Hello-All,
http://www.kavoom.biz/k/prod_o.....rview.html
The above URL is it for real or just sales?
I have 2 boxes and one monitor. Old xp home and new win7-64bit. I hate to go the external USB route, since I've never installed a hard drive...
The xp HD are IDE and the win7 is SATA...Can I assume that USB will ignore the differences??
If the kavoom product is real, it would be a great help in using older machines.
Look forward to your responses.
Thanks / John in Dallas
Hey John - Not quite with you on this one mate....sorry.
The software you have linked to allows for one monitor to be used with 2 (or more) separate computers, without the need for any additional hardware.
What do you mean by, "[i:1cn6yo28]I hate to go the external USB route, since I've never installed a hard drive...[/i:1cn6yo28]" ?
What does the the hard drive have to do with monitors?
Where does USB fit into the equation?
Sorry John, I may be having a 'dense' morning...it's early Monday morning here and you know what they can be like! LOL
Cheers....Jim
Good Morning - Jim,
What I'm trying to accomplish is operate my two computers from one monitor and keyboard.. The KAvoom software says it can do that?? Do you believe their statements?
The alternative is to buy external en closers powered by USB.... I've never done that so I'm fearful of damaging my hard drives.
Thanks / John in Dallas.
Aha!! Sorry 'bout that John.
I've never come across that software before so can't say 100% for certain, but the site is rated Green by all leading site advisory services and there are reports across blogs/forums which suggest it works okay. So I would say it is genuine.
HOWEVER, whether it would work as well as a hardware switch or not is another story. My guess would be that it would not be quite as effective as the hardware.
I've checked out prices for a 2 port KVM hardware switch, seem to be around the $40.00 mark and the KaVoom software is $39.99, so not much difference in cash outlay. I guess the main differences will be that you will have to put up with a fair bit of cross cabling with the hardware, while the software solution might not offer quite the same feature level.
I'm going to refer this to Ziggie, who is much better qualified in this area than I, and see what he thinks. There may well be another option altogether.
Stand by!!
Cheers....Jim
I've never used the software...it looks legit, but it is offering something you can do for free with a little know how.
Built into Windows XP Pro and Windows 7 is Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol. It is essentially remote control software built into Windows.
To access this via Windows XP, right click on My Computer and select Properties and choose Remote. Check the box to enable.
On Windows 7, Click Start (the orb) and type Remote. Look for 'Enable Remote access to your PC'.
For both of these to work, your comptuers will both have to be plugged into a network -- which KaVoom requires as well.
To connect from XP to 7, go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Remote Desktop Connection.
To connect from 7 to XP, Click start, type Remote, and select Remote Desktop connection.
Type in the computer name you are connecting to and there you go.
I notice you're running Windows XP Home, so the above doesn't really apply. That's ok, I left it there for others who may find this. For those using XP Home (or older versions of Windows or running OS X, Linux, etc....) there is another option: VNC. There are many VNC clients and servers out there, my favorite right now is UltraVNC.
After installing on each machine, you have a server (what you are connecting to) and a client (what you are connecting from) for each computer. VNC is pretty good about telling you how to connect to the server during setup (usually the computer name is all you need with the default install). Type in the computer name, click Connect and control the other computer like nobody's business.
Is KaVoom easier? Possibly. Like I said, I've never used it. Is a hardware KVM overkill? Possibly, but it gives you the most flexibility.
Couple things to take note of:
- Many monitors come with the ability to hook up multiple inputs. This is useful when booting your second computer so you can see the status screen if it gets stuck.
- One thing a hardware KVM offers that a software KVM cannot is the ability to use boot time trouble shooting - if the computer can't boot or errors a software KVM won't be able to connect and/or show you the error messages. Most of the time this isn't an issue, but when the computer crashes, nothing beats having hardware to hook everything up to.
Two computers one monitor and a lack of desk space!
A not uncommon problem today is that of an office or home setup where you have two computers that you wish to switch between regularly but only have room on your desk for one monitor, keyboard and mouse, especially if you have a widescreen LCD monitor filling your desktop!
william583 said
Two computers one monitor and a lack of desk space!
A not uncommon problem today is that of an office or home setup where you have two computers that you wish to switch between regularly but only have room on your desk for one monitor, keyboard and mouse, especially if you have a widescreen LCD monitor filling your desktop!
yes william i am also using in my office. there is no problem. just switch to other computer and use it,
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