need GenControl alternative for Windows 7

If this is the case, it means that your (standard) user token has Administrator rights over all of the computers in your network. You might as well disable UAC in this case - it's protecting your own computer, but not any of the other computers that you control...

Maybe you were talking about if the user account I am using was a STANDARD account? That would make sense, but I thought I clearly stated that I was using a Domain Admin account (if not, then I'm still confused)...

My understanding is that when RemoteControl tries to connect to another computer, it uses the currently logged on credentials.

As I said, my current username is a Domain Admin.

But regardless of if I am using a Domain Admin account or not, I still want UAC active, so that if I'm browsing and some drive-by nasty tries to install itself, I'll get the prompt (and know to disallow it).

I love UAC, and when used correctly can give me the best of both worlds (protection as if I was a standard user, but convenience because all I need to to id click 'OK' when I am indeed installing something intentionally.
 
Maybe you were talking about if the user account I am using was a STANDARD account? That would make sense, but I thought I clearly stated that I was using a Domain Admin account (if not, then I'm still confused)...

As I said, I'm not sure. On our domain, Remote Control won't connect to another computer unless it's run elevated - and I am running as a Domain Admin as well. I presumed this was because UAC doesn't just remove the 'Administrators' token, it also removes 'Domain Admins' and 'Enterprise Admins' tokens for remote connections - but I'm not so sure now.

Whatever the case, we definitely need to run it elevated for it to work. Based on experience of others in the forum, they have to do so as well. Not sure why it's working 'as-is' for you - but this is why I suggested the change.
 
As I said, I'm not sure. On our domain, Remote Control won't connect to another computer unless it's run elevated - and I am running as a Domain Admin as well. I presumed this was because UAC doesn't just remove the 'Administrators' token, it also removes 'Domain Admins' and 'Enterprise Admins' tokens for remote connections - but I'm not so sure now.

Whatever the case, we definitely need to run it elevated for it to work. Based on experience of others in the forum, they have to do so as well. Not sure why it's working 'as-is' for you - but this is why I suggested the change.

Where do you run it from?

I run it from a network share (where I store all my Portable Apps).
 
What are the permissions for that share/folder/the RemoteControl.exe file?

Mine are full control across the board (for my user).
 
Gencontrol is a simple desktop remote control program for Windows 2000 or Windows NT networks.
Maybe look at some of the free tools such as TeamViewer etc


wso.jpg
 
What are the permissions for that share/folder/the RemoteControl.exe file?

Full Control across the board - don't think this is the issue.

I've done some investigation, and I think the reason that Remote Control has to be run under UAC is because it creates a folder under C:\RCTEMP on the *local* computer, which stores vncviewer.exe and conn.vnc while the program is running. This is denied to non-Administrators on our computers.

If it were possible to alter Remote Control to create this folder under (say) %AppData%\RemoteControl instead, it might remove the UAC requirement. Obviously the C:\RCTEMP folder on the *server* would stay in the same place.

Mua'Dib - does this make sense, and is it possible to test the change? Would be nice not to have to elevate...
 
I would die and go to heaven if I could simply sort the list by Description, either by clicking on it, or with a script.

I figured out how to sort it with a batch file every time I launch it, but it sorts on the first field, which is the host name, which is not what I go by when I need to connect to someones computer.

I have over 50 hosts, and connect on demand when someone calls me, but I have to try to find their name in the unsorted list, and it is really painfully slow and frustrating - sometimes I have to go through the list more than once because I missed their name.

Well, I finally figured out how to do it by the second column...

First, I downloaded and installed the GNU coreutils from here:

http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/coreutils.htm

Then I simply used the new unix compatible (and much more powerful) sort command, so, the new batch file is now (the only changed line is the sort command):

Code:
::
:: This batch file assumes that you are using Windows 7
:: Obviously you must modify the path to the RemoteControl.exe executable before
:: it will work proerly
::
:: This batch file sorts the Computers list that RemoteControl.exe uses to keep
:: track of all of the workstations it has successfully connected to

:: Change to my AppData\RemoteControl folder
c:
cd %appdata%\RemoteControl

:: Rename the file before sorting
ren remotecontrol.tmp remotecontrol.txt

:: Sort the Workstations, and rename the sorted output to the correct filename
"C:\Program Files (x86)\GnuWin32\bin\sort.exe" -k 2,2 remotecontrol.txt > remotecontrol.tmp

::Delete the .txt file
del remotecontrol.txt

:: Launch the RemoteControl App
start "" P:\RemoteControl\RemoteControl.exe

Hope someone else might find this useful...
 
Glad you found it useful.

I also forgot to add another step I found, which gets rid of the Command Prompt window opening.

I created a tiny vbs script containing only the following, and launch RemoteControl from the vb script instead:

Well, crap, my Intrusion Detecion device is detecting this code as a security risk and blocking it...

Anyway, just google on 'Start batch file from VMS script without command prompt window' and you should find how to do this... it is a tiny, 3 line script...
 
I am having a problem with the MS Office clipboard due to running instance RemoteControl. Office fails to copy formatting when a RemoteControl session is connected and minimized. The easiest way to reproduce this is to open Excel while RemoteControl is connected and minimized. Excel will fail to copy the formula on the first copy (via ctrl-c or right click copy); it will instead copy the value of the cell. Copying twice seems to hack around this problem for some reason.

I am using Windows Server 2008R2 with a localhost connection back to the console. This reproduces with Office 2007 and Office 2013.
 
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I am having a problem with the MS Office clipboard due to running instance RemoteControl. Office fails to copy formatting when a RemoteControl session is connected and minimized. The easiest way to reproduce this is to open Excel while RemoteControl is connected and minimized. Excel will fail to copy the formula on the first copy (via ctrl-c or right click copy); it will instead copy the value of the cell. Copying twice seems to hack around this problem for some reason.

This is probably something to do with the Office Clipboard - http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/w...y-using-the-office-clipboard-HA010163602.aspx

Try switching it off as per the instructions. It breaks quite a few clipboard-related functions (and this is probably a VNC issue rather than RemoteControl).
 
Hey guys sorry ive missed out on some of the discussions.

Here are my quick thoughts.

1.) The elevated vs non-elevated issue. I would prefer to leave it in place. Reason being is that not only does UAC give it that extra run level, it also gives you the opportunity to enter credentials to run the application if you are executing with a non-admin account (you should be). Considering all that this app does, it makes sense to run elevated with UAC. Additionally, if I don't force admin credentials when running the application, then it will likely create confusion when the application breaks. If your not running as an admin on your local machine, then your likely not an admin on the machine you are connecting to and the application will fail.

2.) For whoever was stating that they login and execute with their Domain Admin creds, this is bad practice. Just putting it out there. Its your environment, but you should be really logging in with your "normal" account (which shouldn't be an admin of any sort) and then run things elevated (domain admin sys admin whatever) when needed.

3.) I will look into making some changes that allow sorting of the columns natively so you don't have to use an external script to do so.

4.) The Office clipboard issue is most likely attributed to the VNC program. Since it allows you to copy and paste clipboard items to\from the computer you connected to through VNC, then its likely breaking whatever other process that might utilize the clipboard.

Are there any other action items on my side that I missed besides the above sorting of columns?
 
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Are there any other action items on my side that I missed besides the above sorting of columns?

Thanks for the update - and all your hard work!

Would it be possible to change the folder where the VNC viewer & conn.vnc are on the *local* computer from C:\RCTEMP to %AppData%\RemoteControl anyway? Even if you want to leave the UAC stuff as-is (and I agree with you that this is better), it would be more secure & possibly more compatible with scenarios like running under Remote Desktop / Switch User to have these files stored in a 'per-user' location - not to mention the fact that by default C:\RCTEMP\conn.vnc is readable by all users, and contains the VNC password for the current connection...

Just my £0.02. Not the end of the world if it's not changed.
 
Ah ok thanks... I was able to turn this off in the VNC viewer settings under Options > Input > Advanced Settings > Share clipboard with VNC Server. It seems to stick even after closing/reopening RemoteControl.
 
just thought i'd update on my progress.... the RAM *finally* arrived last week and has been fitted, so i'll be rebuilding the last three servers with win2k8r2 x64 sometime in the next few weeks, although i've got 8 ESX servers to install and build before i even think about that (plus the rest of the day job) so it might be even longer before i get round to it (if at all - we're moving datacentres in june)
 
2.) For whoever was stating that they login and execute with their Domain Admin creds, this is bad practice. Just putting it out there.

Thanks, and yes, I know all of the arguments... but the fact is, as long as UAC is enabled, and one understands how it works, and is carefuly (that is where most slip up), running with Admin creds is really very safe. The only thing that running with a standard user gets you is instead of just having to click 'OK', I have to actually enter valid Admin creds.

3.) I will look into making some changes that allow sorting of the columns natively so you don't have to use an external script to do so.

What!?!?!? And make all of my hard work and creative genius for nothing!?!?

;) Seriously, if you'd do that, it would be really awesome.

Fyi, the only real problem I have with the newer version that forces the UAC prompt isn't so much the UAC prompt as it is that it takes many more seconds (8+, vs less than 1) to even get the UAC prompt. If the UAC prompt was as fast as the older version is just launching, I'd be fine with having to click 'OK'.

If you did provide a way to sort the list of computers on the different columns, then I'd be willing to put up with the much slower maunch time to not have to use my kludge...

Thanks for considering this Muad'Dib!
 
Are there any other action items on my side that I missed besides the above sorting of columns?

Ok, I'll add these two (the first wasn't exactly a request as much as a subtle complaint, but I'll make it a request now):

1. Figure out why forcing the UAC prompt causes it to launch soooo much slower, and if possible, fix it, and

2. Add a feature to remember the window position (I have to reposition it each time).

Fix these two, and it is *perfect*!

:)

Thanks again!
 
@ Muad'Dib
Why not take this to SourceForge?
The spread of the tool would be much bigger and more people would benefit from you work.
 
This is a very useful tool and I appreciate the work being put in. That said, I feel like it would gain some legitimacy if it was not hosted on a porn infested filehost.
 
The development of an incredibly useful remote control utility for Windows networks.
 
Can I start by saying thank you for developing this. like most people here I find this invaluable. However like one of the other posters I am recieving the "connect: Connection refused (10061)" error.
machines are running Windows 7 64bit. I have enabled the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI-In) in the filewall and allowed ports 5993 none of which seems to make any difference.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Ok, I'll add these two (the first wasn't exactly a request as much as a subtle complaint, but I'll make it a request now):

1. Figure out why forcing the UAC prompt causes it to launch soooo much slower, and if possible, fix it, and

Well, for some reason I decided to test the latest version again, and now there is no delay before getting the UAC prompt, so I'm now using the latest (1.8.1) version...
 
Well, for some reason I decided to test the latest version again, and now there is no delay before getting the UAC prompt, so I'm now using the latest (1.8.1) version...

Spoke too soon...

I forgot about the new 'feature' that wipes the Host name field when you disconnect from the target machine.

It is very common that I have to connect multiple times to the target machine (ie, updating, and have to reboot in between, etc),

This is such an inconvenience for me that I again have reverted to using 1.7.3...

Please consider making the new 'Wipe hostname field after disconnect' optional, so that I can disable it to get the old behavior back.

Thanks!
 
So... Muad'Dib, are you still around?

Here is my current list of issues that would make this tool perfect...

1. Allow an option to save (or not) the last workstation connected to when disconnecting.

I update workstations remotely a lot, and will reconnect to the same one 3 or 4 times when rebooting, so it is very convenient - for me- to have it remember the last one connected to.

2. Allow sorting on 'Recent Hosts' and/or 'Description' fields by clicking on the column headers.

This would eliminate the need for two different icons and the 'wrapper' script - one for sorting on the 'Recent Hosts' field and one for sorting on the 'Description' field - that I have to run now.

3. Remember the last window position - or, be able to specify a specific position relative to the top right corner.

4. Ability to configure where the .log and .tmp files are stored (currently hardcoded to be stored in "%AppData%\RemoteControl").

I would love to be able to store these in a shared network drive, so that when I use one of my other accounts from a different computer, I am using the same list of hosts...

Thats it - well, that and testing with Windows 10 (haven't gotten one added to our domain yet)...

Has anyone else tested with Windows 10?
 
Oh, and one more...

2.5 Remember the last sorted order, and do a full re-sort on that field the next time it is launched.
 
Im so sorry guys! The thread notifications here don't appear to work very well.

Anyway. I haven't updated the program in awhile because its just worked. In addition, our organization purchased Bomgar for remote support capabilities so this tool isn't used by our IT department as much as it used to.

I am planning on doing another update here soon. I will take into consideration some of the suggestions here and do a release ASAP. Maybe by late next week? I am not updating for Windows 10 just yet because I am not keen on joining a Windows 10 device to a domain due to privacy and security concerns. A lot is unknown about all Windows is doing in the background on 10 and that's scary.

In addition, I would like to eventually move to a more open source model where the source code is available for all to play with if they wanted too. That's still a bit off though.. but I am still here and still totally willing to work on this project.
 
My contractor and I use this over in favor of the Microsoft SCCM remote assistant client. The only feature we have missed is the ability to search through the client list. We support around 300 PCs with this.
 
My contractor and I use this over in favor of the Microsoft SCCM remote assistant client. The only feature we have missed is the ability to search through the client list. We support around 300 PCs with this.

What if I solved this with some sort of autocomplete? So for example there is a computer name in the list named "MyCrazyComputer" and in the Computer name text area as you start typing M+y+C it "AutoCompletes" to that computer name? Or would you rather have an actual find or search area to find a device in the list?
 
What if I solved this with some sort of autocomplete? So for example there is a computer name in the list named "MyCrazyComputer" and in the Computer name text area as you start typing M+y+C it "AutoCompletes" to that computer name? Or would you rather have an actual find or search area to find a device in the list?

We are mostly using the description we have on each entry for identification, but if an auto-complete feature were to work on either field, then it would probably make a world of difference.
 
For anyone interested, I wrote a similiar app in PureBasic, it's available here:

https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1173851-vnc-remote-control-utility?page=1#entry-5001328

NOT trying to take away from the excellent work that Muad'Dib did here, I honestly thought his tool was abandoned and still missed some features I wanted so I wrote my own. I'm sure if we could compare source, his would be infinitely better....

Muad'Dib - If you wish me to remove this from the thread, PM me and I'll remove it ASAP.

EDIT:

Updated to resolve some glitches, now is a 64-bit only app.
 
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I tried the utility from OldNESJunkie. I liked the interface, but the TightVNC viewer failed to load properly. But the search and sorting features are good additions to Muad'Dib's creation.

Muad'Dib has created a solid utility. The only complaint we have is nit-picky about searching.
 
Im so sorry guys! The thread notifications here don't appear to work very well.

Anyway. I haven't updated the program in awhile because its just worked. In addition, our organization purchased Bomgar for remote support capabilities so this tool isn't used by our IT department as much as it used to.

I am planning on doing another update here soon. I will take into consideration some of the suggestions here and do a release ASAP. Maybe by late next week? I am not updating for Windows 10 just yet because I am not keen on joining a Windows 10 device to a domain due to privacy and security concerns. A lot is unknown about all Windows is doing in the background on 10 and that's scary.

In addition, I would like to eventually move to a more open source model where the source code is available for all to play with if they wanted too. That's still a bit off though.. but I am still here and still totally willing to work on this project.

Hi there, my company uses this tool, but we have a very old version of it. We are using 1.3.5. Any of the download links for the newer versions no longer work. Even if you aren't going to update it right away where can I find a newer version?

Thanks, -Knuckle66
 
Is anyone else getting 'The EventLog could not be accessed on xxx' when attempting to connect from a Windows 10 computer to Windows 7?

Worked fine with same Group Policy settings from 7->7...?
 
Managed to download 1.7.4, the rest of the links are not working. Great tool ! This must be în softpedia ! Please share the last version .
 
Ok, Muad'Dib,

I have been commanded to start testing and then rolling out Windows 10 in our network of about 70 workstations.

I just added the first one to our domain, and everything has been working fine, until I tested RemoteControl... using the same user account I use for all daily activities (and remoting into all Win7 workstations works fine as always) - but alas, no go, it gives me a "Connection refused (10061)" error.

I confirmed the firewall on the workstation is disabled (it is disabled via GP on all workstations), so maybe it is some kind of permissions problem with installing the RemoteControl app on windows 10?

As for your concerns about privacy, these have pretty much all been debunked. The most recent is here:

http://www.windowscentral.com/no-windows-10-not-spying-your-pc-thousands-times-day

So, I hope you will reconsider updating this marvelous app to work properly with Windows 10 - and maybe add some of the new features (sorting, etc) already discussed.

As always, thanks sooo much for RemoteControl!

Charles
 
Just to say after installing the latest cumulative update for Windows 10 Build 1511 this week, RemoteControl started working again!

No longer getting 'The EventLog could not be accessed on xxx' error any more. Obviously this doesn't help libertytrek, but keep fiddling with settings, it can be made to work...
 
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