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Remote farm recovery

Keep your farm's mini PC reachable and restart it from anywhere

Written by Yapster

Last updated

A farm you run from another place stays reachable when its mini PC signs in to Windows by itself, opens to you over remote access, and has a power button you can press from an app. This guide sets up all three on a Windows mini PC, so a restart or a crash never needs someone on site.

1. Sign in to Windows automatically

Autologon signs in to Windows for you after a restart, so the mini PC returns to the desktop with nobody at the keyboard. Set it up on the mini PC:

  1. Install Claude or Codex on the mini PC.
  2. Ask Claude or Codex to install and set up Autologon.
  3. Open Autologon and enter your Windows password.

Example: "Install Autologon on this PC and set it up so Windows signs in by itself after a restart."

2. Set up remote access

Remote access shows the mini PC's screen on your main computer, so you can work on the farm from anywhere. Connect the mini PC to your main computer for remote access, then ask Claude or Codex to:

  • Start remote access automatically when Windows starts.
  • Turn off the sleep settings.
  • Turn off automatic Windows updates.
  • Keep the mini PC running without shutting down.

Tip: Restart the mini PC once while you are still next to it. It should sign in to Windows by itself and show up in remote access again.

3. Restart the mini PC from anywhere

A remote button clicker presses the mini PC's power button for you when the mini PC has crashed and remote access no longer answers. The clicker works over Bluetooth, so it needs a Bluetooth hub beside it to take commands from an app wherever you are.

You need two parts:

Set them up next to the mini PC:

  1. Place the clicker on the mini PC's power button.
  2. Plug in the Bluetooth hub near the clicker.
  3. Add the hub and the clicker to the app they come with.
  4. Press the power button from the app to check the mini PC responds.

If the mini PC crashes, open the app and press the power button.

Next: With the mini PC reachable, run your farm from any browser. Open Yapster →

Frequently asked questions

How do I restart a phone farm's mini PC remotely?

Put a remote button clicker on the mini PC's power button and a Bluetooth hub next to it. The hub connects the clicker to an app on your phone, so you press the power button from anywhere. With Autologon set up, Windows then signs in by itself.

What does Autologon do?

Autologon is a Windows tool that signs in to Windows for you after a restart. You enter your Windows password in Autologon once, and the mini PC returns to the desktop by itself each time it restarts.

Why does the remote button clicker need a Bluetooth hub?

The remote button clicker takes its commands over Bluetooth, which only works at close range. A Bluetooth hub placed near the clicker passes on commands from the app, so the clicker works when you are somewhere else.

Why turn off sleep and automatic Windows updates on the mini PC?

A mini PC that sleeps stops answering remote access, and an automatic Windows update can restart it without warning. Turning both off keeps the mini PC running until you choose to restart it.