Windows Meeting Space: frequently asked questions

Windows Meeting Space is a feature that makes it easy to set up a meeting and share documents, programs, or your desktop with up to ten people. (All participants must have computers running this version of Windows.)

To open Windows Meeting Space, click the Start button , click All Programs, and then click Windows Meeting Space.

If this is the first time that you open Windows Meeting Space, you will be prompted to turn on some services and sign in to People Near Me.  If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

If you know there's a meeting in progress that you want to join, click Join a meeting near me. Or, if you know that someone has sent you an invitation file, click Open an invitation file. Otherwise, click Start a new meeting.

Note

The option to start a new meeting is not available in Windows Vista Home Basic.

There are three ways to invite someone:

• By selecting names in the "Invite people" dialog box.

  1. In a meeting, click Invite people.

  2. Select the check box beside the name of each person you want to invite, and then click Send invitations.

• By sending an invitation in e-mail.

  1. In a meeting, click Invite people.

  2. In the Invite people dialog box, click Invite others, and then click Send an invitation in e-mail.

• By creating an invitation file.

  1. In a meeting, click Invite people.

  2. In the Invite people dialog box, click Invite others, click Create an invitation file, and save the file.

  3. Give the invitation file to the person you want to invite, either by making it available on a network share that the person can access, by e-mailing it, or by providing it on removable media.

The first thing to do is invite other people to your meeting. Click Invite people.

Next, you can share a document or your desktop with the meeting participants. Click Share a program or your desktop, and then select the item you want to share.

You might also want to distribute handouts (files) to meeting participants. Click Add a handout, and then select the file you want to share.

Yes. One participant at a time can make changes to the handout, and those changes will be made to all participants' handouts. The original file is not affected by the changes.

In the top right corner of your screen, click Give Control. To take back control of the sharing session, click Take Control.

All communications in a meeting are encrypted, which helps ensure that only authenticated and authorized participants can see everything you share.

No. During a sharing session, you are the only person who has control of your desktop and programs. If you want to temporarily pass control to another participant, you can do so; but you can always take back control, either by clicking Take Control or by pressing the Windows logo key +ESC.

Running a program can potentially expose your computer to viruses or worms. There's always some risk when you run a program you’ve received, but here are some precautions you can take:

• Install and use an antivirus program. Be sure to keep your antivirus program up to date.

• Only run programs from people or websites that you trust.

When you are sharing in a meeting, click Options (in the top right corner of your screen), click Connect to a projector, and then follow the instructions.

The meeting continues until all participants have left the meeting.