By Nick Peers

The concept of taking remote control of one computer from another is nothing new -- NetMeeting predates Windows 98 -- but the goalposts keep changing and one version of Windows won't necessarily play nice with another, never mind non-Windows platforms.

TeamViewer eliminates all these problems in one sweep, offering a single solution for sharing presentations, offering remote support or simply dialling home to retrieve a forgotten file or set the DVR. It works across Windows, Macintosh and Linux systens, and can even be accessed via a web browser or mobile device. Best of all, it's free for personal use.

Quick and easy

TeamViewer isn't just cross-platform, it's easy to set up too. The main program installer contains all the functionality you need, or you can opt for cut-down versions offering a subset of features: Quick Join for joining someone else's presentation, for example, or Host for setting up your home PC for unattended access. There's even a