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I want to connect to someone's PC using Remote Assistance in Microsoft Messenger. Both PCs run Windows 7. The remote user is the one initiating the request. We're both behind firewalls/routers which use NAT. My PC is set to be on a Public network, but I don't know that type of network the remote PC is on (Public, Home, or Private). I get this error after entering in the password:

Remote Assistance can't make the connection

Hitting "Troubleshoot" didn't help -- Windows couldn't find anything wrong.

I tried enabling UPnP on my router, but that didn't help. The remote router probably has UPnP enabled.

  1. Does Remote Assistance work over NAT?
  2. Does Remote Assistance work through firewalls?
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1 Answer 1

  1. No, unless you configure port forwarding
  2. Yes, but you have to open TCP 3389 port


Hope to have been of help ;-)

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That article says that Remote Assistance works over NAT if at least one router supports UPnP, which is my case. Or, did I misunderstand that? –  mmm bacon Oct 29 '10 at 22:51
UPnP allows port forwarding, so case 1 is your case. But you might be under an ISP firewall. Can you ping your router from the external? –  djechelon Oct 29 '10 at 23:40
The ISP lets everything through except port 80. –  mmm bacon Oct 30 '10 at 0:04
GoToAssist.com works fine. It's only Remote Assistance that doesn't work. Too bad GoToAssist.com is so expensive. –  mmm bacon Oct 30 '10 at 1:59

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