But software-based solutions don't help much at initial login, because you don't yet have access to the software that stores the password. Instead, you need a way to generate a password that's simultaneously hard-to-crack and easy to remember.

You might, for example, use the "warez" and cracker trick of simple but orderly substitution of numbers and punctuation for normal letters: You pick a word or phrase--the longer the better, up to the limits of your password system--and devise simple substitution rules. For example, a capital "I" might become a "!" while an "o" becomes a "0" (zero), "e" becomes a '3" and an "i" becomes a numeral "1." If you start with a random phrase--let's use "I read InformationWeek"--and then remove the spaces and perform the substitution, you get "!r3ad!nf0rmat10nW33k."

That's a trivial example, but you get the idea: With a properly obscure phrase-and-substitution system, you can develop passwords that are both resistant to casual cracking and yet easy to reproduce from memory.

But even an excellent password can eventually be broken if a cracker is given enough time, so it's also important both to change passwords regularly, and not to leave remote-access services running indefinitely: If you use strong passwords and change them often, and enable remote access only on an as-needed basis, and deactivate it when the need no longer exists, you can greatly reduce the odds of someone being able to hack in.

Setting Up Remote Access
Anyone with an Admin account on an XP Pro box can enable Remote Desktop in seconds--it's very easy: Right click on My Computer/Properties; click the Remote tab, and under Remote Desktop, check "Allow users to connect to this computer." That's it.

But as the foregoing discussion suggests, there's actually a lot to consider in getting remote access set up and working properly. The XP help system is actually a good place to start some in-depth reading: Begin with a search on "Remote Desktop" and you'll find many pages of relevant information, including good security advice.

That may be all you need, but if not, you can find additional information from Microsoft in "Using Remote Desktop." http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/gomobile/remotedesktop/ And again, the client software is also available for free download from Microsoft here. http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/ pro/downloads/rdclientdl.asp

The best third-party sites on the subject are J Helmig's "Remote Desktop Access" http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/wxprmdtp.htm and "Remote Assistance" http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/wxprmass.htm.

Doug Knox's "How To Use Remote Desktop Web Connection" http://www.dougknox.com/xp/tips/xp_rd_web.htm is sketchier, but still useful.