Apple recently released it's latest version of Remote Desktop (ARD), 3.0. One of the 50+ enhancements that is part of the new release is its tighter compatibility with Intel-based Macs (for information on running ARD 2.2 on Intel, click here). Remotely controlling another Mac is a no-brainer. Once you allow a Mac client to accept ARD requests, a simple wizard will guide you through the steps. But what if you want to use ARD to remotely control a Windows machine (or Linux, or UNIX)? Is it even possible? Absolutely.

The first thing you need to do is load some VNC client software on the remote machine. There are several options out there, but I prefer RealVNC. It's easy to use, and free. Click here to download.

Once you have installed the software on the remote machine, we need to set a few options. To do this, simply double-click on the VNC icon in the Windows System Tray. It will look like this:

There are really only two tabs that you want to configure in the settings for ARD to properly connect to your Windows machine: Authentication and Legacy. See the images and associated notes below:

On the "Authentication" tab, you will want to make sure the "VNC 3.3 authentication..." radio button is turned on, and then click the "Set Password" button to set a password. This will ensure that only authorized people can remotely control this computer. Note that when you configure ARD 3.0 to connect to this RealVNC client, you will only need to enter this password. There is no need for a username to be entered.

On the "Legacy" tab, you want to make sure that the version 3.3 protocol checkbox is UNchecked. If this is checked, your ARD will not be able to properly connect to it.

Once these changes have been made, you are now ready to remotely connect to your Windows (or Linux, or UNIX) client computer. Although you won't have the full feature set that is available in ARD while you are connected to your Windows machine (such as file transfers, screen locking and the new curtain mode), you will have basic remote control features (as well as silent observing).