当我被要求更新我们 2010 年关于从Mac远程连接到 PC 的文章时，我认为这将是一项相当简单的任务。然而，自从那篇文章写完后，微软(Microsoft)已经放弃了对他们的Mac(Macs)远程桌面连接(Remote Desktop Connection)软件的支持。虽然有传闻称它可以在OS X Lion上运行，但它肯定不会在OS X Mountain Lion上运行，这是(OS X Mountain Lion)OS X的最新版本。所以我开始寻求新的、免费的选择，结果证明这并不是一项简单的任务。这是从Mac(Mac)远程连接到Windows 7或 Windows 8的最佳免费工具计算机或设备(computer or device)。
软件(Software)，软件，谁有软件？
维基百科(Wikipedia)提供了这个有用的各种选项图表，我认为选择几个进行调查很容易：远程桌面软件的比较(Comparison of remote desktop software)。但是，当我进入它时，我发现选项并不像乍一看那样多且多样。并非一切都可以在Mac上运行，而且图表中提到的绝大多数程序，无论平台如何，都不是免费的。正如我们将在本文中看到的那样，一些免费选项绝对不适合日常用户。开始看起来我没有太多选择，但有一些选择，所以我开始使用它们 - 并在此过程中遇到了一些惊喜。
注意：(NOTE:)这些服务在Windows 7和 Windows 8 中的工作方式相同，只是对各个窗口的外观进行了次要细节。我正在使用我的Windows 7 台式计算机(desktop computer)来提供本文的大部分图像，因为它们更大且更容易看到。
LogMeIn - 它运行良好，但它们会误导用户
我从调查LogMeIn开始，它有免费版和付费专业(Pro)版。对于您要访问的每台计算机，您必须下载一个特定于操作系统(operating system)的小型应用程序并运行它。注册免费版本非常简单明了。我提供了一个电子邮件地址(email address)和一个密码，就是这样。我想。
LogMeIn给我发了一封很好的欢迎电子邮件(welcoming email)，带有一个点击链接——这就是事情变得比我意识到的更棘手的地方。我复制了下面电子邮件的全部内容，并添加了一个箭头来表示没有引起我注意但应该有的东西。
对。单击“登录”按钮直接将我带到了("Log In")LogMeIn Pro的免费试用版，而不是我以为我会看到的免费LogMeIn 服务。(LogMeIn service)我检查了LogMeIn支持，是的，这就是它应该工作的方式。鬼鬼祟祟(Sneaky)。诚然，除非您向他们提供付款信息和授权(payment information and authorization)，否则您不会为Pro版付费，但我不高兴被转入免费试用版，而不是网站让我相信可用的独立免费服务。
不过，除此之外，LogMeIn运行良好。您需要添加每台要远程控制的计算机，方法是使用每台计算机登录LogMeIn应用程序并单击“添加计算机”。("add a computer.")在这里，我正在使用我的Mac Mini工作。当我第一次运行该软件时，我被要求更新它，所以我这样做了，然后被要求重新启动浏览器。
当我再次登录时……哇，无限回归！在摆弄它时，首先从Windows 计算机上运行了(Windows computer)LogMeIn，它们相互反馈。
我很快切换到另一个站点，一切都很好。
尽管它有点慢而且不完全流畅，但LogMeIn运行良好，我能够直接从Mac控制(Mac)Windows 计算机(Windows computer)，一点问题都没有。
TeamViewer - 免费、快速且很棒
TeamViewer主要为商业用户设计（并相应定价）说它是免费供私人使用的。安装很像LogMeIn：您将软件下载到要控制的每台计算机上，然后运行它。系统会询问您计划如何使用该软件。正如网站(web site)所承诺的，选择personal/non-commercial use可让您免费运行TeamViewer 。
您需要使用您的电子邮件地址(email address)和密码创建一个TeamViewer帐户。系统会要求您确认电子邮件，然后您就可以开始了。
TeamViewer内置了一些不错的安全措施，尽管我希望他们的解释更清楚一点。这是屏幕的样子。
您想稍后访问您的计算机吗？你当然知道。屏幕的真正含义，以及为什么“否”("No")是默认值，是“你想让这台计算机一直连接到 TeamViewer 吗？” ("Do you want to leave this computer connected to TeamViewer all the time?")如果您回答“否”(No)，TeamViewer将为您的计算机分配一个 ID，每次您想要远程访问时，TeamViewer都会给您一个随机密码(random password)，想要访问的计算机需要在登录屏幕(login screen)中输入该密码。这是一个很好的安全措施，应该有助于防止不必要的访问。
您可以选择添加一些其他TeamViewer组件，您可能会觉得这些组件很有用。(TeamViewer)我没有测试这些。
在您希望远程访问的所有计算机上安装该应用程序后，您就可以开始了。登录(Log)您的帐户，您将看到 TeamViewer 为您生成的帐号和(TeamViewer)密码。(account number and password)当您与另一台计算机连接时，您将需要它。
立即建立了连接。它比我在LogMeIn中看到的要快得多，也更流畅。TeamViewer在屏幕的右下角放置了一个小信息窗口，告诉您连接发生了什么，但您可以轻松折叠它，以免遮挡屏幕。
我可以完美地控制另一台计算机，我非常欣赏在屏幕上滚动和移动的速度和便利性。我认为TeamViewer真正为商业用途而设计的事实是其设计的决定性因素，也是它比(business use)LogMeIn工作得更好的原因。
Google Chrome -来自浏览器的远程桌面(Remote desktop)连接
还有一个提供远程控制访问的(control access)Google Chrome 插件(Google Chrome addon)，我们在How-To Geek的朋友最近写了一篇很棒的文章。我试了一下，效果和他们说的一样好。从Chrome 网上应用店(Chrome Web Store)安装它很容易，而且它的使用非常简单和流畅。如果您是Google Chrome用户，那么这很可能是您远程访问所需的全部内容。这是它在我的屏幕上的样子：
您可以在此处查看How-To Geek对Chrome插件的评价：如何使用 Google Chrome 远程访问您的计算机(How to Use Google Chrome to Remotely Access Your Computer)。
CrossLoop - 运行良好，但仅在仅连接两台计算机时才免费
(CrossLoop)如果您只想连接到另一台计算机，CrossLoop是免费的。对于更多连接，您需要支付许可证费用。因为我只能选择一个，所以我选择从我的Mac连接到我拥有的Windows 8上网本。从主屏幕中，选择远程访问(Remote Access)。
这会将您带到一个屏幕，要求您创建一个帐户，并列出该软件其他版本的价格。从这里开始，它就像其他服务一样进行。我注意到下载实际上称为“CrossLoop Setup Premium”。
创建帐户后，即可安装应用程序。
CrossLoop在两台计算机上启动(CrossLoop)并运行后，您需要做的就是在两台计算机上单击连接(Connect)（这很重要——如果您不单击两者，您的连接将不会启动）并提供有关您的计算机的信息想连接到。
连接运行良好。这是上网本的屏幕：
CrossLoop还有一个有用的功能，允许您将控制从一台计算机切换到另一台计算机。您单击双箭头，系统会询问您是否要转移控制权。这也很顺利。
(CrossLoop)如果您只想连接到另一台计算机，CrossLoop将是一个很好的选择。我一直在为这篇文章寻找更多功能的免费应用程序，这是我没有选择CrossLoop作为主要选择的唯一原因。
检查其他服务......嗯，也许不是。
我调查了本文的其他一些选项，但由于安装和/或使用它们所需的专业知识，我没有尝试过。这些产品并非针对普通用户。无论如何(Anyway)，我确实想提及它们，以供那些愿意尝试的用户使用。
CoRD似乎需要一些比普通用户可能拥有的更高级别的极客(level geek)技能，尽管它确实具有开源和免费的优势。
说到更高级的极客(level geek)技能，当我去查看FreeRDP 时(FreeRDP)……嗯，第一个屏幕看起来还不错。
但是点击下载链接(download link)，你就进入了生活大爆炸(Big Bang Theory)的领域。我实际上是通过一个加州理工学院的程序员(CalTech programmer)运行的，我对基本高级极客的怀疑立即得到了证实。🙂
不用说，我没有比这更进一步。我不想很快尝试自己编译这个程序以使其工作。
结论
我认为，总的来说，大多数人都会对TeamViewer(TeamViewer)或LogMeIn感到满意。它们以相同的方式工作，并且不需要任何高级技术技能即可使用。我坚持使用TeamViewer，因为它更快、更流畅，而且我对LogMeIn的“免费”版本感到恼火，但这并不一定是每个人的一个因素。这两个应用程序不需要任何特定的浏览器即可工作，它们可以在我尝试过的每个平台上安装和运行。
如果您是Google Chrome(Google Chrome)用户，Chrome 远程桌面(Chrome Remote Desktop)插件也是一个不错的选择。它是免费的，易于安装，完美运行，并且有很多选择。如果您知道您只想访问另一台计算机，CrossLoop也是一个不错的选择。(CrossLoop)
您对远程(Have)控制软件(control software)有好的或不好的体验，无论是我讨论过的还是我没有尝试过的？我很想在评论中听到你的消息。
4+ Free Tools for Making Remote Connections from Macs to Windows PCs
Whеn I was asked to update our 2010 article about connecting remotely to a PС from a Mac, I thought it would be a fairly sіmple task. However, sіnce that article was written, Microsoft has dropped support fоr their Remote Desktop Connection software for Macs. While there are anecdotal reports of it working on OS X Lion, it definitely will not work on OS X Mountain Lion, the latest version of OS X. So I went in a quest of new, free options, and that also turned out not to be a simple task. Here are the best free tools for connecting remotely from your Mac to a Windows 7 or Windows 8 computer or device.
Software, software, who's got the software?
Wikipedia provided this helpful chart of the various options, and I thought it would be easy to just pick several to investigate: Comparison of remote desktop software. However, as I got into it, I found out that the options were not as many and varied as it appears at first glance. Not everything works on a Mac, and the vast majority of programs mentioned in the chart, regardless of platform, are not free. And some of the free options are definitely not for the everyday user, as we will see in this article. It was beginning to look like I didn't have many choices, but there were a few, so I got started on them—and got some surprises along the way.
NOTE: These services worked identically in both Windows 7 and Windows 8 with only minor details of how the various windows looked. I am using my Windows 7 desktop computer to provide most of the images for this article because they were larger and more easily visible.
LogMeIn - It works well but they are misleading users
I started out by investigating LogMeIn, which has a free version and a paid Pro version. For each computer you want to access, you must download a small operating system specific app and run it. Signing up for the free version was simple and straightforward. I provided an email address and a password and that was it. I thought.
LogMeIn sent me a nice welcoming email, with a link to click—and that's where things got a little stickier than I realized. I've reproduced the entire contents of the email below, and added an arrow to indicate something that didn't catch my attention and should have.
Yup. Clicking the "Log In" button took me directly to a free trial of LogMeIn Pro, not the free LogMeIn service that I thought I was going to see. I checked with LogMeIn support, and yes, this is the way it's supposed to work. Sneaky. Granted, you can't be charged for the Pro version unless you give them payment information and authorization, but I was not happy to be dumped into a free trial rather than the standalone free service the website led me to believe was available.
Other than that, though, LogMeIn works quite well. You need to add each computer you want to control remotely, by signing in to the LogMeIn app with each one and clicking "add a computer." Here, I am working from my Mac Mini. When I ran the software for the first time, I was asked to update it, so I did that, and then was asked to restart the browser.
And when I logged in again... whoa, infinite regression! In fiddling around with it, had run LogMeIn from the Windows computer first and they were feeding back to each other.
I quickly switched to another site and all was well.
Even though it was somewhat slow and not entirely smooth, LogMeIn worked well and I was able to control the Windows computer directly from the Mac, with no trouble at all.
TeamViewer - free, fast and awesome
TeamViewer, which is designed primarily for business users (and priced accordingly) says that it is free for private use. The installation is much like that of LogMeIn: you download the software to each computer you want to control, and run it. You are asked how you plan to use the software. Choosing personal/non-commercial use lets you run TeamViewer for free, as the web site promises.
You'll need to create a TeamViewer account, using your email address and a password. You'll be asked to confirm your email, and then you're ready to go.
There are some nice security measures built into TeamViewer, although I wish their explanation was a little more clear. Here is what the screen looks like.
Do you want to access your computer later? Of course you do. What the screen really means, and why "No" is the default, is "Do you want to leave this computer connected to TeamViewer all the time?" If you answer No, then TeamViewer will assign an ID to your computer, and every time you want remote access, TeamViewer will give you a random password, which the computer that wants access needs to type into the login screen. This is a nice measure of security that should help prevent unwanted access.
There are some other TeamViewer components you can choose to add in, which you might find useful. I did not test these.
Once you've got the app installed on all the computers you want remote access to, you're ready to start. Log in to your account and you'll see the account number and password that TeamViewer generates for you. You'll need this when you connect with another computer.
The connection was established immediately. It was a lot faster and smoother than what I'd seen with LogMeIn. TeamViewer puts a little informational window in the lower right corner of your screen, to tell you what's going on with your connection, but you can easily collapse that so it doesn't obscure the screen.
I could control the other computer perfectly and I really appreciated the speed and the ease of scrolling and moving around on the screen. I think the fact that TeamViewer is really designed for business use was the deciding factor in its design, and the reason why it worked better than LogMeIn.
Google Chrome - Remote desktop connections from the browser
There is also a Google Chrome addon that provides remote control access, and our friends at How-To Geek recently wrote a great article about it. I tried it out, and it worked every bit as well as they said it would. It's easy to install from the Chrome Web Store and its use is very straightforward and smooth. If you are a Google Chrome user, this very well could be all you need for remote access. Here's how it looked on my screen:
You can see what How-To Geek had to say about the Chrome plugin here: How to Use Google Chrome to Remotely Access Your Computer.
CrossLoop - works well but it's free only when connecting just two computers
CrossLoop is free if you want to connect to only one other computer. For any more connections you will need to pay for a license. Since I had to pick only one, I chose to connect from my Mac to the Windows 8 netbook I own. From the main screen, choose Remote Access.
This takes you to a screen that asks you to create an account, and lists the prices for the other versions of the software. From here, it proceeds just like the other services. I note that the download is actually called "CrossLoop Setup Premium."
Once you have created your account, you install the application.
Once CrossLoop is up and running on both computers, all you need to do is click Connect on both computers (this is important--if you don't click on both, your connection will not start) and provide the information about the computer you want to connect to.
The connection worked well. Here's the screen of the netbook:
CrossLoop also has a useful feature that allows you to switch control from one computer to the other. You click on the dual arrows and you're asked if you want to transfer control. This also worked quite smoothly.
CrossLoop would be an excellent choice if you only want to connect to one other computer. I was looking for more versatile free apps for this article, which is the only reason I didn't pick CrossLoop as a main choice.
Checking out other services... um, maybe not.
I investigated some other options for this article, which I did not manage to try out due to the expertise required in installing and/or using them. These products are not aimed at the average users. Anyway, I do want to mention them, for those users willing to give them a try.
CoRD seemed like it required some higher level geek skills than the average user is likely to have, although it does have the advantage of being both open source and free.
And speaking of higher level geek skills, when I went to check out FreeRDP... well, the first screen looked OK.
But click on the download link and you're off into Big Bang Theory territory. I actually ran this past a CalTech programmer and my suspicion of essential high-level geekery was immediately confirmed. 🙂
Needless to say I did not explore any farther than this. Compiling this program on my own in order to make it work is not something I would like to try anytime soon.
Conclusions
I think, overall, that most people will be happy with either TeamViewer or LogMeIn. They work in the same ways and they don't require any high level technical skills to use. I'm sticking with TeamViewer because it is faster and smoother and because I was annoyed with LogMeIn for its approach to a "free" version, but that's not necessarily going to be a factor for everyone. These two apps don't require any particular browser to work, and they installed and ran on every platform I tried.
The Chrome Remote Desktop add-in would also be an excellent choice if you are a Google Chrome user. It is free, easy to install, worked perfectly, and has plenty of options. CrossLoop would also be a good choice if you know you are only going to want access to one other computer.
Have you had good or bad experiences with remote control software, either the ones I discussed or another that I did not try? I'd love to hear from you about that in the comments.
