By now we all know not to post sensitive information on social networking sites. Even with privacy settings enabled, that angry political rant or embarrassing beach photo can easily become the next viral Internet sensation. By comparison, email seems like a much safer communications medium, but you can still get into trouble if you lose control of your account. In addition, email messages bounce unprotected from server to server, so private information might be compromised. Here are six tips to protect your email account and your private messages.

1. Use a Strong Password. You give out your email address all the time; it's not really private information. That being the case, the only thing protecting your account from misuse is the password. A malefactor who guesses your too-weak password gains full control of your email account. Protect your account with a strong password, especially if you use a Web-based email provider like Gmail or Yahoo mail.

2. Beware Public PCs. If you check your email on a public computer in a library or Internet café, be absolutely sure you've logged out before leaving. Even then, you might be leaving behind traces that could give the next user too much information about you. Follow PCMag's advice toUse Public Computers Safely.

3. Protect Your Address. It's true that you give out your email address every time you send a message, but there's no need to give it to the whole world. Don't include your email address in comments on blog posts, or in social media posts. Spammers and scammers scrape pages all the time looking for new victims.

4. Lock It Up. If you step away from your desk, lock the Windows desktop or close your email client. Otherwise a sneaky co-worker could read your mail or even reset your login password. Hold the Windows key and press L to lock the desktop instantly.

5. Don't Be Fooled. Oh, dear. Your email provider has sent you notification of a security breach, with a link to reset your password. Don't click that link! It's almost certainly a fraud, designed to steal your email account password. If you have any doubts, navigate to the email provider's site directly and double-check.

6. Use Encryption. Sometimes you just have to send sensitive information by email. To keep your data safe, save it as a document and use your word processing application's built-in encryption, or store the document in an encrypted ZIP file. Then share the password with the recipient separately. If you need encryption frequently, try a free email encryption product like PrivateSky or Enlocked.

Google's Good To Know campaign, which is aimed at promoting safer Internet usage and help users implement better practices when online, is now available in Hindi and various other Indian languages such as Gujarati, Tamil and Telugu. Inclusion of the Indian languages is likely to help Google's campaign expand in the country, which has one of the population of the Internet users.

“Everyone wants to stay safe online, so we're making the campaign available in dozens more languages… We're also incorporating the Google Family Safety Center website, which has included online safety tips since 2010, into Good to Know to make all this information available in one place,” says Google in a release.

The website features information such as tips on safe browsing, insights into how user data is used on Google and across the web, and also how can one manage his/her family's online usages. The website also has tips on figuring out a choose a strong password, determine a phishing scam and making your account unbreachable with two step-verification. To know more, users can visitgoogle.com/goodtoknow.

Google Good To Know in Hindi

Google's Good To Know campaign comes months after the search engine giant received flak from all corners for tweaking its online privacy policy earlier this year. Google, as per its new policy, said it would use user information for its all products and services including such as search and social networking.

Source:http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Googles-Good-To-Know-campaign-in-Hindi_9585.html

This is one of the wrinkles associated with using Gmail's otherwise awesome IMAP feature, which effectively turns your mail client into an extension of the mail server. (You can learn more about this in my old post, Use Gmail IMAP with Your Desktop E-Mail Client.) Unfortunately, Live Mail lacks any kind of setting for limiting the number of messages it downloads; with IMAP, it's all or nothing.

Fortunately, Gmail itself offers a way to close the spigot, so to speak. All it takes is a quick trip to the control panel:

1. Open your browser and connect to your Gmail account.

2. Click the little gear icon in the top-right corner, then click Mail settings.

3. Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, the scroll down to Folder Size Limits.

4. Enable this setting: Limit IMAP folders to contain no more than this many messages.

5. Choose a number of messages: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, or 10,000. (My advice: start with 2,000 and see if that's not enough. You can always increase it later.)

fter all, Google's mail service lives in your Web browser, and when you can't get online, you can't access your messages (new or old). This is true of other Web-based mail services as well, like Hotmail and Yahoo, but Google recently unveiled a new option for offline mail access.

Known as Gmail Offline, this browser plug-in allows users to read, respond to, and search mail even when there's no Internet connection. It has a nice-looking, simplified interface that's similar to what you typically see in Gmail--but with fewer options.

Unfortunately, for the moment Gmail Offline is available only for Google Chrome. On the plus side, similar plug-ins are forthcoming for Google Calendar and Google Docs.

There is, of course, another option, one that can solve the offline problem for not just Gmail, but also Hotmail and Yahoo Mail Plus: an e-mail client like Windows Live Mail 2011 or Mozilla Thunderbird 6. Programs like these can be configured to download e-mail and store it locally, thus allowing you to read, respond, and search--just like with Gmail Offline. Just make sure you stick with a POP3 configuration rather than IMAP, as the latter requires a live Internet connection for many functions.

If you're signed into your Google Account when you visit the Ads Preferences Manager, you can bock an advertiser. The Ads Preferences Manager is a Google site where you can manage settings associated with the ads you see. By visiting this page, you'll see an explanation on why you see specific ads and a list of interests that Google associates with you that can affect the ads you see on websites that have partnered with AdWords.

If you choose to block an advertiser while you're signed in to your Google Account, you'll no longer see ads that link to that advertiser's website, whether you're on Google search or Gmail. You can unblock the advertiser at any time, and are allowed to block up to 500 advertisers.

If, however, you're not signed into your Google Account, you'll still see some information associated with the computer's Web browser, Google says. In this case, though, the ads will be customized to a particular computer rather than to a personal account.

How to Opt Out of Google's Personalized Ads

If you don't want to see personalized ads from Google, you can opt out at any time. After opting out, you'll still see relevant ads, but Google won't use additional information to personalize those ads on Google search and Gmail.

Also, by opting out via the Ads Preferences page, you'll no longer be able to block specific advertisers, and your block list will be deleted.

Note, however, that by staying opted-in to the personalized Google ads, Google says that it will show you fewer, but more relevant ads. "On the Ads Preferences Manager, you can see that on average, people who choose to get personalized ads click more ads but see less overall," Google says. "We calculate the statistics every month, using aggregate data from the prior three months in your location."

Fortunately, Google is well known for promoting user rights and privacy, and the company makes it easy to remove data from individual products or even to delete your account entirely. Here's how it works.

Delete a Google Product or Service

1. Access the Google Login page in your Web browser.

Sign in to your account from the Google Login page.

2. Fill in the appropriate email address and password for the account with the Google product or service you wish to delete, and click Sign In.

3. Once the sign-in process is complete, click the Edit link next to the 'My products' section. Google is constantly updating, so depending on the version of Google you're accessing, you may first need to select Visit the previous version of the Google accounts screen to access the 'My products' menu.

Select the Edit link next to the 'My products' heading to start removing Google services.

4. Find the service or product you want to eliminate under the Delete a Product section, and clickRemove permanently.

Delete Your Google Account

1. Access the Google Login page in your Web browser.

2. Enter the appropriate email address and password for the account you wish to delete, and clickSign In.

3. Click the Edit link next to the 'My products' section. Once again, you may first need to select Visit the previous version of the Google accounts screen to access the 'My products' menu.

4. Under the Delete Account section, select Close account and delete all services and info associated with it.

Select 'Close account...' to shut down your Google account.

5. Confirm your choice by typing in your password at the prompt on the next page, and then check both boxes acknowledging your choice and the repercussions.

6. Click Delete Google Account to permanently delete the account and its associated data.

Looking to spice up your conversations? Twitter, Facebook, and Gmail all support UTF-8 Unicode special characters. These UTF-8 special characters are symbols that don’t appear on a standard keyboard but are recognized by most devices, websites, and applications. They're useful for adding a little extra character to your text, and a few social networking websites and tools like Facebook and Gmail allow you to add even more colorful emoticons to your messages. With this guide I’ll show you how to quickly find and add special characters and emoticons to make your Twitter, Facebook, and Gmail messages more lively and personal. WARNING: This page is jam-packed with examples of emoticons and special characters that may look odd in your Web browser.

Use Twitter Special Characters via Bookmarklets

1. Visit TwitterKeys or Twitter Symbols.

2. Drag the links you’ll find on these Web pages onto your Bookmarks bar (Firefox or Chrome) or Favorites bar (Internet Explorer). Note: The links may not work with all versions of these browsers.

Use the TwitterKeys applet to spice up your Twitter posts with special characters and symbols.

3. Click the newly created bookmark. If nothing happens, make sure a pop-up isn’t being blocked.

4. Double-click to highlight any symbol in the pop-up window, then copy (-C) and paste (-V) the symbol from the window into a Twitter message.

Twitter Symbols

Use Special Characters on Twitter by Pasting From the Web

You can find plenty of free character maps online where you can copy and paste a special character from a Web page into a Twitter message. Here are some to get you started:

♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑ ♒ ✐ ❂ ♓ ☨ ☧ ☦ ✁ ✃ ✄ ✎ ☬ ☫ ❉ ❆ ♅ ♇ ♆ ♙ ♟ ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ © ® ™ … ∞ ≤ ≥ « » ç ∫ µ ◊ ı ¥ € £ ƒ $ º ª ‽ ♤ ✈ ♪ ☤ ♀ ☾ ☝ ♖ ✽ ☯ ♥ ☺ ♬ ☹ ☑ ✩ ☠ ✔ ✉ ♂ ✖ ✏ ♝ ❀ ♨ ❦ ☁ ✌ ♛ ❁ ☪ ☂ ★ ✇ ♺ ☭ ☃ ☛ ♞ ✿ ☮ ♘ ✾ ☄ ☟ ✝ ☼ ☚ ♟ ✺ ☥ ✂ ✍ ♕ ✵ ☉ ☇ ☈ ☡ ✠ ☊ ☋ ☌ ☍ ♁ ✇ ☢ ☣ ✣ ✡ ☞ ☜ ✜ ✛ ❥ ♗ ♚ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ Ω ≈ * § ∆ ¬ † & æ π ¡ ¿ ø å ∂ • ¶ œ Æ ß ÷ ‰ √ ª % ♠ ☎ ☻ ♫ ☒ ˚ ¯ º ‽ ≠ ˆ ˜ ˘ ∑ ƒ

 

Put Special Characters in Twitter With the Windows Character Map

1. Click Start, open your list of All Programs, and open the Accessories folder. Navigate to System Tools and open the Character Map program.

2. Select a font from the list.

3. Check the Advanced view box.

4. In the Character set list, select Unicode.

5. In the Group by list, select All to browse all available characters by font, or select Unicode Subrange to browse characters by category.

6. Collect characters by highlighting them and clicking Select. When you are finished collecting, clickCopy to copy the characters to the clipboard. You can now paste them into your message.

Use Facebook Emoticons

Here is the complete list of Facebook Chat emoticons and what character combinations create them. Note that these currently only work in Facebook Chat and will not display correctly in Facebook status updates or comments.

Smile :-) :) :] =)

Frown :-( :( :[ =(

Tongue :-P :P :-p :p =P

Grin :-D :D =D

Gasp :-O :O :-o :o

Wink ;-) ;)

Glasses 8-) 8) B-) B)

Sunglasses 8-| 8| B-| B|

Grumpy >:( >:-(

Unsure :/ :-/ :\ :-\

Cry :'(

Devil 3:) 3:-)

Angel O:) O:-)

Kiss :-* :*

Heart <3

Kiki ^_^

Squint -_-

Confused o.O O.o

Upset >:O >:-O >:o >:-o

Pacman :v

Curly Lips :3

Robot :|]

Chris Putnam :putnam:

Shark (^^^)

Penguin <(")

42 :42:

 

Using Emoticons in Gmail, Gchat, and Other Google Services

To unlock all available emoticons in Gmail:

1. Click the Gear icon in the top right corner, then click Labs.

2. Type emoji in the Search for labs box.

3. Enable Extra Emoji and click Save Changes.

Enable the Extra Emoji option in Google Labs.

4. When composing a message, click the Insert Emoticon symbol to browse. Click any symbol to insert it into your message. You must be in rich formatting mode to insert emoticons.

In GChat, some emoticons are easy to select, but others are hidden:

1. Click the Gear icon in the top right corner, then click Mail Settings.

2. In the Chat tab, select Emoticons on at the bottom. Click Save Changes.

Switch on emoticons in the Chat tab.

3. Open a new chat window and click the emoticon in the corner to browse GChat emoticons.

Nice job! One final tidbit: The emoticons listed in the GChat window aren’t all that are available. Here is a top-secret list of hidden GChat emoticons:

Devil }:-)

Moustache :{

Robot [:|]

Poo ~@~

Rock Out \m/

Monkey :(|)

Bell +/’\

Crab V.v.V

Wince >.<

Broken heart </3

Pig :(:)

Kiss :-x

Anyone can put up a web site. The hard part is helping people discover it, and then stay with it. Your first priority: Make your site people friendly. Your second: Make it search-engine friendly.

Here are a few more specific suggestions:

Design it well. Make it pleasing to the eye, and easy to navigate. If the site has a lot of pages, develop a structure that people can easily navigate, rather than throwing too many links up at once.

Write well. Re-read your text before posting it. Correct spelling and grammar errors. Use clear and concise language.

Stick to your subject(s). Don't be all over the map with content. Keep the site focused, at most, on a handful of topics that you're passionate about.

Link with words, not pictures. For web navigation, a word is worth a million pictures. A link that reads "The eternal allure of the Three Stooges" says more about the page it leads to than a photo of Larry, Moe, and Curly. That holds true for search engines as well as for people.

Use title and description tags. Search engines give priority to the text in these tags, and usually display their contents in result pages. So think carefully about what you want to put here.

Try to read your title through the eyes of a stranger. It should clearly describe the page. See the comments on this post to see how I messed up in this area.

And where do you put this text? In your page's HTML code, the title text goes between the <title>and </title> tags. The description goes inside a meta tag that looks something like this:

• <meta name="description" content="This is where you put the content of your description. It can be longer and thus more descriptive than a title." />.

Describe your images. When you do use pictures, give them descriptive file names. Also, describe the picture in the image tag's alt attribute. The Alt text is there for people who can't see the images, but it also helps search engines. In the HTML code, that tag looks something like this:

• <img src="http://urltopicture/filename.jpg" alt="Put your alt text here" />.

Finally, links can be extremely helpful in drawing people to your site. That's one of several reasons why I always suggest that people read the original forum discussion. And then I include additional links in the italicized "bio" paragraph below.

You can and should encrypt your individual email messages during transit, but both you and your recipient must do some work ahead of time to make the protection work properly. You can use encryption features built into your email service, or you can download encryption software or client add-ons (such as those that use OpenPGP). In a pinch, you can use a Web-based encryption email service like Sendinc or JumbleMe, though doing so forces you to trust a third-party company.

Most forms of message encryption, including S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) and OpenPGP, require you to install a security certificate on your computer and to give your contacts a string of characters called your public key before they can send you an encrypted message. Likewise, the intended recipients of your encrypted message must install a security certificate on their computer and give you their public key in advance.

Support for the S/MIME standard is built into many email clients, including Microsoft Outlook. In addition, Web browser add-ons, like Gmail S/MIME for Firefox, support Web-based email providers as well. To get started, you can apply for a security certificate from a company such as Comodo.

The OpenPGP (Pretty Good Privacy) email encryption standard has a few variants, including PGP and GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG). You can find free and commercial software and add-ons, such asGpg4win or PGP Desktop Email, that support the OpenPGP type of encryption.a

See, when you download something like the Windows 8 Developer Preview (which anybody can check out, not just developers), you're left with an ISO file that must be burned to a DVD before you can actually install it. Or must it?

The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool lets you copy that ISO file to a flash drive, then use that drive to install Windows. And don't let the name fool you: although the 1MB utility says it's for Windows 7, it works like a charm with Windows 8. (Also notwithstanding its name, there's no real downloading involved.)

For this task you'll need a flash drive with at least 8GB of available storage. The utility will necessarily erase everything on the drive as part of the setup process, so make sure you've offloaded any important data. You'll also need to have downloaded the Windows 8 Developer Preview if you haven't already. I recommend the x64 version without the developer tools, though you may want to choose the x86 version if you're planning to install it on an older PC with limited RAM (i.e. 3GB or less).

Once you run the utility, it's a simple four-step process to select the ISO file, wipe the USB drive, make it bootable, and load Windows 8. So simple, in fact, that I'm not going to reiterate the steps here. But allow 10-20 minutes for the job to finish.

When you're done, you can "safely eject" the drive, then pop it into whatever PC is going to be your Windows 8 guinea pig. (If you have trouble booting from the drive, consult your manual; you may need to tweak the BIOS settings.)

I'm sorry to say you can't actually run Windows 8 from the flash drive like you can some versions of Linux; you'll have to go as far as to install it. But it'll be a lot faster going with the flash drive than it would be with a DVD. Plus, you can load it on a netbook, ultrabook, or any other system that lacks an optical drive.

Every now and then I come across great PC tips and share them with you. A few months back I told you how to put Linux on a USB drive (and why you'd want to), and how to bypass Windows Updates. Today I've found some interesting research on using Sleep Mode (vs. leaving a PC running), plus a great tip on how to quickly remove USB devices without hassling with the "Safely Remove Hardware" routine.

Leave Your PC Running? Put It to Sleep and Save Cash

When it's time to turn in for the night, what do you do with your PC? Turn it off? Leave it running? Put it in standby (aka sleep) mode?

There are different schools of thought on which is best. For example, some feel that the startup and shutdown processes create extra wear and tear, and therefore opt to leave their machines running 24/7.

According to Iolo Labs, which recently completed some studies on the subject, sleep mode wins the day (make that night). Their findings:

1. When you put your PC to sleep at night instead of leaving it running, you save $2 per month.

2. When you put your PC to sleep at night instead of turning it off, you save at least 25 minutes per month (in startup and shutdown time, I'm guessing), while spending only an extra five cents monthly.

I'm waiting to hear back from an Iolo rep on whether hibernate mode was considered in this study, as that would save you some startup/shutdown time and save you money as well.

(When your computer is in standby, it continues to draw a bit of power. In hibernate, however, it's effectively off.)

In any case, I think there's something to be said for pocketing an extra $24 annually just by putting your PC to sleep at night. And as someone who has long been annoyed by annoyingly long boot times, there's much to be said for resuming your work session almost immediately, right where you left off.

When using the Google search engine your system gets redirected to advertisement and potentially malicious websites. Your computer additionally looks to run abundant slower than usual. If infected you must deduct Google Redirect Virus as soon as doable.

Although it will be painfully annoying to constantly be redirected within the search engines, there’s a larger danger to the Google Redirect problem. generally you’ll be forced onto malicious websites that are loaded with spyware and viruses. this is often often what is called browser hijacking. you are redirected to these dangerous websites and that they load up your system with malware.

Once these things is loaded on your computer (usually without knowing), you may become the victim of identity fraud. This malware uses spyware to record non-public information like mastercard numbers, social security numbers, and private passwords.

All you have have to be compelled to do is to upload the removal software, scan the corrupted files by following the step-wise directions and remove the Virus. you wish to observe out before gap suspicious websites and take immediate action when you discover symptoms of malicious websites gap in your browser.

When removal clear your browser cache and restart the pc. for people who may not be computer consultants and are looking for an improved answer, you’ll really remove Google Redirect Virus with certain software. merely scan your pc, follow the instructions, and perform a Google Virus removal in minutes.

Have you been infected with the Google Redirect Virus? you’re potentially well alert to the symptoms. for more information please visit remove redirect virusand google redirect virus removal tool

Your home computer is the perfect machine. It's customized to your exact needs, runs all your must-have apps, and holds every important file you'd ever need to access. The catch: It's not exactly practical to lug a computer with you everywhere you go. That's where remote access comes in. Here are three dead-simple ways to control your home computer from anywhere—your laptop, phone, or even a friend's computer—as though you were sitting directly in front of it.

We've talked about remote access countless times before, but if you're just starting out with the subject, it can be pretty overwhelming. You have a ton of different programs to choose from, some of which only work on certain platforms, and each of which has their own strengths depending on what you're trying to accomplish. Here, we'll share our favorite remote access methods for different situations, as well as alternatives you can try if our favorite doesn't work for you.

We've listed the cross platform options below for everyone, but there are also Windows-only and Mac-only programs for people that use the same OS on all their machines. Click your preference below to add its instructions to the guide.

Click for instructions for your platform of choice:

Windows to Windows: Use the Built-In Remote Desktop Connection

Windows users have a ton of options, but we really like Windows' built-in Remote Desktop Connection for its Windows integration, high level of control, and the fact that it doesn't requireany additional software to set up. Note that you'll need Windows Professional or higher for this feature to be available—Windows Home and Home Premium users will have to try one of the alternatives listed below—but that's usually pretty easy to get at a low price. Here's how to use it to access your Windows computer from another Windows machine.

Note that if you only want to access it from the inside of the network, you can just perform the steps in Option One, ignoring the first step of downloading and setting up Hamachi. Just fire up Remote Desktop, type in the name of the computer you want to access, and connect.

Option One: Connect to Your Home Network with Hamachi

Hamachi is a simple program that sets up a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, in just a few clicks. When you take your laptop out and about and you connect to your VPN with Hamachi, your computer acts as if its on your home network, which means you can access your other computers hassle-free—no need to forward ports or remember complicated IP addresses. It requires installing a separate program, but it's a program we recommend you have anyway—in fact, you shouldn't be using public wi-fi without it, since it keeps all of your data safe from prying eyes. Here's how to use it in conjunction with Windows Remote Desktop.

1. Download and set up Hamachi on both your home computer and your remote computer using our how-to.
2. On the computer you want to access remotely, click the Start menu and search for "allow remote access". Choose the "Allow Remote Access to This Computer" option. You'll get something like the window to the right. You'll want to check one of the bottom two radio buttons, depending on how you'll be accessing the computer. If you're accessing it from another Windows 7 machine, you can use the more secure "Allow connections only from Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication". If you're accessing it from other programs or versions of Windows, choose the "Allow connections from any version of Remote Desktop" option. Click OK when you're done.
3. On your remote computer, go to the Start button and search for "Remote Desktop". Choose "Remote Desktop Connection", and type in the name of the computer you want to access (like STEVESCOMPUTER or LIVINGROOM—the name you gave it when you installed Windows. (If you're not sure what your computer is named, go to the Start menu, right-click on Computer, and scroll down to "Computer Name".
4. Click "Connect." Log in with the username and password you use on your home computer to gain access.

That's it! From now on, you should be able to connect to your home computer any time by starting up Hamachi, connecting to your VPN, and repeating steps 2 through 4. Remember that you need Hamachi running on your home computer and the computer you're connecting with, so your best bet is to let it start up with Windows and run in the system tray.

Option Two: Forward the Ports On Your Router

Your second option is to forward the ports on your router so that you directly connect to your home computer from the internet. It takes a bit more initial setup, but you don't need to install any extra software. That said, if you're going to be browsing on public wi-fi, we recommend using Hamachi to secure your browsing anyway, so Option One is your best bet—but if you're going to use Remote Desktop from a friend's house or other secure location, you can use this method if you want.

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1. From your home computer, log into your router's administration page and forward TCP port 3389 to the computer you want to access, as described in this how-to.
2. Find your home computer's public ip by going to http://whatismyip.org and write down this IP address. Unfortunately, this public IP address could change at any time, leaving you without access. So, we actually recommend you alsouse a service like DynDNS to create a very simple domain name that you can use to connect your computer and using that instead.
3. On the computer you want to access remotely, click the Start menu and search for "allow remote access". Choose the "Allow Remote Access to This Computer" option. You'll get something like the window to the right. You'll want to check one of the bottom two radio buttons, depending on how you'll be accessing the computer. If you're accessing it from another Windows 7 machine, you can use the more secure "Allow connections only from Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication". If you're accessing it from other programs or versions of Windows, choose the "Allow connections from any version of Remote Desktop" option. Click OK when you're done.
4. Once you've left the house, go to the Start button on your remote computer and search for "Remote Desktop". Choose "Remote Desktop Connection", and type in the IP address you found earlier (or your DynDNS name that you set up).
5. Click "Connect." Log in with the username and password you use on your home computer to gain access.

From now on, you can connect to your home computer just by repeating steps 4 and 5. There are no advantages to this method beyond not having to install Hamachi—they both run at about the same speed and the experience is otherwise identical once you connect.

As you can see, Remote Desktop requires a bit more initial setup than something like TeamViewer (see section 3 of this guide), but it's really worth it for the speed and great Windows integration it brings you. Not only does it match the resolution of your remote computer, so it really feels like you're using that machine—but you can copy and paste text or files just by pressing Ctrl+C as normal in the Remote Access window, then pressing Ctrl+V to paste them onto your current computer. I also recommend you check out the options available in the Remote Desktop Connection program—you can choose how much of your display to show, whether to show high quality graphics, which hard drives to share, share your printer, and lots more.

Its main downsides are that it isn't exactly the prettiest option, and that it doesn't support multiple monitors at all. The resolution thing might also be a downside for some. I like it because it makes it feel more like the computer's in front of me, but it will resize all your windows to fit the new resolution and you'll have to fix them once you get home. I recommend you give both Remote Desktop and TeamViewer a try, because they're almost equally good in my opinion (though they each have their own strengths and weaknesses).

Other Windows to Windows Programs

As I said above, you should definitely try TeamViewer as described in the cross platform section below—it's just as good as Remote Desktop, and if you have multiple monitors, it's going to probably be even better. It'll require a bit more setup (like creating a TeamViewer account and installing some software), but it's worth it. Remote Desktop seems to be a bit more responsive when typing and clicking, though TeamViewer seems much smoother when it comes to moving around windows. Give them both a try and see which one you like better.

Other popular options for Windows include screen sharing clients like UltraVNC, which was one of your favorite remote desktop clients in our Hive Five. TightVNC is also popular (and available on Linux), though UltraVNC is a bit more feature-filled. Both clients let you access your computer from any web browser as well, which is nice, but they're also a bit more complicated than Remote Desktop or TeamViewer. You can check out our how-to for TightVNC here.

If You're Accessing Your Computer Across Platforms: Use TeamViewer

If your home computer and remote computer run different platforms—say, if one's Windows and one's a Mac, or one's a Mac and one's Linux—you can use the awesome, cross-platformTeamViewer. It's pretty simple to set up, and has some very nice features. Here's how it works.

1. Download and install TeamViewer on both your home computer and remote computer. Start it up and create an account by going to Connection > Set Up Unattended Access. This will make all your computers accessible over the internet with just a quick username and password combination.
2. Log into your account on your home computer. You should see that it's already been added to TeamViewer's list of machines. Leave TeamViewer running in the background when you leave the house.
3. Run TeamViewer on your remote machine and log into your account. You should immediately see your home computer in the list. Double-click on it to start a remote session with that machine.

It really is that simple. Sure, it requires creating an account and downloading extra software, but it's pretty worth it. You can share files between machines (though not quite as easily as you can with Windows Remote Desktop), you can view multiple monitors, and configure advanced View settings to make it run as smoothly as possible. Even if you're trying to connect two Windows computers or two Macs, I'd still check out TeamViewer in addition to our platform-specific choices above—it's very good, and might offer you a few advantages over the other options. Note that TeamViewer also has an iPhone and Android app, if you want to connect from your phone, as well as a web client, if you're on a friend's computer and don't want to install any extra software on their machine.

Other Cross Platform Programs

TeamViewer isn't the only cross-platform option, but it is our favorite for its simplicity. LogMeInis TeamViewer's closest competition, though its biggest strength is its $13 a month Pro version that adds things like drag-and-drop file transfer, file sync, and more. It's only accessible from a web browser and has a slightly more confusing set up, which is why we gave TeamViewer the edge.

If you're connecting from a Windows computer to a Mac, you can use a screen sharing client like TightVNC or UltraVNC to connect to your Mac running the built-in Screen Sharing. Just download one of the clients and use the Hamachi method or the IP address you found in Method Two to connect.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5902654/use-your-home-computer-from-anywhere-a-comprehensive-guide-to-remote-controlling-your-pc?tag=howto