Figure 12 below shows an example of a remote assistance session. The helper's Start menu is displayed in the lower left corner. The embedded screen displays the desktop of the user requesting Remote Assistance. Helpers can view the desktop, talk to users, and send patches or hot fix files. In this mode, the user still has full control over the mouse and keyboard. Users can also give helpers a higher level of temporary permissions, allowing them to remotely control the keyboard and mouse. Figure 12 Remote Assistance provides interactive real-time support The RA client has several security features that can be used to protect computers and remote sessions from unauthorized access: Credentials that provide remote session access are encrypted: only the intended recipient Ability to decrypt the credentials. The RA session expires after the validity period specified when you requested the session. This timeout can be as short as a few minutes and as long as 99 days. The default period is 1 hour. After the session expires, all authentication information is automatically deleted. By default, the RA client requests the user to create a password. You can send the password to the helper via a separate email, or you can use a password that is familiar to both you and your helper. Searching for Help Content The scalable search mechanism makes it possible to find content from multiple remote and online providers that offer support content. A set of standard interfaces allows the Help and Support Services tool to coordinate and communicate with most search engines. For example, if you have problems setting up a new cable modem, you can search for the term "cable modem" to get a link to a local Help file, a Microsoft Knowledge Base article, or a specific manufacturer's Web site documentation. The full-text search feature allows you to use the Boolean operator to search the Html help file database compiled by the entire Windows user, further enhancing the availability of accurate "help" information. For example, if an IT administrator wants to find help deploying Active Directory using Group Policy, you can use this feature to get a more complete and accurate search for Active Directory. The Multi-Instance feature also allows you to open two Help and Support Services sessions if you want to submit an incident report and view both Help or system information. Accessing System Information With the system information in the Help and Support Center, you can more easily find hard-to-understand details about your operating system. You can now get personalized software and hardware information specific to your computer with an easy-to-understand, highly accessible view. For example, this feature is useful if you are talking to a product support engineer while you need to talk about the BIOS information about your computer. Now you can access system information and quickly describe the relevant BiOS information to help resolve the issue. Support for software deployment URLs Network administrators have the option to add support-specific URLs for specific applications in the Add/Remove Programs dialog. When the application appears in the Add/Remove Programs on the target computer, the user can select Support Information URL to go to a support web page. This feature can help reduce calls to the Help Center or support department. For example, a user can be directed to a page that contains 10 top-level questions about an application. Troubleshooting Tools This diagnostic tool (Msconfig.exe) simplifies troubleshooting tasks that often exceed many user capabilities. By automating standard troubleshooting steps, it guides users through the basic troubleshooting steps from one location. This is also the tool used by Microsoft Product Support Services technicians to diagnose Windows configuration issues. You can use this tool to modify the system configuration by unchecking the box and reducing typing errors. The System Configuration Utility can also create a backup of the system files before starting the troubleshooting session. Creating a backup copy of the system files ensures that changes made during the troubleshooting session are restored. You can use the System Configuration Utility to restore your backup files. Improved Mobile Computing This section describes how Windows XP leverages the innovative features built into mobile users for Windows 2000, such as power management and extended hardware support. It also discusses usability improvements that make mobile computing easier and more efficient. Power Management Like Windows 2000, power management in Windows XP is based on the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification. Based on the ACPI implemented by Windows 2000, Windows XP provides additional power management features for the operating system to control the power usage of computers and hardware. Many new power management features are available to mobile computer users, such as: Processor power control. The mobile computer can run at full speed under AC power, while the CPU runs at lower speeds under battery power. Reducing CPU speed saves battery power and allows mobile users to use their laptops for longer. CardBus Wake-on-LAN. Windows XP introduces support for CardBus Wake-on-LAN, a technology that allows IT departments to better manage laptops connected to corporate networks. With CardBus Wake-on-LAN, laptops in Standby mode can be "wake up" when performing system updates, software installations, etc., and then return to Standby mode. This feature allows system administrators to solve laptop problems with access to the network without requiring the laptop to be fully powered. (Wake-on-LAN technology for desktop computers has also been improved in Windows XP, allowing for more precise control of wake-up events). The battery wakes up. When the system in the "standby" state relies on battery operation and the power supply drops, a wake-up event can be triggered to allow the system to enter "sleep" mode and save data. Cover power and dark display. When the lid of the mobile computer is closed, the display will be powered down to conserve battery power. The LCD display dims when the mobile computer is running on battery power. When the AC power is reconnected, the LCD restores its original brightness. Usability improvements for mobile users The following features make it easier to work on the go: ClearType support. ClearType is a new text display technology that uses software to increase the available horizontal resolution by a factor of 2 when rendering text, allowing for clearer text on standard LCD screens using digital interfaces. Multi-network automatic configuration. This provides easy access to network devices and the Internet, allowing you to connect your mobile computer to your office and home network without having to manually reconfigure TCP/IP settings. If the DHCP server is not found, TCP/IP will use the alternate configuration. Alternate configuration is useful when you need to use a computer on multiple networks and one of the networks does not have a DHCP server and does not require an automatic private IP addressing configuration. Connection Manager Favorites. Connection Manager's "Favorites" feature eliminates the hassle of repeatedly configuring the Connection Manager property when you switch frequently used dialing locations. It simplifies the storage and access of settings. For example, if you come to a business partner's site from your home office, you can use the Connection Manager to set up settings for each location, including the most recent access phone number, region code, and dialing rules. You can then choose between the saved settings to quickly connect to the network from each location. Infrared (IrComm) modem. The IrComm modem is the driver that exposes the IrDA stack to the mobile phone. It allows you to use legacy mobile phones with an IrCOMM virtual serial port. If you have an infrared-enabled mobile phone that uses the IrCOMM protocol and wants to use it as a modem to access the Internet, the mobile computer recognizes and enumerates the mobile phone and installs it as a modem. This allows you to dial into the Internet just like you would with an internal modem. In addition, mobile users can benefit from other features designed to enhance the hardware experience, such as DualView, which is an extension to multi-monitor support in Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000. Some high-end display adapters and many notebook computers support the connection of two interfaces on the same display adapter. DualVIEw supports two interfaces to display different outputs simultaneously. For example, in a notebook, you can connect a monitor while using a laptop monitor and an external monitor to expand the desktop space. Or, if you want to use a notebook for a presentation, you can use the notebook display to view data or documents without affecting the presentation on the other display. Remote Desktop Remote Desktop is based on Terminal Services technology. With Remote Desktop, you can run applications on remote Windows XP Professional computers from any client running the Microsoft® Windows® operating system. The application runs on a Windows XP Professional computer and only keyboard input, mouse input, and display output data are transmitted over the network to a remote location. Figure 13 Launching Remote Desktop Remote Desktop and Terminal Services Remote Desktop lets you take advantage of the flexibility offered by distributed computing environments. As a standard component of Windows XP Professional (although not included with Windows XP Home Edition), Remote Desktop allows you to access your Windows XP computer from any location, through any connection, and using any Windows-based client. Remote Desktop gives you secure access to all your applications, files, and network resources just as you would sit in front of your workstation. Any application that stays running when you leave the office will continue to run when you connect remotely (at home, in a meeting room, or on the road). With Remote Desktop, you can connect your office computer from home and access all your applications, files, and web resources, just as you work in front of a computer in your office. This feature allows more people in your organization to take advantage of the flexibility offered by distributed computing environments. Even in low-bandwidth conditions, Remote Desktop works fine because all applications still reside on the terminal server. Only the keyboard, mouse, and display information are transmitted over the network. If you are an IT administrator, Remote Desktop provides you with a quick response tool that allows remote access to servers running Windows 2000 Server or Whistler Server and view messages in the console, remotely manage computers, or apply headless server control . Remote Desktop Protocol The functionality provided by Remote Desktop is implemented through Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). RDP is a presentation layer protocol that allows Windows-based terminals (WBT) or other Windows-based clients to communicate with Windows-based terminal servers. RDP is designed to provide remote display and input capabilities over a network connection for Windows-based applications running on the Windows XP Professional desktop. RDP works over any TCP/IP connection, including dial-up connections, LAN, WAN, ISDN, DSL, or VPN. Remote Desktop Resource Redirection When using Remote Desktop through a Windows XP-based client or other client that supports RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) 5.1, many client resources are available from the Remote Desktop connection. These resources include: File system redirection. It allows a local file system to be obtained through a terminal session on a remote desktop.