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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Chicken of the Vnc & Vnc

SusanE - Aug 6, 2005 - 4:40 pm

Hello: I have a Mac OSX and have Chicken of the VNC downloaded, but am having trouble setting it up.

My goal is to email my friend (in another state) the directions on how to download VNC for her PC for me to be able to go in and clean up her desktop, etc. She barely knows how to use a computer, so the instructions would need to be EASY.

Can the Mac be set up before she has set up her PC VNC? I am using a router now - my main computer is the Mac and I do have a PC laptop that I have been trying to set up the VNC on so I would be able to explain to my friend the instructions. Any suggestions or help you can give would be great. Should I just use the PC VNC? If so, as soon as I get to the connection details I'm lost. Thanks, Susan

nhmac - Aug 7, 2005 - 10:13 pm

Hi Susan,

I am not sure which part of the VNC setup you are having trouble with, so forgive me if I am covering ground you are already familiar with.

There are 2 functions in VNC, a client and a server. If you want to log onto your friend's desktop she needs to be running a server version (of a Windows VNC program if she is on Windows) and you need a client, such as Chicken of the VNC. When they start the server, their VNC server will provide the login info that they have to provide to you, and which you then type into the login box of your Chicken program.

I don't do much with Windows, but I have downloaded and installed a Windows version of VNC to connect a PC with a Mac, and it was very easy. Let me know if this info helps and/or if you have more questions.
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Beverly Woods
http://beverlywoods.net
Low End Mac column: http://www.lowendmac.com/woods/index.html

SusanE - Aug 8, 2005 - 1:11 am

Hi Beverly. Thanks for your reply. I need to walk her thru the steps to download the VNC software, but I am stuck on the beginning. I also have a PC notebook, so I was downloading the VNC software on that so I would know how to explain it to my friend.

I downloaded the free software. The "VNC Viewer 4" icon is on my desktop. When I double click and open that, it says 'Connection Details' and you need to put a 'Server' name in there. Is that her IP address or what goes there? She gave me here IP address and I put it in there and it says no connection. What happens next?

Thanks for your time, Susan

nhmac - Aug 8, 2005 - 7:19 am

Hi Susan,

VNC Viewer is the client or viewer side of the equation; you need VNC server software. See for instance the downloads and docs here: http://www.realvnc.com/products/free/4.1/index.html
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Beverly Woods
http://beverlywoods.net
Low End Mac column: http://www.lowendmac.com/woods/index.html

SusanE - Aug 8, 2005 - 10:21 pm

Hi Beverly: I put the VNC Server on my PC and now I put the Chicken of the VNC on my Mac. Will I be able to set this up even though the IP addresses are the same? Does the VNC Server for the PC set up by itself? Does my friend want to be on the VNC Server 4 Service-Mode or the VNC Server 4 User Mode? Too many options. Do we want to check "No Authentication or Encryption or one of the others?

Thanks for your time, Susan

SusanE - Aug 9, 2005 - 1:56 am

Hi Beverly: Does my friend (Server) need to configure anything else on her end if I'm going to be the Viewer? Or does she Just click "Start VNC Service" under Server 4 (Service Mode)? Thanks, Susan

nhmac - Aug 9, 2005 - 9:10 am

Hmm. I have no Windows machine here to check the settings, what you are running sounds a bit different from what I used on the PC I set up. I suggest you check the documentation (on that page link I sent before.) I do think you want Authentication since otherwise you are running an open door into a PC, which would be a huge security risk.

The PC program file I downloaded and used was titled:

vnc-4_1_1-x86_win32.zip

and I had it running on a PC and Mac in the same room on a wireless network. If I recall, all I did was start the Server, it gave me an IP and a password, I plugged those into Chicken on the Mac, and the VNC window onto the PC appeared.

Let me know if you can't get this to work, and what the exact file name of the program you are using on the PC is, and I will try to find out more for you.
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Beverly Woods
http://beverlywoods.net
Low End Mac column: http://www.lowendmac.com/woods/index.html