(MONEY Magazine) – If your family is anything like mine, chances are there's at least one relative whom everyone calls when their computers freeze or they can't open the latest e-mailed photo of their nephew in his new Batman costume. That person assumes, often involuntarily, the role of family computer geek--and in my family, that geek is me. As a result, I've spent countless hours walking my mother, father, sister and even my 84-year-old grandmother through the intricacies of Outlook Express, Netscape and iMovie. I'm happy to help, of course; but because we're spread out all over the country, I can't sit down next to them and let the mouse fly. Instead, I troubleshoot by phone. "What do you see now?" is my most common refrain, and the answers are often more mind-bending than the problems at hand. Know what a "flashy blue thingy" is? Neither do I.

But recently I discovered an inexpensive, easy-to-use software program called Timbuktu that has changed all that. Made by a company called Netopia, Timbuktu allows me to see my family members' computer desktops on my computer screen and even take control of their computers, open files, change settings and exchange pictures or documents with them. It saves me considerable time on the phone and saves them considerable money. (After all, once a warranty has run out, computer and software companies like Netscape, Microsoft and Apple charge between $30 and $50 for technical support calls, while independent consultants routinely charge $100 an hour for house calls.) And though my family members were naturally concerned about privacy, their computers cannot be accessed without permission each time.

A business version of Timbuktu has long been popular because it allows tech gurus to access employees' computers for troubleshooting. (In fact, we use it here at MONEY.) But it's now priced for personal use: The least expensive version, called HouseCall, is available only for Macintosh computers and sells for $29.95. A more advanced version, called Timbuktu Pro 2000, works with both Macs and PCs and boasts more features, allowing you, for example, to access your home computer from another computer and to troubleshoot across platforms--Mac to PC or PC to Mac. A twin pack, which provides the advanced software for you and one other person, can be downloaded for $159.95 or mailed to you on disk for $189.95. Both can be purchased at Netopia's website, www.netopia.com. (The Mac version requires OS 9.0 or better; the Windows version works with 95, 98, NT and 2000.)

I have an iMac, as do most members of my far-flung family, so I tested the HouseCall version. We each downloaded the necessary software, which takes only a few minutes with a standard 56k connection. (Because I was the "doctor," mine was free; only the "patient" software costs $29.95.) The installation can be a little confusing, but because my family members all have separate phone lines for their computers, I was able to talk them through the entire process on the phone pretty easily. But HouseCall also has a feature that allows you to switch between a phone connection and an Internet connection, so you can talk to the person you're helping and manipulate the screen on a single line. And if you still can't manage the setup, Netopia offers free technical support via telephone on weekdays before 8:30 eastern standard time.

To help my grandmother in Ohio with her computer, we both got online, and then I entered her e-mail address and requested a connection. Her computer made a doorbell sound; meanwhile, a box popped up on her screen requesting permission for me to take over her computer. She laughed (a little nervously) and answered yes, and a few seconds later a black-and-white version of her desktop popped up on my screen. I could see all of her file folders and other miscellaneous icons. And as the "doctor," I could move her cursor with my own mouse, which of course surprised her at first.

Why would you let someone take over your computer? Well, in my grandmother's case, she's always telling me she needs to clean up her cluttered desktop but isn't sure what she needs to throw away and what she needs to keep. Indeed, when I took a look, I saw that she had about six versions of a picture attachment she'd been trying to download--and threw all but one in the trash. Then I discovered that she hadn't activated (and didn't even know about) the feature that lets you double-click a window bar to collapse or open a window--so I enabled it. Even though she loves e-mail, my grandmother had never sent an attachment file and didn't know how--so I walked her through the process, explaining each step as I performed the actions. We were also able to surf the Net together, which allowed me to show her several sites that I thought she'd like and bookmark them for her. And when she told me that she loved a particular picture of my nephew, her grandson, I told her to close her eyes and quickly made that picture the background of her desktop. When she opened her eyes, the entire screen was filled with the picture of little Jake. She was thrilled.

Another helpful feature is the ability to exchange files between computers with ease. My grandmother had some digital photos of my nephews that I hadn't seen, so I moved them over to my desktop and passed her some of my photos that she hadn't seen. Unfortunately, transferring an iMovie file took 20 minutes for a two-minute movie because video files are big; but small Microsoft Word documents or pictures are fast and easy.

Even if you're a relatively sophisticated computer user, chances are you still occasionally get stumped--and most of us know at least one really hard-core computer whiz who could give us a hand. But to a novice like my grandmother, even a little routine assistance from a nonprofessional can save hours of confusion. And since her 90 days of free tech support from Apple is about to expire, the $50 per call she saves makes this software look like the deal of the century.