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I am hesitant to recommend this right at this moment – more on that later – but this is an absolute must.
FolderShare is a free Microsoft product that keeps mutiple computers synchronized. It does not store your data elsewhere, it simply mediates and manages peer-to-peer file transfers between computers and it is all done invisibly in the background.
Here’s how it works for me: I work on four separate computers, two laptops and my main PC at home and in my office. I write at home, on the bus, in my office, and various and sundry other places on all computers. It was a nightmare keeping my files synchronized on all 4 machines. With foldershare, as soon as I change a document, if I am on-line the same file is immediately updated on the other (on-line) computers. If the other machines are off-line, they are updated with all additions and changes as soon as they come on-line again. This means that I can work on documents, etc at home or on the bus, and when I get to the office it is already updated. Fantastic! Again, since the connection is p2p there is much reduced security problems.
I leave my office machine running all the time, so it acts as a default sever. This is not strictly necessary but adds to the convenience because it is always there to receive the lates versions. If you work on two off-line computers and make changes, Foldershare will not try to second-guess which one you really want, so it stores both – naming them separately with the computer name appended to the file name.
I used to use WebDrive and other ftp based products to keep synchronized, but I’ve thrown all these out…
Now for the reason I am hesitant to recommend at this moment: Microsoft has announced that this month (Dec. 08) FolderShare will be replaced with a new upgraded version, and new users might want to wait a week or two. They have not given a specific date, but it has been announced on their forum. The new product will be called Windows Live Sync
[link]https://www.foldershare.com/[/url]
ps. Just ordered my NC10 ten minutes ago from Amazon. Decided to go white…
Noooo! Black!
But seriously, yeah there is some cool stuff coming out of Live right now – it’s easy to overlook with Google often getting the press.
Thanks for the info – I will check it out 🙂
Thanks, Derek! (And yes, white IS the right choice! 🙂 )
I like that this can sync Mac and Windows, since my main computer is a Mac, and the NC10 is WinXP.
I haven’t been able to find a lot of info on which files can sync. Do you know if, for example, files such as Thunderbird email, Firefox bookmarks, etc., can sync? Or where to search to find out? I’ve found the MS discussion groups, but none of my search terms helped.
Thank you!
Serendip,
I don’t know of any file type limitations, but I think there is a file-size limit. What you do is set up “Personal Libraries”, which are simply folders that serve as the top level of the library on each computer. They don’t have to be on the same drive. For example I can define a folder “MySynch” somewhere on each computer, and use this as the basis for the library MySynch. All files in these directories (and subdirectories) will be kept synched. (You can also define “Shared Libraries” that you can give access to other people.)Thank you, Derek! It really sounds perfect for my needs, and I really like that it can sync between Mac and PC – it sounds like it has the parts of Apple’s MobileMe that I want, yet better, and free!
I’ve read about the changes, and it seems like it makes sense to wait until the new program is released. Between waiting for this and the live.com cashback for buying the NC10, I’ll be looking for Microsoft even more than Santa this year! 🙂
For what it’s worth – Windows Live Sync is now up and running…
Foldershare is defunct, gonzo, dead, and buried 🙂
I can’t find a link – try the FolderShare link aboveI found it earlier (I hope I do the link correctly) though I’m having a hard time trying to figure out how to create personal folders that consist of subfolders of present folders… intuitive isn’t the strong suit, and HELP presumes you already know how to do it.
Serendip,
There seems to be a bug in the Mac code (reported by the development team), and it’s not working yet.
Lot’s of complaints about how Microsoft handled the switch to Sync, they just pulled the plug and left users to flounder around. Corporate users in particular are upset.
It went very smoothly for me, however.The process of setiing up synched folders is actually quite simple. Have you looked at
Live Sync Help
Maybe I can help you via PM?
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