Instant Messaging is an easy way to remotely connect to someone’s desktop and control the screen from the internet. Just select your contact, send a request in the chat conversation window and once the recipient accepts the request, connect to the remote computer quickly.

Windows Live MSN messenger features in-built capabilities to remotely share a desktop. Open a chat window with your contact. Select the Actions menu, go to the Activities option from where you can choose two options: “Application Sharing” or “Remote Assistance”. Application sharing allows the end user to share a single program while the remote assistance option gives full control to the desktop.

For Yahoo! Messenger, you need to download a third party plug-in called Unyte Lyte to remotely share the desktop screen. After you install this plug-in [link], open a conversation window with your contact, click on the Actions menu and select “choose a plugin”. Then choose the Unyte Lyte addon and you are ready to view the other person’s screen.

AOL users can use AIMPro, a business version of AIM, which can be downloaded here for free. AIMPro is powered by Webex and allows you to share the entire desktop. You can share several applications simultaneously, share files, or share other areas of your computer, such as your file directories.