Thinkpads Forum

hello there!

I know there are sync.programs available, but i would like to ask you, dedicated ThinkPad users, which software do you use to sync between two computers.

I would very like to have a exact copy of modified/new files on both of my laptops so that i can take one or the other to work/travel etc. and have all the latest files/folders with me.

how do you do that and can you please give me an advice on that!


Thank a million.

Some possible methods:
The old fashion way(which doesn't need additional driver or software) is IrDA on Windows. However it is fairly slow.
I prefer using ethernet+rsync. You can get win32 port through cygwin.
Or you can try USB-LAN crossover cable, or even bluetooth to synchonize files.

For incremental backup or only transfer the files that's been changed instead of doing full backup every time, I still think it's worth to try cygwin+rsync.(assuming you are a windows user)

Hi,

Check out PeerSync at www.peersoftware.com/solutions/ peersync/product_pdf/ps71overview.pdf. It may be more than you need, but it's great software. In addition to synching, I use it for real time backups of important documents.

John

Dont if this might be too simple for your needs but I have used SyncToy for a similar purpose and it appears to work well for me.
It is free from Microsoft for XP users

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/usin ... nctoy.mspx

I just map network drives on my PC and Laptop and use the Firewire port to do the Sync.

Do you mean the physical connection method or the software? I use fileSync via shared folders in windows xp. It serves me well.

bigtiger wrote:Do you mean the physical connection method or the software? I use fileSync via shared folders in windows xp. It serves me well.

I did just this - downloaded the free filesync and it serves very nice.

This might be a bit odd question, but since it's got to do with synchronization - but is it possible to use firewire cable to connect laptop and desktop and form sort of a network - i work with video and would like to have those files sync.as well. But they're big and Wlan doesn't handle it very quickly.

cheers and thanks for all answers

As mentioned above I use the Firewire port to share data between my Desktop and Laptop PC.

Might be a simpler way but all I do is connect the machines using the Firewire cable and then type IPCONFIG at the cmd prompt to get the IP Address assigned to the firewire card on each PC.

I then create share for my HD on my Desktop and then Map a Network drive on the Laptop using the Desktop IP address and the share name. Similarly on my laptop I create share for the HD and then map a network drive on my Desktop to the Laptop IP address and share name.

If you dont need to share the whole drive then it is probably safer to just share the necessary folder(s). I am personally not too fussed about security as I have a good Hardware firewall and NAT etc on my ADSL / Wireless router.

Hope that makes sense!

@umern:

thanks for sharing that. The sync. process itself is now clear to me and is already working perfectly...

however, i still don't know how to connect two computers to be working with firewire. i've tried to copy you with the cmd but it doesn't help.

i guess i will have to try search the web for firewire-firewire pc connections... except if you have some other ideas how to do that in win xp beside cmd actions described earlier.

cheers

OK some more detailed steps on how I do it:
1. Determine and note the IP address allocated to the Firewire connection on the Desktop and Laptop PCs. This can be done by typing IPCONFIG at a cmd prompt on each PC and looking for the 1394 type adaptor OR you can go into Control Panel->Network Connections and double click on the 1394 connection. This should display a Status popup dialog. Click on the Support tab and this should show the IP Address. Please note that I am not sure if the same IP address is guaranteed each time you connect and disconnect your Firewire cable - has always been the same for me though.

2. Using Windows Explorer create a Network Share for any folder you wish to share on the Desktop and Laptop HDs - you can share the root folder e.g. C:\ but this could be security risk if someone manages to hack your PC over the internet - not too sure. Suppose you want to share your My Documents folder - you right click the folder and then select Properties. One of the tabs on the popup has options to share the folder on the network and give it a sharename e.g. 'MyDocs'

3. Now on the Laptop you would use Windows Explorer and select the Tools->Map Network Drive option. Select a Drive letter e.g. Z: and then specify the Folder path as \\192.168.0.2\MyDocs (replacing the IP Address with your Desktop IP address as noted in Step 1 above.

4. On the Desktop use Windows Explorer and select the Tools->Map Network Drive option. Select a Drive letter e.g. Y: and then specify the Folder path as \\192.168.0.3\MyDocs (replacing the IP Address with your Laptop IP address as noted in Step 1 above.

You should now have a Z: drive on your Laptop which maps to your Desktop Share and a Y: drive on your Desktop which maps to your Laptop Share.
Note that you may need to read up a bit on Sharing - I just ignore the Windows warnings and enable sharing without using the wizard (but that is my risk/choice).
When mapping the network drive I untick the 'Reconnect at Logon' checkbox. Explorer usually remembers the history of any drive mapping you performs so it should only take a few seconds each time you reconnect your desktop + laptop PC to remap the drive.

Also note that if you have a software Firewall installed it may prevent sharing by default - you may have to reconfigure it. I have a Symantec Firewall on my Z60T that has to be reconfigured a bit but the McAfee one on my Desktop was easy. If you are struggling it may be a good idea to temporarily disable the firewalls whilst you try the above out and once you get it working reenable / reconfigure your firewall as appropriate.

due to stringent security I am not using filesharing or anything else across the internet / network. (cross infection virus, trojan, keyloggers etc etc)

To this effect I have taken a totally different route:

1) relocated "My Documents" to a more accesible location (straight on c:\)
2) use TrueCrypt from www.truecrypt.org to create a "virtual HD"
3) use robocopy (from the MSN resource HD) to synchronise "My Documents" with the virtual HD

The above is for backup / recovery.

Once a week I sync my machines by using an USB memory key instead of the TrueCrypt "virtual HD".

@umern:

many thanks on this extensive help post... It completed the sync in sec. rather than long minutes moving video files... that's great. Hopefully the IP's don't change ?! Will try to restart both laptop and desktop and will see.

thanks again