Remote Support

To assure security, the HelpDesk WILL NOT be contacting you requesting to use remote assistance. You have to initiate the call to the HelpDesk yourself. During the call you can ask or the HelpDesk staff member may recommend using Remote Assistance to help resolve the issue. The call may then be forwarded to a HelpDesk full time staff member since, for security reasons, only a HelpDesk full time staff will be using remote assistance.
 
Before using Remote Assistance the Helpdesk staff will inform you what their plan of action will be and ask for permission to use Remote Assistance to connect to your computer. You must grant permission and initiate the remote connection by taking the following steps: 

1. Go to the "Start" menu, in the search bar type "remote". Select the program entitles "Windows Remote Assistance"
   • ​​In Windows 8, type "Invite" while on the start screen, and select the option titled "Invite someone to connect to your PC and help your or or offer t..."

     

2. When the new window opens up, select "Invite someone you trust to help you"

   

3. You may get prompted: "This computer is not set up to send invitations" If so, click the "Repair" button and then "Try these repairs as an administrator". Once completed, the window should show that the problem is fixed. Click "Close" and go back to step 1 to start Remote Assistance again.
4. On the next screen, click "Save this invitation as a file" and save the file somewhere that's easy to find such as onto the Windows desktop.

   

5. A small window with a password will appear, record the password and minimize the window for the time being. 

   

6. Access your email and send the invitation file as an attachment to helpdesk@nmu.edu. 
7. When the HelpDesk full-time staff member receives your file, they will open it and request the password from the small window you minimized earlier.
8. Once they enter the password, a new screen should appear on your computer stating someone is trying to connect remotely, click "Yes"

   

9. At this point the HelpDesk full-time staff person is only able to view your screen, they may request to control it if they feel the need to intervene at which point you may say yes or no. (Keep in mind you are able to see what they are doing and can take over the cursor at any time, click the "Stop Sharing" option to take back the cursor completely, click "Pause" to pause the sharing so they can't see the screen temporarily in case you ahv to enter confidential information or close the program to end the connection at any point in time.)

   

   

10. When the problem is solved, either party may close the Remote Assistance Program, which will remove the remote connection. Once the program is closed there is no change to reconnect unless the entire process is repeated.