How to Access a Windows Computer From the Command Line in Linux

1. Test to see if 'rdesktop' is already installed, as it is on many distributions. Log into your Linux system and open a new system terminal window. Type 'whereis rdesktop' and press 'Enter.' If there are no results, you must install it.
2. Install the latest version of 'rdesktop' from your Linux CD or vendor repository if necessary. Ubuntu and other Debian-based users should open a new command-line and type 'sudo apt-get update' followed by 'sudo apt-get install rdesktop,' entering their root password after each command. RPM-based distributions, such as Red Hat Linux and CentOS users, can use the same syntax, replacing the 'apt-get' command with the 'yum' command.
3. Run the 'rdesktop' application with the IP address or domain name of the Windows system you are connecting to as a parameter. For example, to connect to '192.168.24.23' type the command 'rdesktop 192.168.24.23' and press 'Enter.' A new Remote Desktop window will appear on your screen. It uses only basic X-Windows resources and will work equally well no matter what Window Manager you use.