As soon as your friends and relatives learn you're good at computers, they immediately ask for help about all sorts of stuff: installing apps, removing viruses, improving PC performance - but sometimes helping them can be a real pain.

Luckily you can now count on Instant Housecall Free Edition. This simple remote control application grants you temporal access to a remote system, enabling you to see the desktop, move the mouse and open and close apps just as if you were sitting in front of that computer.

Using Instant Housecall Free Edition is a piece of cake. All you need to do is install a small client and create a specialist ID, which works as your username on the system. Then just tell your friends, customers or whoever has asked you for support to visit the developer's website and enter your username on the 'Request for support' form. They'll also need to install a small client on their side, but it’s really easy, plus it can be uninstalled right away when the session is finished.

As soon as you get a call for request, Instant Housecall Free Edition will open up a window with the remote desktop on it. You’ll have total control over the remote system, including the ability to transfer files between both computers and a handy chat app to talk to your customer.

I was pleasantly surprised with Instant Housecall Free Edition in many aspects: it's dead easy to use and it works seamlessly through firewalls and Vista UAC. The application is perfect for occasionally lending a hand to your not-so tech-savvy friends or parents, but I'm afraid it's too simplistic if you're looking for a professional customer support service. In this case you may want to turn to the paid version of Instant Housecall.

If your friends are constantly asking you for help with their computers, this handy little app can be really useful and time-saving!