Microsoft KB Archive/306496

= How to configure or disable Solicited Remote Assistance in Windows XP =

Article ID: 306496

Article Last Modified on 3/27/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows Messenger 4.6
 * Microsoft Windows Messenger 4.5
 * Microsoft Windows Messenger 4.0

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This article was previously published under Q306496



IN THIS TASK
SUMMARY
 * Disable Solicited Remote Assistance
 * Enable and Configure Solicited Remote Assistance

REFERENCES



SUMMARY
By using the Solicited Remote Assistance feature in Microsoft Windows XP, you can explicitly request help from another party by using a method such as e-mail or Windows Messenger. This article describes how to configure or disable the Solicited Remote Assistance feature through Group Policy settings.

Note Perform the following steps on the novice computer, which is the computer that belongs to the user who is requesting the remote assistance.

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Disable Solicited Remote Assistance
As the administrator, if you do not want users to be able to send requests for Remote Assistance, you can disable the Solicited Remote Assistance feature.  Log on as a user with local administrator privileges. Click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc in the Open box, and then click OK. Locate the Solicited Remote Assistance policy by expanding the tree to:

Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Remote Assistance

 Double-click Solicited Remote Assistance. On the Solicited Remote Assistance Properties dialog box, click Disable, click Apply, and then click OK. Close the Group Policy snap-in.</ol>

When this policy is set, if a user attempts to launch Remote Assistance, the user receives the following error message:

Your current system setting prevents you from sending an invitation

Note Expert computers that are using Offer Remote Assistance will not be able to connect to a novice computer when Solicited Remote Assistance is disabled. For more information about enabling an expert computer that is using Offer Remote Assistance to connect to a novice computer, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

826088 If the Solicited Remote Assistance policy is disabled, you cannot offer assistance to a Novice computer

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Enable and configure Solicited Remote Assistance
With Solicited Remote Assistance enabled on the computer, you can request help and allow another user to connect to his or her computer. In addition, you can configure Solicited Remote Assistance with specific settings.

To Enable and configure Solicited Remote Assistance
<ol> Log on as a user with local administrator privileges.</li> Click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc in the Open box, and then click OK.</li> Locate the Solicited Remote Assistance policy by expanding the tree to:

Local Computer Policy\Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Remote Assistance

</li> Double-click Solicited Remote Assistance.</li> On the Solicited Remote Assistance Properties dialog box, click Enable.</li> Under Permit remote control of this computer, click one of the following options: <ul> Allow helpers to only view the computer</li> Allow helpers to remotely control the computer

Note: After the expert computer connects to the novice computer, the expert computer has the option of controlling the novice computer. You can disable this option by choosing the Allow helpers to only view the computer option.</li></ul> </li> In the two next fields for Maximum Invitation ticket time, value and units, choose the settings to control the maximum time for which the ticket is valid. This setting overrides any other settings on the computer.</li> Click Apply, and then click OK on the Solicited Remote Assistance Properties dialog box.</li> Close the Group Policy snap-in.

Note: When this is set to Not Configured, users can still send Remote Assistance invitations. If necessary, you can configure Solicited Remote Assistance in Control Panel. To do so, open the system properties, and then click the Remote tab. The default settings are: <ul> Solicited Remote Assistance is enabled.</li> Remote Control is enabled. Click Advanced Settings to view this setting.</li> Maximum Invitation ticket time is set to 30 days.</li></ul> </li></ol>

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