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Free license: Notification near the system tray and other changes

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andy dale, User (Posts: 2)
Mar 26, 2022 5:42:45 am EDT
Support level: Free or trial
Hello remote utilities team,
I really appreciate your work and I wish you the best for your company success.
I usually use your software for personal. to access my home computer from office.
I saw your feature of the black screen for host pc, my question is it also possible for the viewer to hide cursor on the black screen without disabling keyboard and mouse for the host.
On host screen even on black screen cursor moves around
Pauline, Support (Posts: 2872)
Mar 28, 2022 4:20:41 pm EDT
Hello Andy,

Thank you for your message.

Unfortunately, this is expected behavior caused by some technical specifics of the screen blanking mechanism. Hopefully, we will be able to fix it in our future updates, but we cannot provide any specific ETA on this yet. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Please let us know if you have other questions.
Wayne Morris, User (Posts: 1)
Apr 01, 2022 6:50:12 pm EDT
Support level: Free or trial
Had to revert back to 7.0.2.0 as a work around for now.
Pauline, Support (Posts: 2872)
Apr 04, 2022 3:09:38 pm EDT
Hello Wayne,

Thank you for your message.

In case if you encounter any issues, please try updating your Host to the latest version 7.1.2.0 as the version mismatch can lead to performance issues or some features not working properly. You can update your Host via the Simple Update feature.

Hope that helps.
Alan Welsh, User (Posts: 5)
Jun 09, 2022 12:21:37 pm EDT
Support level: Free or trial
FORUM Issue >>
I wrote this a while ago, and of course it had already logged me out before I resumed editing.  So, I finished, and hit PREVIEW.  After that, I thought I'd see the option to SEND/POST, but I didn't.  I also could find no way to get back to the edit screen.  After RE-logging in, I still couldn't even find my draft or the preview.  Luckily, I clipped it before even trying the preview.

Sorry it is so long -- and, NO reply [to me anyway] is required, so only reply to help others posting here:

Since I spent an hour trying to "find" the Amazon logout last night on a "USER's" PC, I want to weigh in on the banner.  (FYI, I am trying to USE the "USER" and "ADMIN [console?]" which always tells me WHICH PC and which user, or installation we are referring to. I can't ever get the terms "server/client/host/viewer" straight in my head no matter what I do.)  So, when AS ADMIN, I'm logged into a USER'S PC, here's one banner implementation:

For the ADMIN --
Display the banner the way it is, (fairly opaque), but provide a "DISMISS for 5 minutes."   It could even prevent clicking under the banner, since I can remove it.  This would ensure the ADMIN is reminded every five minutes, which is BETTER than just showing a semi-transparent banner, but still makes it 100% FULLY usable.  Fr om your perspective, it also makes it even more obvious that they could/should pay.

Clipboards are a HORRIBLE security problem, since often, ADMINS are most always using the USER's PW and login credentials, which sometimes I DO need them, but need to be able to toggle that on or off.  Likewise, us ADMINS don't want to make a MISTAKE and send MY credentials to the USER's PC and LEAVE it there!  Without it being both VERY obvious, and easy to change back and forth, the user HAS to assume (likely correctly), that a clipboard manager would hold a copy of every PW and username used for that session.  Also, the ADMIN must remember or know what is/was in his Windows clipboard or APP, (sometimes it is impossible to see or know).

So, SOMEWHERE, you must CLEARLY show the STATE of clipboard transfers, as well as the ability with one click, to CHANGE IT on the fly without going into any menus.  


For the USER --
Display the LIKELY ID NAME of the ADMIN, since this is extremely important for security reasons. --  Another reason is, if tech support folks are also on the phone working on an issue, the USER needs to be confident who is connected, and HOW LONG connected.

The other thing the user must be informed about, if for no other reason for them to be aware of it, that the ADMIN will likely have a copy of ANYTHING that is copied.  So, SHOW the STATE of the CLIPBOARD.

Then, give the user some way to EASILY and OBVIOUSLY dismiss the message, at least for some named time -- (at least 10 minutes).  If you provide that, then the banner could be showing in the middle of the screen, like an ACCEPT banner you must answer.  (Also show un-licensed.)  Using THIS method should be standard for commercial use as well I think, and obscure messages aren't useful, and confuse the user.  A tech call often has frazzled, sometimes irate USERS on the phone and on their PCs.  Even trying to understand wh ere ANY banner is, or even finding the cursor that is shaking at them, is sometimes a one minute job, so make the banner BIG and DISMISSABLE with all installations, (free or paid).

---------------------------------------------
Thanks for a great product that is reasonably easy to use. Those of us that help our users, often family, requires a fair amount of trust to be able to log into their PC's at any time.  One option that might help in some cases, is to require the user to "ACCEPT", before any session is initiated, when installed.  An added hurdle for ADMINs, but for a USER, any way you cut it, what we do IS an intrusion on their privacy, and can't be avoided.  However, they should be able to "close and lock the door" to prevent intrusions at least some of the time.  Clipboards for me though are likely the largest security problem of all, for any RDP program or service.  When I have my car replaced, they "have my keys", but hard enough to duplicate, that it seldom happens.  Even if they do, they still need physical access to the car.  Passwords almost always are going to be inadvertently copied, and stored by the ADMIN, "trying to help".  And once the credentials are copied and available, the user or his PC is not needed.  And so now, if the ADMIN'S PC is hacked, the USER's credentials are also at risk, even if the reputable admin is very proficient and studious.
Pauline, Support (Posts: 2872)
Jun 14, 2022 5:04:24 pm EDT
Hello Alan,

Thank you for your message and provided feedback.

o, I finished, and hit PREVIEW. After that, I thought I'd see the option to SEND/POST, but I didn't. I also could find no way to get back to the edit screen. After RE-logging in, I still couldn't even find my draft or the preview. Luckily, I clipped it before even trying the preview.

Unfortunately, the draft of the posts are not saved on the forum. However, when you click the Preview button, you still should be able to post right from the previewing window by clicking the Reply button located in its usual spot:
Free license: Notification near the system tray and other changes - 14 Jun 2022 04:48:56

Display the banner the way it is, (fairly opaque), but provide a "DISMISS for 5 minutes." It could even prevent clicking under the banner, since I can remove it.

We actually plan to add a feature to hide the notification banner on the Viewer's side, i.e. it will still be visible on the Host's side, but you won't see it in your remote session window. In addition, we plan to add the option to sel ect the corner to display the notification banner as well. These improvements should be available in one of our next updates.

So, SOMEWHERE, you must CLEARLY show the STATE of clipboard transfers, as well as the ability with one click, to CHANGE IT on the fly without going into any menus.

Please note that it's already possible to Get or Set remote clipboard, i.e. copy the contents of the remote clipboard to the local clipboard and vice versa via the Get remote clipboard/Set remote clipboard commands on the Full Control window's Toolbar.
In addition, please note that you can also disable automatic clipboard sync for any specific Host (or for all newly added connections by default) by enabling the Do not synchronize clipboard feature in the Connection Properties -> Remote screen tab - in this case you will still be able to transfer the clipboard contents to and fr om the remote Host machine manually using the Get clipboard/Set clipboard commands.

One option that might help in some cases, is to require the user to "ACCEPT", before any session is initiated, when installed. An added hurdle for ADMINs, but for a USER, any way you cut it, what we do IS an intrusion on their privacy, and can't be avoided. However, they should be able to "close and lock the door" to prevent intrusions at least some of the time.

Please note that we already provide this functionality. In order to use it, please enable and set up the Ask User Permission feature in the Host Settings -> Confirmation tab. This feature allows invoke a message on the remote machine that prompts the remote user to accept or reject an incoming connection.

And so now, if the ADMIN'S PC is hacked, the USER's credentials are also at risk, even if the reputable admin is very proficient and studious.

In this case we also recommend to enable the Address Book Encryption which helps to protect your address book data (passwords and other credentials) in case someone got unauthorized access to your files on the Viewer computer.


Please let us know if you have more questions.
tony dolce, User (Posts: 9)
Jun 29, 2022 4:05:26 am EDT
Support level: Free or trial
Here are my 2c:
why not leave the banner in the right corner (or the one the user would choose) and move it dinamically when the mouse is over it? Basically the user needs to read something under the banner. So, it should be enough to move it to the opposite corner (bottom left corner) when the user put the mouse over the banner.
This is the same concept of the chrome browser status bar: when the link you want to click it's near the bottom left corner of the browser windows, the destination link in the status bar is moved and displayed on the right corner as soon as you put the mouse over the link.
This will make the destination link (or the remote utilities banner) always readable/visible without affecting productivity.
Tony
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Free license: Notification near the system tray and other changes Free license: Notification near the system tray and other changes
Pauline, Support (Posts: 2872)
Jun 29, 2022 7:07:35 am EDT
Hello Tony,

Thank you for your message and feedback.

I'll forward your suggestion to our development department for a review. However, please note that we already plan to implement an option that will allow hiding the notification banner on the Viewer's side to make it less intrusive, i.e. it will still be displayed on the physical remote screen, but won't be shown in the remote session window.

Please let us know if you have more questions.
Bob Smith, User (Posts: 9)
Jul 17, 2022 10:09:03 am EDT
Support level: Free or trial
I’m a little surprised that the most requested feature by far, originally promised 6 months ago, still hasn’t arrived with these latest versions. There doesn’t seem to be an option to hide or even move the notification at the viewer side.

I hope I just missed the setting?
Pauline, Support (Posts: 2872)
Jul 18, 2022 2:34:38 pm EDT
Hello Bob,

Thank you for your message.

Unfortunately, these options have not been added in the recent update yet as we're still investigating on the best way we could implement them. Hopefully, at least one of the options would be available in one of our future updates. We apologize if this makes our software less useful for you.

Please let us know if you have other questions.

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