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Getting Started with WebEx PCNow

Contents Introducing WebEx PCNow

■ About this guide ........................................................................... 1
■ Introducing WebEx PCNow.......................................................... 1
■ Understanding how WebEx PCNow works .................................. 2
WebEx PCNow lets you remotely access a computer using another computer
that is connected to the Internet. For example, if you are at home or traveling,
you can use your home or mobile computer to access your office computer
and use it as if you were sitting at your office desk.

■ Setting up a computer for WebEx PCNow ................................... 2

During an WebEx PCNow session, you can:

■ Accessing a computer remotely ................................................... 5 ■ Use either specific applications on a remote computer or its entire desktop,
depending on the options you chose when setting up WebEx PCNow
■ Managing a remote computer ...................................................... 9
■ Transfer files to and from the computer
■ Viewing usage reports................................................................ 12
■ Access network resources
■ For more information .................................................................. 13
■ Print remote documents on a printer at your current location
■ Contacting WebEx Communications.......................................... 13
You can access a computer remotely using any type of Internet connection,
including dial-up, DSL, cable modem, and local area network (LAN)
connections.
About this guide
Getting Started introduces you to WebEx PCNow and helps you to set up and
access a remote computer quickly. In addition, this guide shows you how to
use all of the options available to you during an WebEx PCNow session and
how to keep your remote computer accessible.
This guide assumes that you have a user account on your WebEx PCNow Web
site. For more detailed instructions on using WebEx PCNow, please refer to
the online Help for WebEx PCNow.
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Understanding how WebEx PCNow works
To use WebEx PCNow, you must first install the WebEx PCNow Agent on the
computer that you want to access remotely, called the remote computer. Then,
using another computer that is connected to the Internet, called the local
computer, you can log in to your WebEx PCNow Web site and establish a
connection with the remote computer. The WebEx PCNow window—a plug-
in for your Web browser—starts the WebEx PCNow session and displays the
remote computer on your screen.
To provide a secure and reliable connection between your local and remote
computers, WebEx PCNow uses the WebEx MediaTone Network (WIN)—a
global, high-performance network infrastructure specifically designed for
real-time multimedia communications.
The following figure shows an overview of an WebEx PCNow connection.
Setting up a computer for WebEx PCNow
Before setting up a computer for WebEx PCNow, ensure that both the remote
computer and the local computer meet the minimum system requirements.
Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere
System Requirements
Requirements for the remote and local computers:
■ Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME (Millennium Edition), XP, 2000, or NT
■ Intel Pentium 166 MHz or faster processor
■ 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended)
■ Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x or later or Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or later
■ JavaScript and cookies enabled on the Web browser
■ For Internet Explorer only: ActiveX enabled for the browser
■ For Firefox only: Java enabled for the browser and Java Runtime
Environment (JRE) version 1.3.0_01 or later installed on local computer
(for details about installing JRE, refer to the FAQ page on your WebEx
PCNow site)
■ Internet connection: For the remote computer, a dedicated, broadband
Internet connection, such as a DSL, cable modem, ISDN, or T1
connection; for the local computer, at least a 56K connection
Installing the WebEx PCNow Agent
To set up a computer for WebEx PCNow, you must install the WebEx PCNow
Agent on the computer that you want to access remotely. You need not set up
any software on the computer on your local computer—that is, the computer
that you want to use to access the remote computer.
When installing the agent, you can choose one of two options for setting up
the agent:
■ Default: Sets up the agent with the most commonly used settings. You can
change any of the default settings later, by setting preferences for the
WebEx PCNow Agent.
■ Custom: Lets you set up the agent with your own settings. You can change
these settings at any time after installation, by setting preferences for the
WebEx PCNow Agent.
Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere 3 of 14

I m p o r t a n t To install the WebEx PCNow Agent on a computer

running Windows NT, 2000, or XP, you must do one of the following:

■ Sign in to your computer as an administrator before running the WebEx

PCNow Setup program.
■ Have an administrator sign in to your computer for you.

Once you complete setup, you need not log in to the computer as an
administrator to use WebEx PCNow.

To install the WebEx PCNow Agent:

1 Go to your remote computer—that is, the computer that you want to access
remotely.

2 On your remote computer, log in to your WebEx PCNow Web site, using
your email address and account password. N o t e If the wizard is unable to start on your computer due to
system or network restrictions, a page appears on which you can
3 At the top of the page, click My Computers. download the WebEx PCNow Agent Installer to your computer.
4 Under My Computers, click the link to add a new computer.
5 Click Next.

The Setup Type panel appears.

The WebEx PCNow Setup Wizard starts.

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† Authentication—Specify the security options that you want to use

when accessing the computer remotely. You can choose one of these
options:
— Access code authentication, in which you enter an access code on
a Web page
— Phone authentication, in which you receive a phone call at a
phone number that you specify, and then key in a pass code
(Available for Pro accounts only.)
7 On the Setup Complete panel, click Finish to install the agent on your
computer.

The WebEx PCNow Agent logs the computer in to the WebEx PCNow
server.

The WebEx PCNow - Available icon appears on your computer's taskbar.

6 Select Default or Custom, and then click Next. You can now access the computer remotely.

■ Default option: On the Computer Setup panel, specify the following;

† A nickname name for the computer, which appears in your list of

remote computers on your WebEx PCNow Web site.
† The access code that you want to use access the remote computer.
For security, you must enter this access code to start a remote access N o t e If your organization requires you to log in to a proxy server
session with this computer. before you can log in to another server on the Internet, the Proxy
■ Custom option: Specify information on the following panels. Server Password dialog box appears once you finish setup. In this
case, provide your proxy server login information. To avoid having to log in
† Account Information: Specify a nickname name for the computer, to the proxy server each time the WebEx PCNow Agent attempts to log in the
which appears in your list of remote computers on your WebEx computer to the WebEx PCNow server, select the Remember my proxy server
PCNow Web site. user ID and password check box, and then click OK.
† Options: Specify the options for the computer that you want to take
effect once you access the computer remotely. You can change any
of these options during a WebEx PCNow session. If you are unsure
which options to select, accept the default selections.
† Access: Select the specific applications that you can access on the
remote computer, or choose to access the computer’s entire
desktop. (Specific application access is available for Pro accounts
only.)
Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere 5 of 14

Keeping a remote computer accessible

You can access a computer remotely if:
■ The WebEx PCNow Agent is running on the computer—that is, if the
WebEx PCNow icon appears on the remote computer’s taskbar.

■ The remote computer is logged in to the WebEx PCNow server—that is, if

its status is Available. To check the status, place your mouse pointer over
the WebEx PCNow icon on the computer’s task bar.

■ The remote computer is not in a power-saving standby, or “sleep,” mode.

For more information about standby mode, refer to Windows Help.

Accessing a computer remotely You can access any computer in the list for which the status is Online.

Your WebEx PCNow Web site includes a list of the computers that you have
set up for remote access. You can open this list, and then establish a
connection with a remote computer.
1 On the local computer on which you want to access another computer
remotely, log in to your WebEx PCNow Web site.
2 At the top of the page, click My Computers.
3 Click the icon for the computer that you want to access remotely to select
it, and then do one of the following:
■ If you set up the computer to access specific applications, select the
application that you want to access. (For Pro accounts only.)
■ If you set up the computer to access its entire desktop, select Desktop.

A list of computers that you have set up for WebEx PCNow appears.
6 of 14 Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere

Alternatively, in the Computer Info panel to the right, under Available

Applications, select the application or desktop, and then click Connect.

4 Do one of the following

■ If you chose access code authentication, type your access code in the
box that appears, and then click OK.
Your access code is case-sensitive, so you must type the access code
exactly as you specified it when setting up the computer.

■ If you chose phone authentication, wait to receive a phone call at the

number you specified, and then follow the voice instructions to provide
your pass code. (For Pro accounts only.)
The WebEx PCNow window opens, displaying the remote computer’s
desktop or the application that you selected. 2 Choose one of the following commands:

N o t e If the remote computer is running Windows NT, 2000, or Command Description

XP, and you must log in to or unlock the computer, you can send a
Ctrl+Alt+Del command to the computer. See “Managing a remote Zoom In Magnifies the view of the remote computer in
computer during an WebEx PCNow session.” increments.

Zoom Out Reduces the view of the remote computer in

increments.
Controlling your view of a remote computer
50% Resizes the view of the remote computer according to a
You can control the display of a remote computer during an WebEx PCNow 75% specific zoom level.
session, by doing any of the following: 100%
■ Zoom in to or out from the display in increments or to a specific 200%
percentage 400%

■ View the display in a window or a full screen, and optionally scale the view Full Screen-Scale to Displays the view of the remote computer in a full
to fit your screen Fit screen, and scales it to fit the entire screen on the local
computer. Use this option if the monitor of the local
computer and that of the remote computer have
To control the display of a remote computer:
different resolutions.
1 On the title bar of the window in which the remote computer appears, dick
Full Screen Displays the view of the remote computer in a full
the WebEx PCNow button, and then point to View.
screen.
Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere
Command Description
Window-Scale to Fit Displays the view of the remote computer in a window,
and scales it to fit the window. Use this option if the
monitor of the local computer and that of the remote
computer have different resolutions.
Window Displays the view of the remote computer in window.
Managing a remote computer during an WebEx
PCNow session
During an WebEx PCNow session, you can:
■ Control the screen resolution of the remote computer
■ Lock the remote computer’s keyboard and mouse
■ Make the remote computer’s screen blank
■ Send a Ctrl+Alt+Delete command to the remote computer
To manage a remote computer during an WebEx PCNow session:
1 On the title bar of the window in which the remote computer appears, dick
the WebEx PCNow button, and then point to Remote Computer.
2 On the menu that appears, choose one of the following commands:
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Command Description
Reduce Screen Reduces the remote computer's screen resolution to
Resolution to Match match that on your local computer. This option reduces
This Computer the need to scroll while viewing the remote computer.
The WebEx PCNow Agent restores the resolution to its
original setting once you end the session.
Disable Keyboard and Disables the keyboard and mouse on the remote
Mouse computer, preventing anyone at the remote location
from using the computer.
Make Screen Blank Makes a remote computer's screen blank, thereby
preventing anyone at the remote computer's location
from viewing the contents on the screen.
Important—The screen-blanking privacy option is not
available for all hardware platforms. Some graphics
cards do not support this option. Test this option in an
WebEx PCNow session to determine if the it works on
your computer.
Send Ctrl+Alt+Del This command appears only if the remote computer is
running Windows NT or 2000. Sends a Ctrl+Alt+Del
command to a remote computer, which allows you to:
■ Log in to or out from the computer
■ Lock or unlock the computer
8 of 14
Transferring files during an WebEx PCNow session
Available for Pro accounts only
During an WebEx PCNow session, you can transfer files or folders to or from
the remote computer.
To transfer files during an WebEx PCNow session:
1 On the title bar of the window in which the remote computer appears, dick
the WebEx PCNow button, and then choose Transfer File.
The Transfer File window appears.
The pane on the left shows the file directory for the local computer, and
the pane on the right shows the file directory for the remote computer.
Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere
2 In the pane on either the left or right, browse to the folder in which you
want to transfer files.
3 In the other pane, browse to the folder containing the files or folder that
you want to transfer.
4 Select the files or folder that you want to transfer.
5 Click the either the left- or right-pointing arrow, as appropriate, to
transfer the file from one computer to the other.
Printing remote documents
During an WebEx PCNow session, you can open a document that resides on
the remote computer and print it to local printer at your current location.
To print a remote document:
1 On the remote computer, open the document that you want to print.
2 In the remote application, open the print options.
3 In your list of printers, select the ActiveTouch Document Loader.
A print options dialog box for your local computer appears.
4 Select a local computer, and then print the document.
I m p o r t a n t The remote printing option can accurately print a
remote document, but the format and alignment of the printout may
not be as precise as it would if you printed the document directly from
your local computer. Therefore, do not use this option when the precision of
the printout is critical, such as when printing checks.
Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere 9 of 14

Ending an WebEx PCNow session

Once you end an WebEx PCNow session, the WebEx PCNow server Managing a remote computer
disconnects your local computer from the remote computer. However, the
remote computer remains logged in to the WebEx PCNow server, so you can Once you start the WebEx PCNow Agent on a remote computer, you can
access it again at any time. manage the remote computer by doing any of the following:

To ensure your privacy and the security of the remote computer, do one of the ■ Log in the computer to the WebEx PCNow server
following before you end an WebEx PCNow session: ■ Log out the computer from the WebEx PCNow server
■ Close any applications that you started during the WebEx PCNow session. ■ Set preferences for WebEx PCNow,
■ If the remote computer is running Windows NT, 2000, or XP, and you ■ Close the WebEx PCNow Agent
have administrator rights on the computer, log off from or lock the
computer. To access these options on the computer, send a Ctrl+Alt+Del
command to the remote computer. For details, see “Managing a remote Starting the WebEx PCNow Agent
computer during an WebEx PCNow session.” To start the WebEx PCNow Agent on a remote computer, do one of the
■ Specify a screen saver password, and set the screen saver to appear after 1 following:
minute of inactivity. ■ On the remote computer's Start menu, choose Programs > WebEx PCNow >
WebEx PCNow.
To end an WebEx PCNow session:
■ On the remote computer's desktop, double-click the WebEx PCNow
1 On the title bar of the window in which the remote computer appears, dick shortcut.
the WebEx PCNow button, and then choose End WebEx PCNow Session.

2 In the message box appears, click Yes.

10 of 14 Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere

Logging in a remote computer to the WebEx PCNow
server
Once you install and set up the WebEx PCNow Agent on a remote computer,
the agent automatically runs and logs in the computer to the WebEx PCNow
server. If you log out the computer from the server, you must log it in again to
access the computer remotely.
To log in a remote computer:
1 If you have not already done so, connect the computer to the Internet.
2 On the menu that appears, choose Log Out.
3 In the message box that appears, click Yes.
Setting preferences for WebEx PCNow
When you set up a remote computer for WebEx PCNow, you either accepted
the default preferences for the WebEx PCNow Agent or specified your own
preferences, using the Custom option. At any time, you can change any of the
preferences that were specified during installation.

2 On the remote computer's taskbar, right-click the WebEx PCNow - Offline To set preferences for the WebEx PCNow Agent:
icon. 1 On the remote computer's taskbar, right-click the WebEx PCNow icon.

3 On the menu that appears, choose Log In.

2 On the menu that appears, choose Preferences.
The WebEx PCNow Login dialog box appears.
The WebEx PCNow dialog box appears.
4 Type the password for your user account in the Password box, and then
click OK.

Logging out a remote computer from the WebEx

PCNow server
Once you log out a computer from the WebEx PCNow server, you can cannot
access the computer remotely until you log back in to the server.

To log out a remote computer:

1 On the remote computer's taskbar, right-click the WebEx PCNow - Available
icon.

3 Specify options on any of the following tabs:

Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere
■ Computer Setup: Allows you to rename a remote computer that you set
up for WebEx PCNow. A remote computer's name appears in your list
of remote computers on your WebEx PCNow Web site.
Also allows you to change the authentication (security) options that
you set when setting up a remote computer for WebEx PCNow. You
can choose either of the following types of authentication, which help
to prevent unauthorized access to a remote computer:
Option Description
Access code Requires you to provide a code, or password, by
authentication entering it on a Web page, to access a remote
computer.
Phone authentication Calls a phone number that you specify, then
requires you to provide a pass code, using the
(Pro accounts only)
keys on your phone's keypad, to access a remote
computer.
■ Options: Lets you turn the following options on or off. These options
take effect once you access the computer remotely. You can also change
them during a session:
Option Description
Automatically reduce Reduces the remote computer’s screen
screen resolution to resolution to match that on your local computer.
match local computer This option reduces the need to scroll while
viewing the remote computer. The WebEx
PCNow Agent restores the resolution to its
original setting once you end the session.
Use full-screen view Specifies that the remote computer appears in a
by default full-screen view by default on the local computer.
If this check box is cleared, the remote computer
appears in a standard window.
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Option Description
Disable this Disables the keyboard and mouse on the remote
computer’s keyboard computer, preventing anyone at the remote
and mouse location from using the computer.
Make this computer’s Makes a remote computer's screen blank,
thereby preventing anyone at the remote
screen blank
computer's location from viewing the contents on
the screen.
Important—The screen-blanking privacy option
is not available for all hardware platforms. Certain
graphics cards do not support this option. Test
this option in an WebEx PCNow session to
determine if the it works on your computer.
The Options tab also lets you specify the following options:
Option Description
End the session after Specifies a time-out period for an WebEx PCNow
it is inactive for [x] session, such that the local computer
minutes automatically disconnects from the remote
computer if there is no activity for the specified
duration of time.
Disable pop-up Specifies that WebEx PCNow Agent on your
messages remote computer does not display any system or
error messages. This option is useful if your
remote computer is in “kiosk mode,” in which only
one application is running and the operating
system is not accessible. If the WebEx PCNow
Agent were to display a message while your
computer was in kiosk mode, you would be
unable to close the message window and
continue using the remote computer.
12 of 14 Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere

Option Description
Viewing usage reports
Lock computer after Available only for Windows 2000, NT, or XP.
session ends Specifies that the WebEx PCNow Agent For Pro accounts only
automatically locks the remote computer once
you end an WebEx PCNow session. The You can view information about your usage of WebEx PCNow, including:
Computer Locked dialog box appears on the
remote computer's screen, requiring a user to ■ The name of the computer that you accessed remotely
provide your Windows password to unlock the
■ The IP address of the computer that you used to access the computer
computer.
remotely
Display Mode Specifies how remote applications appear on your
■ The date and time you accessed a remote computer
local computer. The Standard mode is ideal for
most applications; the Screen-sampling mode is ■ The duration of the connection to the remote computer
better for applications that display complex
graphics. You can view usage information for any range of dates within the past three
months.
■ Applications: Available for Pro accounts only. Lets you choose whether
to access specific applications on the remote computer or the To a view usage report:
computer's entire desktop. If you choose to access specific applications,
1 Log in to your WebEx PCNow Web site.
you can add applications to or remove them from the list of
applications that you can access. 2 At the top of the page, click Computers.

3 Click Usage Reports.

Closing the WebEx PCNow Agent
4 In the Search History panel, in the From and To boxes, specify the beginning
Once you close the WebEx PCNow Agent on a computer that you set up for
and ending dates for which you want to view usage information.
WebEx PCNow, you cannot access the computer remotely until you restart the
agent. 5 In the Sort by box, choose how you want to sort the usage information in
the Usage History panel.
To close the WebEx PCNow Agent:
6 Click Display.
1 On the remote computer's taskbar, right-click the WebEx Remote Access
icon.

2 On the menu that appears, choose Close WebEx PCNow Agent.

3 In the message box that appears, click Yes.

Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere 13 of 14

For more information

The online Help for WebEx PCNow provides detailed instructions for using
all of the options in WebEx PCNow. Help includes an index and full-text
search to help you find the information that you need.

Contacting WebEx Communications

Receiving technical support
WebEx provides comprehensive technical support services for its customers.
To receive technical support for WebEx PCNow go the Support page on your
WebEx PCNow Web site.

Providing feedback to WebEx Communications

WebEx Communications greatly appreciates any feedback that you provide
about our products and documentation.

Providing feedback about WebEx PCNow

You can provide feedback to WebEx Communications by sending an email
message to feedback@webex.com.

Providing feedback about this documentation

If you have comments about WebEx PCNow documentation, please send an
email message to docs@webex.com.
In your email message, please specify:
■ The WebEx product that you are using

■ The section or Help topic to which your comment applies

If you would like to receive a response to your comments, please include your
name and contact information in your message.
Getting Started with WebEx Access Anywhere 14 of 14

© 2005 WebEx Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

WebEx, MyWebEx PC, and the WebEx logo are trademarks of WebEx Communications, Inc.
Other product or brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
holders.

Document version: WPCN-GSG-EN-SAv5 - 93005