Computersight -

Having been the first in my family to purchase a computer I often received early morning or late night phone calls from my younger brother when something went wrong on his computer. I became quite adept at providing on the spot step by step tutorials that he could use to resolve whatever problem he was having at that moment.

Experience is a wonderful thing when your not sitting in front of the uncooperative computer and need to instead give instructions over the phone, in an email or through instant messaging software such as Yahoo Messenger, AIM, Google Talk or Windows Messenger Live. Unfortunately, these methods for explaining the steps to resolving a particular problem were time consuming.

First I had to determine what the problem might be from a verbal description given to me by my brother who lived two hours away. After that I would make a list of each click, inclusive of navigating through pull down menus, my brother would need to make to resolve his problem.

For example, if he had forgotten where he saved a file he had been working on it was my job to find that file. Thus I would send him the step-by-step directions for searching for a file using windows’ search feature such as the following:

1. Click Start menu.
2. Click Search.
3. Click on All Files and Folders on the left windowpane — the third green arrow down.
4. Enter the name of the file you saved in the top input box in the new dialog box.
5. Click Search at the bottom right corner of the dialog box.
6. When your file comes up in the white larger windowpane, right click on it and click Properties at the bottom of the menu.
7. In the pop-up window where it says “Location:” it will say where you saved the file.

Passing along step-by-step instructions to my brother and friends who phone me with problems like the above example are a thing of the past thanks to TeamViewer.

Developed by the German-based TeamViewer GmbH, which was founded in 2005, TeamViewer is an all in one software package that can be used for remote assistance, desktop sharing and file transfers between any two computers in the world having an internet connection. The software is available for multiple platforms and can be used for cross-platform connections.

Had TeamViewer been in existence years ago when my brother would forget where he saved his files I could have used the TeamViewer software to find his missing file on my own in less time through a remote assistance connection that would allow my mouse to operate on his computer. I could have navigated right through all them steps and found the file he was looking for with my own mouse within seconds!

The software can also be used for either making online presentations to customers or collaborating on a project with colleagues without needing to be in the same room. This feature can reduce business expenses with regards to traveling to and from meetings with customers as well as allow you to broaden your sales base in that you can communicate with anyone throughout the world through your computer.

TeamViewer also supports direct file transfers between two computers, which can be useful for both business and personal reasons.

With over 15,000,000 people using the software in over 50 countries, TeamViewer is quickly becoming the people’s choice for internet collaboration and remote assistance software.

The best feature by far is the cost. It’s available for download for free. Just visit TeamViewer’s official website to download the executable file by clicking on the green Download Now It’s Free button. There’s no need to install anything. Connecting with another computer is simple. Just click the executable file you just downloaded to launch the program. When asked to choose the way you want to use TeamViewer select Run. On the next screen you will be asked to accept the license agreement. On the next screen you will find a unique ID and password assigned to you by the software. On the next screen you will find your unique ID number and password. The user of the computer you wish to connect with needs your ID number and password. The password changes each time you launch the software so there’s no need to worry about anyone gaining access to your computer without your permission. The person initializing the session will enter the ID number and password for the other party’s computer and select the purpose of the connection – remote support, presentation or file transfer. Then all you need do is click Connect to Partner. That’s all there is to it. Simple, free and fast.