your family and friends. Though this is aimed for the home user, it can definitely be used in a small business setting.