Laptop Automatically Logs Into My PC By Remote Desktop?!

[muttonbuster]

I'm praying this is what happened. I just bought a new (well, new used Vaio laptop). I hooked it up to my 2wire 2701 gateway both wirelessly and by ethernet cable. For the halibut I decided to try out remote desktop as I've never fiddled with that before. So I set up a new user on the desktop with a password for the laptop to use, tried it out for a few minutes, logged off, and then back on with my usual admin profile that I use on the desktop. Welp, come the next morning, the cluttered desktop that I'm so used to seeing is barren and the background is the windows default. I'm scared to death for a good twenty minutes thinking the worst had happened, was starting to scramble for the credit cards and call Mumbai; when I remembered that I had used the remote desktop. (Called Mumbai later in the day and no unauthorized activity on any of the cards).

A few questions. Is there a reason that the laptop would have logged back into the desktop on its own? Antivirus check, Windows update, etc? The other possibility I was thinking of is that I got logged out, and logged back in with the new user ID instead instead of my usual one inadvertently (I was half asleep). Will creating a new user ID maybe trigger a default for Windows to log you out after a certain amount of time?

And finally, if I disable the wireless on the 2wire gateway, is there any way at all for it to be remotely enabled, or does it have to be done by connecting to it by ethernet cable?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tremmor]

All kinds of ways. Depending where you have been hanging out. Then again you bought from someone else ya say. A virus could turn it on. Internet cable could. Wireless could. Ive used something called LOM (lights out management) in the past for remote access. Say i needed to access the computer from another state. And the computer was off. I could turn it on, remotely access, use it and turn off.

Buying used and an issue like this i would be all over it.
it would be a military wipe, full format and new install.

 

[muttonbuster]

The original plan was to break out the D-Ban right when I brought it home; but I got lazy. Seems a very remote possibility that the prior owner (college student in Hong Kong from what the seller told me, even left his MSN login on there with Hanzi characters and a picture of him and a very gorgeous girlfriend) or the guy I bought it from who makes his money on eBay and I don't think would risk the negative feedback; would have much of an inclination to spy on some poor white devil. If it wasn't something automatic, or me not noticing that I was logging in with one of the new user id's I created; I was thinking more along the lines of having made a mistake when I was fiddling with the wireless settings, leaving my network open for the rest of my apartment complex.

Probably being paranoid; but I guess the safest route at this juncture would be to wipe both computers and start fresh. Suppose I should at least change the bank account. What a hassle.

Thanks man.