Ubuntu – Chrome remote desktop “failed to start remote access service”

1. Install Chrome Remote Desktop.
2. Get an auth code by going to https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?scope=https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chromoting%20https://www.googleapis.com/auth/googletalk%20https://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.email&redirect_uri=https://talkgadget.google.com/talkgadget/blank&response_type=code&client_id=440925447803-avn2sj1kc099s0r7v62je5s339mu0am1.apps.googleusercontent.com&access_type=offline&approval_prompt=force (note the client ID is from chromium) and once allowed (on the blank page), the authorization will be the code= parameter of the URL.

3. On the headless machine run:

   $ /opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/start-host --code="MY_AUTH_CODE" \
       --redirect-url=https://talkgadget.google.com/talkgadget/blank \
       --name="MY_REMOTE_NAME"
   

4. Pick a PIN and use it to connect later.

I discovered the answer to my question:

Despite having used Linux Ubuntu, Xubuntu, and Mint for the last 4 years or so, I never knew they can run actual Google Chrome, instead of just Chromium. The solution lies in simply installing the actual Google Chrome. So here's the answer:

1. Download Google Chrome for Linux Ubuntu/Xubuntu: https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/desktop/. My download was called google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb
2. Install it. You may be able to do this simply by double-clicking the installation file and following the installer. When I tried that, however, it failed for some reason, so I had to do it via the terminal:
   • sudo chmod +x google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb <--I'm not sure if this command is necessary, but I did it anyway.
   • sudo dpkg -i google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb. This worked for me! It only took a few seconds to install Google Chrome. Note that I now have both Chromium and Google Chrome installed at the same time with no conflicts. They work fine together, as they are separate programs.
3. Now, the Chrome Remote Desktop app works just fine for me, and I no longer get the error (mentioned above in my question) like I did when I tried it with just Chromium installed. I am able now to remote-connect from Linux Xubuntu 16.04 to Windows 8.1 (which also has Google Chrome Remote Desktop installed and configured as a host/server) just fine! Finally, an easy way to connect from Linux to Windows, not just the other way around.

General Remote Desktop connection recommendations:

• For remote connections from Windows to Linux I recommend using Windows' built-in Remote Desktop Connection client on Windows, and the xrdp server on Linux. For terminal-only logins, I use PuTTY on Windows to SSH into the Linux machine.
• For remote desktop connections from Linux to Linux I recommend using Remmina as the client on Linux, and xrdp as the server on Linux. For terminal-only logins, I still like using PuTTY as the client on Linux (sudo apt-get install putty) to SSH from one Linux machine into another.
• For remote desktop connections from Linux to Windows, OR Windows to Windows I recommend using Google Chrome and the Chrome Remote Desktop App on both the Linux and the Windows system, as described in my answer above.

Cheers,
~Gabriel
www.ElectricRCAircraftGuy.com