How to Disable Remote Access in Windows XP
Why would you want to disable remote assistance or remote desktop? Because either could be used or exploited by an attacker to gain remote access to your computer, allowing them to run programs on your computer or use your computer to distribute spam or attack other computers. Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop can be beneficial when you need them. But, most of the time, you don’t. In the meantime, if an attacker finds a way in, or if an attack is created to exploit a vulnerability in the Remote Assistance or Remote Desktop services, your computer is waiting to be attacked. To disable Remote Assistance or Remote Desktop, follow these steps:
Why Don’t I See Remote Desktop?
You may not see Remote Desktop as an option on the Remote tab of your My Computer Properties. The explanation is simple. Remote Desktop is a feature of Windows XP Professional (and Media Center Edition) and isn’t available on Windows XP Home. That would be a good thing if you wanted it off anyway. If you want to use Remote Desktop, you will have to upgrade your version of Windows.
