VPN Tunnel Help

[Sharamall]

I know about Remote desktop, and how it access other computers' desktops and that fun stuff. My parents are divorced, so I live at two houses. Say I'm at my mom's house and I need to get a file from my dad's that I forgot to e-mail of copy to a flash drive to bring it to my mom's house. It would be very easy just to remote desktop to the computer at my dad's and from there copy it to the computer at my mom's. But, for remote desktop you have to be on a network, which these computers aren't. I know that you can create a network through the internet, though, right? A VPN tunnel. Could I make one from one computer to the other so that I can remote desktop?

[Deerpark]

Yes you could.
You can also configure remote desktop to be accessible over the internet.
Here's a page that explains the setup:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/expert/northrup_03may16.mspx

[Sharamall]

I'll have to do that on the computer at my mom's house but at my dad's house the OS is 2k.

[Sharamall]

So what am I supposed to do for 2k? I didn't see anything useful on their website (although I didn't look very hard) and right click on my computer properties doesn't work because their is no remote tab.

[Deerpark]

Remote desktop isn't installed on windows 2000. Fortunately Microsoft provides a download that will let you install it.
Windows XP Remote Desktop
I know it's called XP remote Desktop but it will work on any version of Windows from 95 and up.

[Sharamall]

Yes, my dad already installed Remote Desktop on this 2k computer. But on that website it said that you had to go to the properties if My Computer, click on the remote tab and check a checkbox. I don't have that tab.

[Deerpark]

Ahh sorry I must have experience a small neuron misfire when I posted that last message. That download only installs the client portion of remote desktop. You can't connect to a windows 2000 machine with remote desktop because this feature wasn't available before XP. You will need to use another remote control software.
I've used VNC in the past and it works pretty well.
http://www.tightvnc.com/

You will need to install the server on your windows 2000 machine and then you can use a VNC client to connect to it from your XP machine.

[Sharamall]

So you're saying i need to install it on both machines?

Then what?

I went to start menu-programs-VNC and ran the program but it said it was already up. There is no application for it, though

[viking]

You are killing me

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-VNC-Virtual-Network-Computing-to-Control-a-Computer-Remotely

Note: if those two computers are behind a router/firewall, you will have to make some port redirections on router/firewall so you may be able to connect.