hi i want to use remote desktop to see my files etc on my other computer. however, i want to leave my computer on and see my desktop as is. i dont want to logon as a different name. i tried doing this and it only let me logon as a different user therefore losing everything i was working on on the original user. does remote connection not support this? if not, where can i go to download something like that?

Here is a free alternative way: http://www.realvnc.com/what.html

Try real VNC, just google for it. Its free. Or AdminMagic - www.tools4ever.com but thats a chargable product, free for 30 days.

In answer to your question, you must configure remote desktop to allow the users that you want to connect. To do this, go to Control Panel>>System. Click the "Remote" tab. then click "Select Remote Users." then click "add...", type the name of the user u want to be able to connect, then click ok, ok, ok. To make things clear, both WinXP Home and Pro have Remote Desktop clients. To access them, you can go start>>all programs>>accessories>>communications>>remote desktop connection. However, you can only connect to a WinXP Pro, Win2k Server, or Win2003 Server machine. the latter two must be running terminal services--the remote desktop service that xp pro runs is a "dumbed-down" version of terminal services. Also, fyi, you can set up your xp machine so that you can connect to it through a web browser. useful so you don't need to download the client to connect from win9x machines. The alternative to rd is vnc. www.realvnc.com is popular, but I prefer www.tightvnc.com because it has more features. google it, and u may find one that is even better. note: you cannot use vnc after a rd connection has ended. I heard someone say that they talked to a vnc developer and said that there was no workaround for it. after a rd connection has been closed, it locks the computer, and when u try to connect with vnc, it only shows a black screen. so basically, you must choose to use either vnc OR rd, not both.