Frequently asked questions and troubleshooting

These FAQs address common representative and customer questions. If you don't find the answers you need here, send your questions to support@gotoassist.com. To ensure that our responses do not get blocked by your spam filter, add support@gotoassist.com to your address book.

General FAQs

Running GoToAssist Remote Support

What is the size of the file that my customer downloads to engage in a screen-sharing session with me?: The file ranges in size from 429 KB to 544 KB depending upon your Remote Support configuration.
Are there any files or folders left on my customer's computer after the session ends?: The downloaded file stays on the customer's computer; however, any subsequent sessions will require a smaller download containing a new encryption key.
Does my customer need to have administrative privileges to join a support session?: No. However, without administrative privileges Remote Support does not offer full functionality to the support representative. If your customer has administrative rights, Remote Support runs as a service, and you are able to use the Send Ctrl-Alt-Del command, reboot the computer in safe mode, continue with User Account Controls prompts and set up unattended support. If your customer does not have administrative rights, you still have keyboard and mouse control of your customer's computer, and you may still reboot the customer's computer and reconnect, but you will be unable to use the Send Ctrl-Alt-Del command or continue with User Account Controls prompts.
Is the plug-in virus-free?: Yes, the plug-in is safe. Citrix Online performs regular virus checks and updates. The warning message the customer may see is a default message that the browser displays when executable files are downloaded.
Is there a time-out when no activity occurs on either my computer or my customer's computer?: There is no time-out. The session will continue until either side terminates the session by closing the Viewer window.
Is there a limit to the duration of a session?: There is no limit to the duration of a session.
Is there a limit to the number of sessions that I can run?: There is no limit to the number of sessions that can be run.
What is the max number of sessions I can hold at once?: You can hold up to 8 remote support sessions at a time.

Drawing Tools

How do I draw and erase the drawings on the shared screen?: To draw, click Tools, highlight Drawing Tools, choose the tool with which you would like to draw, then draw by clicking and drawing in the Viewer window. To erase drawings, click Tools, highlight Drawing Tools, then click Erase all drawings.

Cut/Copy/Paste

Can I copy and paste text between my customer's PC and mine?: Yes. While you are in a session, you share the Windows clipboard with your customer. You can select and copy text only.

File Transfer

What is the largest file size that I can transfer between my customer's computer and my own?: The size of the file is not limited or restricted.

Reboot/Reconnect

If I initiate a Reboot/Reconnect on my customer's computer, and Remote Support finds no Internet connection to restart the session, how long until it quits searching to reconnect?: Your session will automatically terminate after 10 minutes if unable to reconnect with your customer's computer. Also remember to tell your customer to not close his/her Viewer window. This will terminate the session prematurely. The customer's Remote Support Viewer window will close automatically when the shut-down is requested, then re-launch upon reconnection.

Screen Sharing

How can I switch from Customer Screen Sharing to Share My Screen? How can I switch back?

To share your screen:

Click Screen Sharing.
Click Share My Screen.

To switch back to the customer's screen:

Click Screen Sharing.
Click Start seeing screen.

How do I chat or share the screen of more than one customer?

Click New Session in the Viewer window menu and invite another customer to the new support session.

Can my customer temporarily end screen sharing and reconnect without reinitiating the entire session?

Yes. Your screen-sharing session can be temporarily paused by either you or your customer.

To pause your screen-sharing session:

Click Screen Sharing in your Viewer window menu.
Click Stop Screen Sharing.

You must reinitiate the session from your Viewer window:

Click Screen Sharing in your Viewer window menu.
Click Share My (or Customer Xs) Screen.

How can I take a screenshot of my customer's screen?

Yes. To take a screenshot of your customer's screen:

From your Viewer window click Tools, then Preferences.
Select the Screen Sharing tab.
Uncheck Pass system keys to remote computer.
Click OK.
Press the Print Screen key on your keyboard.
Paste in your imaging or documenting software.

Unattended Support

Why can't I set up unattended support on my customer's computer?

Make sure that Remote Support is running as a service on the customer's computer. To run Remote Support as a service, click Tools, then click Upgrade to Run as a Service. Normally Remote Support does this automatically if your customer has administrative privileges. If your customer does not, clicking Upgrade to Run as a Service should trigger a popup asking administrative permission to run Remote Support as a service.

What if I forget the access code to one of my unattended support computers?

If you forget the access code to one of your unattended support computer's, you must be physically present at the computer to reset the access code:

Right click the customer's Remote Support icon in the system tray.
Mouse over Unattended Access.
Click Change Access Code.
Enter the password for your Remote Support account and you can reset the access code.

Can I set up unattended support while physically present at my customer's machine?

Yes. Navigate to https://www.fastsupport.com/unattended to set up unattended support while present at a customer's computer.

Connection Issues

What are the minimum browser requirements to begin a screen-sharing session?

The minimum requirements are as follows:

Required: Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OS X 10.4 or later
Required: Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator 4.0 or later, Mozilla Firefox 1.0 or later or Safari 1.3 or later
Required: 28.8 KBps or greater connection, 56 K recommended
Required: Ability to make direct outgoing TCP connections or availability of an HTTP proxy or a SOCKS server

What ports does Remote Support use?

All Remote Support software connections are outbound, requiring TCP connections to ports 80, 443 or 8200.

Why don't the arrow keys and the number pad on my keyboard operate (i.e., allow me to move my cursor or type numbers); they only scroll the Viewer window?

The system keys feature is enabled.

To disable the system keys feature:

From your Viewer window, select Tools, then Preferences.
Select the Screen Sharing tab.
Uncheck Pass system keys to remote computer.
Click OK.

What File Transfer Protocol is used in Remote Support?

The File Transfer feature does not use the traditional File Transfer Protocol (FTP), but instead relies on the same secure, firewall-friendly technology that powers screen sharing. Flow control ensures that File Transfer and screen sharing can take place simultaneously.

How do I alleviate an Internet Traffic Jam or slow connectivity?

An Internet Traffic Jam is a timeout related to communications to and from Citrix Online servers. This can be caused by anything that connects the customer or the representative to Citrix Online servers, including the customer's or representative's internal network or any server the data travels through to get to Citrix Online servers (including Citrix Online servers). Close programs that use bandwidth (e.g., radio and Internet chat sessions).

Another way to solve this issue is to lower the quality of your Remote Support display:

From your Viewer Window, click Tools, then Preferences.
From the Screen Sharing tab select 256 Colors, Disable display effects, and Disable desktop wallpaper.
Click OK and attempt to connect again.

How does my customer alleviate Internet traffic jams or slow connectivity?

To alleviate jams or slow connectivity:

Close streaming programs (e.g., radio and Internet chat sessions).
Close graphic-intensive wallpaper.
Close unnecessary programs or applications.

Can I remotely print using Remote Support?

Unfortunately, Remote Support does not support remote printing at this time.

Is Remote Support proxy-aware?

Yes.

Do the Windows User Account Controls (UAC) need to be on to use Remote Support on a customer's machine?

For best results, ensure that your customer's Windows User Account Controls are turned on. Turning UAC off may affect the software's ability to run as a service and to initiate the Send CTRL-ALT-DEL command.

How does Remote Support reboot a customer's computer into safe mode on Windows XP/Windows 2000?

In order to reboot in safe mode on Windows XP, Remote Support first copies the original boot.ini file to boot.ini.bak, located in the same folder as the original file, and then modifies the existing boot.ini file to reboot the system in safe mode. Remote Support modifies the original boot.ini file only if the copy succeeds. If a back up copy already exists, Remote Support does not modify the boot.ini file and will not reboot your customer's computer in safe mode. If the boot.ini file was affected by malware, then your customer's computer may behave unpredictably. Restoring to the original boot.ini file happens automatically once the system boots in safe mode. However, if the latter fails (BSOD),you will have to manually complete the restoration.

Error Messages

The file may have been corrupted in transfer. This message appears after I transfer a large file (e.g., 80 MB) to my customer's computer, and notice that the file size is much smaller on my customer's computer.

The error message is generated when there is a problem sending the file to the destination (e.g., insufficient disk space). Make sure there is enough disk space on the customer's computer, and resend the file. If there is not enough space on the customer's computer, zip the file before resending it.

The page cannot be displayed. This error message is displayed when the customer goes to our support page to initiate a screen sharing session.

To check:

Close all browsers and reopen another.
Check for Internet connectivity.

OS Not Supported. This message appears when my customer begins a screen sharing session?

The customer is using a non-supported operating system. Customer must be on a Windows based PC or Mac OS X 10.4 or newer.

Connection Help

This section describes how to use GoToAssist Remote Support application with Firewalls:

Personal Firewalls

If you have a personal firewall (ZoneAlarm�, Norton Personal Firewall, etc.) installed, make sure that Remote Support is not being blocked. If so, unblock Remote Support and try again.

Additionally, you can enable your personal firewall so that Remote Support can access the Internet every time you need it to.

Enabling Remote Support to access the Internet

The first time you run Remote Support on a PC that has a firewall installed, you will set off the firewall and be prompted to allow Remote Support to access the Internet.

Select the check box to Remember the answer each time I use this program.
Click Yes to enable Remote Support to access the Internet.

Using Remote Support within a Business Environment

If you do not have a personal firewall but are in a business environment, you may have a hardware firewall. Please provide the document found at www.citrixonline.com/iprange to your IT department so that they may allow Remote Support to connect.

If a connection still cannot be established, please contact Global Customer Care for support.

Connection Test Help

Most connection test difficulties are related to user authentication issues. Please answer the question below to assist you with determining if this problem exists and what actions to take.

Did you see a dialog box titled Authentication Required containing three fields labeled Domain, User Name and Password?

Yes, I did see the Authentication Required dialog box and I believe I entered all the correct information but I am still having trouble.
Yes, I did see the Authentication Required dialog box but the Domain field was absent.
No, I did not see the Authentication Required dialog box.
Help, I followed the steps but I am still having trouble.

Yes, I did see the Authentication Required dialog box and I believe I entered all the correct information but I am still having trouble.

The User Name and Password required here are the same as those that you use to log in to your Windows computer.

As when entering all user names and passwords, please make sure that:

You are typing correctly, especially since you cannot see the password characters as you type them.
Your Caps Lock key is off.
You do not have any trailing white-space characters in the fields. Check this by deleting and retyping the entire contents of each field or by checking the end of each field for a blank space.

Yes, I did see the Authentication Required dialog box but the Domain field was absent.

This dialog box indicates that Basic Authentication is in use on your Web proxy. The User Name and Password required here might be the same as those you use to log in to your Windows computer.

However, your Web proxy may require different passwords from those you use to log in to your Windows computer. Your network administrator can confirm whether or not you have the correct information.

As when entering all user names and passwords, please make sure that:

You are typing correctly, especially since you cannot see the password characters as you type them.
Your Caps Lock key is off.
You do not have any trailing white-space characters in the fields. Check this by deleting and retyping the entire contents of each field or by checking the end of each field for a blank space.

No, I did not see the Authentication Required dialog box.

Please contact Global Customer Service.

Help, I followed the steps but I am still having trouble.

Please contact Global Customer Service.

Troubleshooting Java on your Mac

If Java integration with Safari or Firefox stops working, you may need to reinstall or update your Java plug-in.

To check for Java updates:

Click the icon in the top left corner of your screen and click Software Update in the menu.
Once the search for available updates has finished, click Show Details to review the list for any Java updates. If none is found, you already have the most recent update and only need to reinstall Java.

To reinstall Java on your Mac:

Click the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of your screen to open Spotlight.
Type Terminal and press Return. You can also open the Applications folder, then open the Utilities folder and double-click Terminal.
In the Terminal window, type java -version and press Return. You will then see your Java version number, which may look like 1.6.0_20. Write down this Java version number for later use.
Click the icon in the top left corner of your screen and click About This Mac in the menu.
In the new window, you see a version number for Mac OS X, such as 10.6.4 or something similar. Write down this Mac version number for later use.
Open your web browser (such as Safari or Firefox) and go to http://support.apple.com/downloads.
In the Search Downloads field, type Java and the version number that was displayed in your Terminal window and press Return. For example, you might search for Java 1.6.0_20.
In the search results, look for the latest Java update for your version of Mac OS X. For example, you might look for search results like Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 2.
After you find the necessary update, click Download. Then install the update by double-clicking the file in the Downloads window.
Reboot your Mac computer if prompted to do so.

Please contact Global Customer Support if you have any questions.