T 'n' T: Sync Smart Beyond the Briefcase Gregg Keizer
Tue 2/26/02 -- Like a lot of you, I use both a desktop and a portable PC, moving files from one to the other, back and forth, forth and back. But keeping those files in sync is a headache. I've been relying on Windows' Briefcase -- the special compare-and-clone folder that's been built into the operating system since Win 95 -- and have run into all kinds of problems. Some have solutions, albeit clumsy ones; others are, unfortunately, unsolvable, and require thought to avoid.
This week's tips 'n' tricks, then, dig into the Briefcase, and file synchronization in general. Put them into play, and you'll have an easier time keeping everything up to date.
Don't delete, dummy. Delete a file from a Briefcase and you're courting danger: All it takes is a forgetful Update All back at the desktop PC, a quick click, and you've just deleted the original. Yikes!
There's no workaround here, so the advice is simple: Don't delete files from a Briefcase folder!
Instead, do this two-step dance. First, double-click on the Briefcase and select the file or files you want to eradicate. Choose "Split from Original" from the Briefcase menu. In the ensuing dialog ("Are you sure you want to prevent any future updates of X?"), click the Yes button.
The files now appear as Orphans under the Status column, from which you can delete them -- the original files on the desktop, even when you do an Update All, will not be affected.
You just don't listen, do you? Okay, so you screwed up: You did what I told you not to, and deleted a file from the Briefcase folder. But you caught the mistake before you synchronized or updated. Whew!
Reclaiming that deleted file is a breeze. Stick a floppy disk in the drive of the source PC (the one on which you created the Briefcase). Open the Briefcase folder, select Briefcase/Update All, then right-click the deleted file's icon (you can't miss it; it's the one with the big red X beside it). Choose Create from the pop-up menu, then click the Update button. The file's replaced in the Briefcase.
Of course, the file is restored as it was last saved to the desktop PC, so any modifications you may have made while it was away are lost. Sorry, we're not magicians here.
Shareware sync. When you get right down to it, Windows' Briefcase is really too limited to live: The colossal problem is that you can't create a file on the second PC (your notebook, say), and sync it to your primary desktop. Instead, Briefcase demands that you create files on the desktop, then place them within a Briefcase folder.
There are elegant alternatives to Briefcase, however. Among our favorites is SmartSync, a $29 shareware program that, while a bit confusing at first, is far more flexible than Windows' twinned folder. For example, SmartSync lets you create a new file while working on your laptop, then updates the desktop automatically.
Save portable power. Microsoft tells you to work on documents from their Briefcase location, but that's a problem if you're using a 3.5-inch floppy to keep things in sync -- not only does it take forever to load a lengthy document from a floppy, but the drive chews up laptop battery power quicker than you can say "Energizer Bunny." Instead, try this workaround.
Create a Briefcase normally, on your desktop PC, and place it on a 3.5-inch floppy. That disk will travel with your notebook. But before you leave your power cord behind, select the Briefcase and copy it to the laptop's My Documents folder (or any other folder you like). While you're running on battery power, access the files from within the Briefcase folder tucked inside My Documents.
Wait until you can plug in again to recopy the Briefcase from hard-disk folder back to floppy. Stick the floppy into your desktop PC and do your updating. If it sounds a bit cumbersome, it is, but it's the best way I know to save juice on the road.
Take files offline. Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional include a much more reliable and sophisticated synchronization service, befitting their business orientation. Called Offline Files, the feature's suitable only for notebook users who connect their machines to office networks, then disconnect when they're ready to travel.
Essentially, Offline Files copies shared folders and files of your choice from the network, then places those clones on your notebook. You leave, work on the files, and reconnect the laptop to the LAN when you return; Offline Files automatically updates the originals if you've modified your copies, giving you additional options if someone else has also changed the file while you were away from the network.
For more information about Offline Files, check out Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q307853. (It's specific to Windows XP Pro, but the instructions work with Win 2000, too.)
