TightVNC installation and use

Set up on the 7th June 2008 using version 1.3.9 on Windows XP Professional SP2

Server installation

• Download the latest stable setup version (description: 'Self-installing package for Windows') from www.tightvnc.com
• Note: at the time of writing 1.3.9 is the latest version
• Run the tightvnc-1.3.9-setup.exe
• Click Next to set up
• Click Next to agree terms
• Choose a destination directory for the program files, then click Next
• Note: this is usually C:\Program Files\TightVNC
• Select the components to install, and then click Next
• Note: the viewer and documentation files are not required on a server computer, and can be unchecked
• Choose a Start Menu folder, and then click Next
• Note: this is usually TightVNC
• Select any Additional Tasks, and then click Next
• Note: if vnc is to run at startup select the option register as a system service
• Click Install
• Click Finish

Server configuration

• Download and run the recommended add-on (dfmirage-setup-1.1.68.2.exe) at the bottom of the TightVNC download page. This will install the DFMirage mirror display driver, which is the preferred display driver
• The server settings can be pre-configured in a windows registry file, which can then be used to easily set up the server in one step. However, the password entry is stored in the registry as an encrypted hexadecimal value, so unless you know the hex value you want to use, you will have to first start TightVNC, create a password, and then extract the hex value from the registry
• To do this, start TightVNC, create a password when prompted and then close down the TightVNC server. Next, click Start > Run..., type regedit, click Ok and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > SOFTWARE > ORL > WinVNC3. From here you should be able to see the 16 digit hexadecimal number next to the password entry. Note this down for use later
• Note: the benefit of using a reg file, is that you can specify settings for the local machine, the current user and default user
• Below is the contents of a registry file that has been created with all server settings pre-configured. These can be adjusted to suit by changing the dword value
• Open a text editor (i.e. Notepad) and copy and paste the contents below into a new file:

• Search for and replace the string "tvncpass" with hexadecimal the value that was noted down earlier from the registry. This will change the primary and view-only passwords for the local machine, the current user and default user
• Note: the format be as: hex:1a, 1a, 1a, 1a, 1a, 1a, 1a, 1a
• Save the file as some-file.reg (a registry file), and then double-click on the registry file to run it
• A dialog box should appear confirming that the settings have been successfully entered into the registry
• The server can now be started from the Start Menu
• Note: You can safely remove any shortcuts from the start menu that are not required, leaving only 'Launch TightVNC Server'

Viewer (connecting to a computer remotely)

• If the 'self-installing package' was downloaded, the VNC viewer should be available from the start menu under C:\Program Files\TightVNC\VNC Viewer
• If the zip file was downloaded, the VNC viewer is available in the extracted directory, as vncviewer.exe
• Run the vncviewer.exe
• Enter the IP address of the computer to be accessed
• Choose a Connection profile
• Connect

Notes and Tips:

Go back to the How-to Guides main page.

To discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact us using one of the following:

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Email: info@forwestmedia.com

Tel: 07979 728 438

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