Think of how much air the drivers can get if they hit a speed bump at 200MPH. It would be a challenge for the driver to make all of the yellow lights.
If you have a pipe cutter, you can remove the section, that is, if you can live without that half-inch. If you're replacing it with another compression fitting, you would do well to place it on a section of the pipe that isn't marred up or corroded. Personally, I can't stand the compression fittings. I'd rather sweat the pipe and fixtures in place. You might consider that. It's well worth it, if you do minor plumbing like this, to spent the few bucks and get a pipe cutter, it gives a smooth cut and can fit in some really tight places.
Did you enable the remote connection in your other XP computer that you are trying to connect to? You can do that by doing a right click on my computer, and choose Properties. There is a Remote tab and choose the necessary options there.
