How to Access Another Computer Using an IP Address

1. Sign on to the other workstation as an administrator. Click "Start," enter "remote" into the search field and then select "Allow Remote Access to Your Computer."

2. Choose "Allow Connections Only From Computers Running Remote Desktop With Network Level Authentication" from under Remote Desktop.

3. Click "OK" to enable Remote Desktop connections on the target computer.

4. Navigate to Google.com and search for the term "what is my ip" to find your machine's public IP address. The message "Your Public IP Address Is #.#.#.#" (in which each "#" is a number) will appear at the top of the search results.

5. Log in to the host computer -- the workstation you want to use to access the remote PC -- with administrative rights and then click "Start | All Programs | Accessories | Remote Desktop Connection."

6. Enter into the Computer field the public IP address of the target PC. Click "Connect" and then enter your username and password to sign in to the workstation

NOTE : Tips

Select "Allow Connections From Computers Running Any Version of Remote Desktop" to allow users on Windows Vista or earlier versions of the operating system to create a connection with the remote computer. Keep in mind, however, that this is less secure.To allow standard users -- that is, users without administrative rights -- to connect to the remote computer, click "Select Users" on the Remote tab and then click "Add." Enter the name of the standard user, click "Check Names" to find the correct account and then click "OK."

Warning

You cannot use Remote Desktop to create a connection with computers running Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, or Windows 7 Home Premium. You can use Remote Assistance instead to create a remote connection, but a user on the machine must invite you first.