Sometimes you have an error message or popup window that can be more easily understood by showing a technician.  For help with a single message, just copy it into an e-mail message and send it to 1ComputerCare. 

For problems that are not easily e-mailed, there is a facility that allows clients to have small problems resolved or quick questions answered remotely, and hence much faster than would otherwise be the case, and there is often no charge.  This involves running a simple program to allow the technician to see your screen display from afar.  This way we can often explain what is happening and how to resolve it without the need for a visit.

Even when 1ComputerCare staff are moving the mouse pointer and running programs from a distance, the client retains control and can see what is happening on the screen.  Security is assured as the connection can only be initiated from the client end and all data is encrypted.

This facility is best set up and tested before you need it in an emergency. 

Whilst Windows inbuilt Remote Assistance, Symantec's pcAnywhere and web based tools such as GoToMyPC are supported, the first choice for ease of use and reliability is either

1. CrossLoop.  This is for people who like to initiate a request for help.  By running a program you get a 12 digit access code which is valid for a few minutes only that you can then phone through to me.
    

2. LogMeIn - this is better for those with less of a technical bent.  Unlike Crossloop 1ComputerCare would be able to connect remotely at any time as long as the password was known. Click here for the installation program.

To set CrossLoop up you will need to download a small free program then follow the simple instructions on the screen to install and run this program.  The first time you run it you will be asked to create an account.  This is a very simple one time process that enables you to leave feedback for the person you ask to help you.  Please do so as positive feedback is much appreciated.

You may see the 1Computercare CrossLoop profile by clicking this button:   

When you run the program there will be two tabs at the top of the window: Access and Share.  Click the Share tab and then phone 1ComputerCare with the access code that is then shown.  This code changes each time you run the program and guarantees security, so it can not be sent by e-mail in advance.

If you feel that you have been helped, please take a minute to give a positive rating and leave a comment in the feedback window that appears after each session. 

To setup LogMeIn just [ask Eugene to] download and run https://secure.logmein.com/logmein.msi

For quick and infrequent issues no payment is usually asked.  For more substantial involvement, the normal fee for workshop time becomes payable.

For Windows Vista users only:

If the remote technician needs to run programs that require elevated privilege, User Account Control (UAC) will prevent this and cause the CrossLoop session to be abruptly terminated.  UAC is a feature in Windows that can help prevent unauthorized changes to your computer, it does this by asking for permission or a password before performing actions that could potentially affect your computer's operation or change settings that affect other users. 

To work around this limitation either

• Temporarily disable UAC by going to Start orb > Control Panel > User Accounts > Turn User Account Control on or off.  Alternatively simply download and run this registry patch.  To enable it again either go to the Control Panel as above or simply download and run this registry patch.   You will need to restart the computer for the change to take effect. 
   

• Disable UAC for Administrative accounts.  This is done by executing a small registry change. 
  For Vista Home users, to avoid the dangers of editing the registry manually just download this file and double click it to merge it in with your registry.  To restore the default behaviour just download this file and double click it to merge it in with your registry. 
  For Vista Business or Ultimate users just type secpol.msc into the Start menu search box and hit enter.  Now browse down to Local Policies \ Security Options.   Find the following in the list: "User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode" and double-click on it.  Change the setting to "Elevate without prompting".
  No restart of the PC is required for this to take effect.   
   

• Cause all credential or consent prompting to occur on the interactive desktop rather than the (translucent) secure one.  To enable this just download and run this file.   To revert to the default behaviour, download and run this file. 

To disable the notification that UAC has been disabled the following registry key needs to be renamed or deleted:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{FD6905CE-952F-41F1-9A6F-135D9C6622CC}
Note that modifying the registry can severely compromise use of your computer if you get it wrong.