Your machine, anywhere
There's a Windows computer with your name on it — zack-pc — running in Vermont, always on. Three steps the first time; after that, it's one click from any device you own.
Status: built & running
Your machine is alive. The secure tunnel opens the moment James texts you your password — that text is your green light to do step 3. Steps 1 and 2 you can knock out right now, so you're one click away when the text lands.
1Join the private network
Your machine isn't on the public internet — it lives behind Tailscale, a private tunnel. Install it on your computer (and phone, if you like), then sign in with your zmellette@gmail.com Google account. James has an invite waiting on that address.
Get Tailscale →2Get the remote-desktop app
On a Mac or iPhone/iPad it's the free Windows App from the App Store. On a Windows machine it's already built in — search the Start menu for Remote Desktop Connection.
Windows App (Mac/iOS) →3Connect
With Tailscale running, add a new PC in the remote-desktop app and point it at zack-pc. Sign in as user Zack with the password James texts you — change it once you're in (press Ctrl+Alt+End inside the session, then "Change a password").
House rules
When you're done, sign out or just close the window — never "Shut down," which turns the machine off in Vermont until James pokes it. Your files live on the machine and stay put between visits. If you see a faint "Activate Windows" watermark, ignore it — cosmetic only. Something broken? Text James; he can fix, restart, or resurrect it from his phone.