Remote Desktop can be an absolute life saver when you're on the road. If you're stuck in a hotel with a wireless network that does not allow outbound VPN connections, but they do allow outbound Remote Desktop connections, you are able to connect to your Windows XP desktop, access your files, and work just as if your at the office or home. It's great! However, you need to enable Remote Desktop on your office/home computer before you leave, and then configure your Internet Router to support connections through the Internet. Here are some tips and tricks:

1. The first thing you need to do is enable Remote Desktop connections to your PC. Click Start and then right click My Computer. Click the Properties command.
2. Click on the Remote tab in the System Properties dialog box.
3. On the Remote tab, put a checkmark in the Allow users to connect remotely to this computer checkbox. You may see a dialog box warning you that some accounts do not have passwords and that only accounts with passwords will be able to connect. Click OK to close the dialog box.
4. Click on the Select Remote Users button. Note that the Administrator account already has access, and that any member of the Administrators group can connect, even if you don't manually add them. Click the Add button. Type in the name of the user account you want to use to access the Remote Desktop, then click the Check Names button to make sure you typed it in correctly. Click OK after adding the name.
5. Click OK in the Remote Desktop Users dialog box.
6. Click Apply and then click OK in the System Properties dialog box.
7. The last step is the trickiest, because the steps are different depending on what type of "router" you use to connect to the Internet. What you need to do is configure your "router" (it's actually a NAT server in most cases, rather than a true router) to allow incoming Remote Desktop connections to the external IP address of the router to be forwarded (sent to) the IP address of your Remote Desktop Windows XP computer. The "router" or NAT server needs to pass all incoming connections to TCP Port 3389 to your Windows XP computer. The challenge is getting your Internet connection device to pass the Remote Desktop connections to your computer. Also, make sure you have a strong password on your computer, as it's exposed to the Internet.