I want to be able to help my folks with their computer problems but they are ove

Question

I want to be able to help my folks with their computer problems but they are over 1000+ miles from where I live.

Is there a good cross-platform (Windows 8.1 and Mac Mavericks) free to use software tool that we can use for me to take control of their computers?

It needs to

Let me control remotely their computer.
Let them see what I am doing so I can teach them while I am controlling their computers.
Let me help either a Windows or Mac based machine from my Windows machine.
Be semi-easy to install and set it up on their end.

Explanation / Answer

There are many options. VNC, TeamViewer, Logmein, JoinMe are just a few

I personally use VNC as it is available on so many platforms and OS's. It allows you to access your folks computer remotely as if you were sat there. Although you will have to set it up on their machine first (install a VNC server) and when you want to connect you'll need to get their IP address from them, AND ensure a connection through any firewall is possible.

If you use TeamViewer or LogMeIn, these have an application which will tell you which of your remote machines are online and you can double click to start a session. This can be easier if your folks struggle to give you the IP address...

Infact, all the methods I can think of will need some sort of install performed on their computer, with the exception of Windows Remote Desktop Connection which may be installed already (there is a client for Mac for it)

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