Web2.0: CrossLoop.com
As you can imagine, I'm considered the "computer geek" by all of my friends and family. When you're given that title, you're also given the responsibility of answering questions about everyone's computer problems (for free). This is especially true for your parents, who like to inadvertently break things from time to time by trying to do things themselves. This wasn't a problem for me... until they moved thousands of miles away.One day I received a call from my father, who needed some help installing a new printer. He was now 2000 miles away and I had no idea what type of router his new ISP had provided or what type of firewall blocking he was behind. I was trying to help him but it was really hard not knowing what he was seeing (or doing) on his computer.
CrossLoop solved this problem.
CrossLoop is a FREE secure screen sharing utility designed for people of all technical skill levels. It's built on VNC, which is a utility I'm already familiar with. But CrossLoop extends the boundaries of traditional screen sharing by enabling non-technical users to get connected from anywhere on the Internet in seconds without changing any firewall or router settings. It only takes a few minutes to setup and it's very easy to use.
Joining a session with my father enabled me to access his PC in Texas in a matter of seconds. I was able to effortlessly connect to his PC by him simply connecting to CrossLoop and generating a unique access code for me. I was then able to view his screen and share control of the mouse and keyboard.
If you're a "computer expert" or a "confused parent seeking help", you should check out this screen sharing alternative.
Filed in: CWS, Rochester, crossloop, pcanywhere, vnc
posted by Alan De Keyrel @ 7:55 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
So telling him to insert the CD and install the software was to difficult? I'm sure he is computer literate enough to do that. And if not, does this mean you are not competent enough to walk him through the process over the phone? just wondering since you are termed a "computer geek".
Anonymous-
Thanks for the comment. Let me clarify the story behind this post a bit further for you. The printer was "new" to this computer, but not "brand new". He was setting it up on a new computer after relocating down south.
That said, he didn't have the driver disk so I was explaining how to find and download the driver off http://www.hp.com. He manage to find and download the driver, but did not "run" the executable file after downloading it. He thought he had installed the file.
It's this type of miscommunication that can be confusing when troubleshooting problems. Thanks to VNC, and the easy configuring by CrossLoop.com, it took me half the time to just login and veryify the settings.
I can relate to this. I have had to help my future sister in law with her computer numerous times. Sometimes it just makes more sense to do it yourself then suffer the frustration both of you will go through trying to resolve so computer problems. I have had my in-law use VNC server in the past but it was always a hassle because I had to instruct her to open a port on her firewall (thankfully she didn't have a router, that would have been nigh impossible to talk a non-tech person through). I have used MSN (Windows) Messenger's built in "Request Assistance" feature too, which seems to work well when you need to get through firewalls.
Thanks for all American computer geeks for creating a lot simple and useful applications. But why not develop chinese and Japanese version at the same time? As a chinese user, I always need to wait for at least 12 to 18 months to use chinese version. Since people living in American is much more creative than others living in Taiwan and China, every application or web should be translated into chinese at the beginning for occupying the global market share. But I never mention any developer did that.
I can read english but not everyone who ask for help can read. It's useless for large portion of Asians. I think you should contact to Asus, Acer, Benq... etc to make money by improving their customer service.
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