Funky Remote Desktop Connection Scenario

[mfaerber]

Hello everyone, I'm a novice at networking... as in I've done it many times in the past for myself, but not often enough for me to remember many of the tricks and techniques. The following is about remote desktop connection programs/networking... of which I have never done before.

What I have (I'd like to avoid buying anything further, this is for fun, not work):

A Win98 Laptop (Compaq Presario 1670: http://www.smartcomputing.com/edito...99/s1009/33s09/33s09.asp&articleid=6360&guid= )
A WinXPSP2 desktop
A WinME desktop
Ethernet cards for all
Ethernet cable
Telephone cable
Wireless router (that I have never hooked up and I do not have a receiver card for)
Crossover Cable
Cable broadband connection on XP and ME computer via Motorolla Surfboard modem (they are "networked" together via the crossover cable)

In short, what I envision doing is:

To somehow use my ethernet cable (or telephone cable would be better, unless that would be too slow) between the two computers (laptop and WinXP desktop) and some sort of remote desktop connection rogram with the ability to control my XP desktop through my laptop which is just a couple rooms away. I'd like to be able to surf the internet from my laptop, and play World of Warcraft type games that are installed on my WinXP desktop.

Why this way?

Because my laptop is old, it has a 4gb HDD and a AMD K6 350ish MHZ processor, and would be very slow to run world of warcraft type games and other programs (if it could at all). So I figured if I could do remote desktoping with it, then it could handle anything my WinXP desktop can. Am I wrong in thinking this? Is there a completely different way I should be going about this?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Ethereal_Dragon]

I don't think you will be able to run WoW like that, but I cannot say for sure. That would be interesting to try though, maybe I will try that through my fiancee's laptop sometime.

I am thinking that the laptop might not display WoW correctly, as it is pretty dated like you said. Also, as far as doing this a few rooms away, you would need to have that router hooked up, and wireless enabled, and get an adaptor for the laptop, unless you have a REALLY long ethernet cable (and hopefully no pets!)

 

[T1junkie]

Running any kind of graphically intensive program within an RDP session is usually terribly slow unless you have some really high end equipment on either end, Browsing should be fine though...

but you could do that from the laptop anyway if the laptop is connected to your network.

I manage servers via RDP across a 1Gb Backbone with a 3Ghz box on either end, and often I experience latency with that.

 

[mfaerber]

Thank you both for the input, I appreciate the comments.

I wonder if there is a way to use my laptop as a second monitor for my XP desktop... Of course, there is the issue of control (ie mouse, keyboard, etc.). But I've seen many 'second monitor' programs crop up over the past few years. I will look into them.

 

[mfaerber]

And for the record, the only game I'd like to play via my laptop is FLYFF ( http://flyff.gpotato.com/ )... it's free!