Life modern man is such that he needs a computer wherever he is: at home, at work or at school, on the road and on vacation. Some people carry a laptop with them everywhere, but this is not always possible and not very convenient. Therefore, another option is more often practiced: desktop computer at home and at work, laptop or netbook on the go. However, in this regard, another problem arises: you need to transfer used data from one computer to another, then back (and with an increase in the number of devices, the task becomes even more complicated). Users usually do this manually using local network or using a flash drive, but storing data in “cloud” storages - Dropbox, SkyDrive and others is becoming increasingly popular. Last option convenient when it comes to small volumes information, up to several gigabytes. If tens or hundreds of gigabytes are used in daily activities, it is more convenient to resort to the help of specialized utilities for data synchronization. They allow you to not think at all about which computer they were produced on. last changes files - so you can always work in a single information environment, wherever they are at the current moment. In this review we will look at four of the most popular programs to synchronize files between computers: SyncBackPro, SmartSync Pro, AllwaySync and GoodSync.

⇡SyncBackPro

• Developer: 2BrightSparks
• Distribution: shareware
• Russian interface: yes

This powerful program, possessing a huge amount all kinds of settings. It costs $54.95 and can be used for thirty days in trial mode. The application supports many interface languages, including Russian, but the machine translation is quite poor.

SyncBackPro works based on profiles, which you can add in unlimited quantities. Creating a new profile occurs in several stages. On the first one you need to enter the name of the profile, here you can also note whether it is a group profile (that is, whether it will combine several other profiles). The next step is to select a profile type, there are three in total: backup, synchronization and mirror. The scope of our review includes the second type; the first one is intended for regular backup of your data, the last one is for creating and maintaining exact copy the specified folder with files unilaterally.

At the third stage, you need to select two folders that will synchronize with each other - they are designated as left and right. In the drop-down lists, you can select the data storage location: for the source folder, this is an internal/external drive or network path, an FTP server, Amazon S3 or Windows Azure online services, as well as files on postal service. For the destination folder, in addition to all of the above, there is also the possibility of CD/DVD burning and saving as an ISO image. It is worth saying that when choosing a source location outside the computer, you can only specify a local path as a destination, that is, for example, you will not be able to synchronize two FTP sources. However, for the rest you can experiment.

Creating a new profile in SyncBackPro

After this, you need to configure the profile: first of all, specify the directories of the left and right folders on the computer (if other storage locations are selected, the corresponding parameters are displayed there). You can highlight individual subdirectories and files within these folders that need synchronization, and also filter for certain types of data (by default, this filter already includes system files and folders). The next option is to add a schedule. The task for which the profile is responsible can be performed daily, weekly and monthly, and the schedule is extremely flexible (for example, every third week of the month on Tuesdays); in addition, there is the ability to add a repetition after a specified number of days, hours, minutes and seconds. Following the schedule, you can set up decision policies for a variety of situations - what to do if a file was changed in the folder on the left, new file was created in the folder on the right, etc. For each event option there are several various models behavior: skip, ask user, file bigger size overwrites the smaller one - and others.

The options mentioned are only that part of the profile parameters to which the simple setup mode is limited. If you switch to expert mode, you will have access to more than fifteen additional sections: compression, encryption, auto-close of programs, logging and others - consider them all within this review does not seem possible. You can study in detail the numerous buttons and checkboxes to fine-tune the program to suit your needs (for example, in the arsenal of tools you can find functions such as starting synchronization using a hotkey combination or ignoring files that have been changed during a specified time).

Setting up a profile in SyncBackPro

The created profiles are displayed in the main SyncBackPro window. You can edit them, import/export, activate execution or, conversely, pause the action, and also view the status: time last launch, result and other information. There are quite a few columns with information; unnecessary ones can be disabled.

SyncBackPro main window

The program keeps a detailed log of actions. Present a large number of application settings - extensive operating parameters, dialogs, fonts, and so on. The functionality can be expanded even further by downloading additional scripts from the developers’ website: they are installed in the “Scripts” section and allow you to add new capabilities when performing tasks.

⇡ SmartSync Pro

• Developer: SmartSync Software
• Distribution: shareware
• Russian interface: yes

This program has fewer functions than SyncBackPro, but is somewhat friendlier to use. It has a simpler and more pleasant interface, is well localized into Russian and costs 990 rubles (active support for Russian users is due to the fact that the head of SmartSync Software, Dmitry Sitnikov, is himself a programmer from Russia). The demo version of the application can be used for thirty days.

SmartSync Pro main window

As in SyncBackPro, the program's operation is based on the added profiles. New profiles are created using a wizard. First of all, you indicate what exactly you want to synchronize and the type of synchronization, and in the first step you are asked to select folders from the standard set: “Desktop”, “My Documents”, Microsoft Outlook and others. To independently indicate required directories, you should check the box “Select directories manually” (the choice will be available in the next step). There are three types of synchronization available: synchronization with a local/network computer, with remote computer via FTP connection or in batch mode. For each of them there are Various types operations: if selected local connection, the program can perform copying, moving, synchronizing, compressing files into a ZIP archive or incremental backup (thus, the program can also be used for data backup). When connecting to a remote computer, both bidirectional synchronization and unilateral file transfer are available - from local to remote and vice versa.

SmartSync Pro Profile Wizard

If you chose to specify folders manually, then you will next need to check the boxes for the required directories on local disk. You can view a list of all files and folders included in them and, if necessary, adjust a filter to exclude individual elements or files with certain extensions. Once you've finished setting up the source directory, you need to specify the destination directory to which the data will be synchronized (depending on the connection type, it can be located on a local drive or an FTP server). Next, you need to set up a schedule according to which the task associated with the profile will be executed. It can be launched manually, as well as at a certain interval - every few minutes, days, and so on, and you can enter a starting point and mark at what time you want to mute the profile. In addition, you can add a dependency on the execution of another profile (until that one starts, this one will not take effect) and specify a trigger for the following situations: login, logout, directory changes, and disk insertion. To complete the setup, you need to add a profile name.

Added profiles can be grouped into folders, launched one at a time, several or all at once. It is possible to send a shortcut to the desktop to launch a profile; import and export are also available. You can edit profile parameters, and in the properties they are available additional settings, which are not in the creation wizard: notifications when launching a profile, events associated with the launch, a file replacement policy, saving multiple versions of files, and others. In your profile control panel, you can change your source directory and sync settings. Please note that the connection to a remote computer in batch mode is configured here: you can select a folder to save data on a removable/local disk, e-mail or FTP server. There are also a lot of options in the settings of the program itself interesting moments: for example, it can work in background, even when the computer is locked or no one is logged in.

Profile properties in SmartSync Pro

Another detail related to the program: when installed on a computer, it adds the Backup with SmartSync Pro (make a backup) command to the context menu of files and folders, which opens the profile creation wizard with a selected directory. With its help, you can quickly configure the creation of a backup copy.

⇡Allway Sync

• Developer: Usov Lab
• Distribution: shareware
• Russian interface: yes

Allway Sync is provided by the developers free of charge for personal use, the commercial version of the application costs $19.95. The utility is quite simple and easy to use, although it has a somewhat unsightly interface (Russian language support is present). There is no list of profiles, but there are tasks, each of which is displayed on separate tab: You can add, delete, clone and rename them. To set up a task, you need to specify two folders for synchronization and mark its direction. The program allows you to select folders not only on your local drive, but also on the Internet - it supports FTP protocols, SFTP, WebDAV, online services Dropbox, SkyDrive, Google Docs, OffsiteBox and others, defines mobile devices, connected via Microsoft ActiveSync, and can also read ZIP archives. Moreover, unlike the SyncBack Pro program, which has similar functionality, in Allway Sync you can add a connection between online folders - for example, synchronize your Dropbox account with an FTP service.

Selecting the synchronization direction in Allway Sync

The selected folders need to be configured (the type of setting will depend on which folder you specified: if on a local drive, you need to specify the directory, if FTP, enter the server parameters, if Google Docs, specify the e-mail and password for your account, and so on) . The direction of synchronization is indicated between the folders: initially it is two-way, that is, the files will be identical in both places, but it can be changed to one-way by selecting the side that will become the data source. By the way, when general synchronization There can be more than two folders - you have the opportunity to configure mirroring of an unlimited number of data sources.

After setting up the task, you can click the “Analyze” and “Synchronize” buttons. The program recommends doing preliminary analysis, so you can make sure everything happens as it should. It will build a detailed report in which new/unchanged/all/excluded files will be grouped into tables, indicating the name, size, time and direction of synchronization. Can be displayed separately important messages related to file changes.

Report on analyzed files in Allway Sync

In the Allway Sync options there is a “Profile Settings” section, where for each task a set of additional properties: “Synchronization Rules”, “Automatic Synchronization”, “Inclusive and Exclusive Filters”, “Versioning Policy”, “Error Handling”. Let's take a closer look at them. In synchronization rules, you can activate several important options - ignore the hourly difference in modification time, copy security attributes, etc. Automatic synchronization parameters allow you to select a start condition: when a removable drive is connected, when file changes are detected, or the computer is idle, etc. Inclusion and exclusion filters are highly customizable: you can apply them to file names or extensions, status (new, modified, deleted), attributes (system, compressed, etc.), modification time, and size. Versioning policy allows you to choose what to do with older versions of changed files: delete them or move them to specific folder, and also note how long these old versions should be kept. In the settings related to error handling, you can specify what the program should do in the event of these errors and determine its behavior when a warning appears.

Allway Sync Options

Finally, it’s worth adding that, like the previously discussed utilities, Allway Sync keeps a log of actions in a log and allows you to import and export application settings.

⇡GoodSync

• Developer: Siber Systems
• Distribution: shareware
• Russian interface: yes

This utility is notable for the fact that it was created by the developers of the popular RoboForm password saving program. The application has been qualitatively translated into Russian (available amateur translations into other CIS languages), has a version for Windows and Mac, as well as a separate portable version to run from a flash drive. GoodSync is a shareware program and after thirty days of use it imposes restrictions on the number of files in a task (no more than one hundred) and the number of tasks itself (no more than three). However, the price is quite affordable: 595 rubles for the version for Windows and 795 rubles for the version for Mac.

GoodSync main window

Work in the program begins with adding tasks. They come in two types: synchronization and backup. Each task is displayed on a separate tab with its own settings. Regardless of what type of task you choose, you need to specify the left and right data folder. For both the source and destination paths, there are a large number of places where files can be stored: your computer, other computers on the local network, FTP protocols, WebDAV, Amazon S3 cloud storage, Google Drive, Windows Azure, SkyDrive, connected devices on Windows Mobile, and own service GoodSync Connect. The program has no restrictions on data exchange and allows you to compare all supported sources with each other. We should also talk about GoodSync Connect: it is a P2P network that allows you to synchronize data on several computers via the Internet. Thus, you do not need to connect computers to a local network or use a USB device for transfer, and the files will not be stored in the cloud. To use GoodSync Connect, you need to configure your computers by creating account in system.

Selecting a folder in GoodSync

By selecting the left and right folders, you can run a preliminary analysis or immediately begin synchronization. The main window will display a list of synchronized files in the form of a tree, indicating the size, date and copying direction (from left to right, from right to left). You can view separate categories files (changed, new and others) and exclude or, conversely, enable their copying, as well as change the direction. In the task settings, you can specify its parameters automatic execution: when changing a file, when starting a program, periodically, when connecting folders, before logging out. It is possible to schedule a task using the standard Windows scheduler with or without login mode. An interesting option is that you can specify the percentage of changes above which synchronization will not occur. Another feature that can be configured is the way conflicts are resolved automatically: skip, replace with later files, and so on. In addition to the options for automatically completing a task, the settings include other options where you can place many checkboxes next to items such as “Save backups deleted files"or "Copy file creation time", apply a filter to certain files and folders and stuff.

Job Options in GoodSync

The program can work in mini mode - it will be displayed as a small panel with a list of active tasks, which allows you to do other things and at the same time control the progress of synchronization. Finally, it is worth mentioning the GoodSync Explorer application, which is additionally installed on your computer - with its help you can view the directories in which your data is stored and add bookmarks to the right places. These bookmarks can then be used when selecting a source for folders when setting up a job in GoodSync.

⇡ Conclusion

We reviewed the most popular programs for synchronizing data between computers. All of them cope with their purpose in one way or another, and the question of choice comes down to details: what is more important for you - a powerful arsenal of functions or a simple and clear interface, and how much you are willing to pay for the program. We remind you that the only utility that can be used for free is Allway Sync. In any case, we recommend that you make your life easier by installing one of the programs on the computers you use.

14 Mar

Good afternoon, dear blog readers! Today we will consider, it would seem, simplest operation— synchronization of folders with files. Basically, we are accustomed to the fact that the concept of synchronization applies to the Internet. Our mobile phones are constantly synchronized with services Google and Apple, work applications and a bunch of everything else. Convenient, fast and safe. But what to do if you just need to synchronize two folders within one computer?

Unfortunately, standard procedure(except for writing a script in PowerShell) I didn’t find it. But a simple solution was found - the SyncToy program from the authors of the operating system itself Windows systems. This is what we will use to set up synchronization. The only negative is the English language. This is not so critical - you will see further that the settings are minimal.

The program window looks very simple:

To start synchronizing, you need to create a pair of synchronized folders - “Create New Folder Pair”. Click and go to the next window.

The left folder (main according to the standard) is where we will upload files. The right folder is where we will add them. I have two folders: SCAN (documents from the scanner arrive there) and the “For Everyone” folder (people go here to view documents). I need new files to fly from the “SCAN” folder to “For everyone” on command. Select accordingly and click “Next”.

In the next window you need to select the type of synchronization, there are three options to choose from:

• Synchronize— two-way synchronization, if an object is added to any of the folders, it will “fly” to another folder when synchronizing, deleting and renaming files will be performed for both folders;
• Echo— one-way synchronization, only from the left folder to the right, just my option, renaming and deleting files in the same direction;
• Contribute— one-way synchronization, only from the left folder to the right, renaming works from left to right, there are no file deletions.

Place a dot opposite the desired option and click “Next”.

In the next window you will need to specify a name for the created pair of folders and click “Finish”.

The program's start window will change slightly. The name of the created pair of folders will appear on the left, and two buttons “Preview” and “Run”, “Preview” and “Run” will appear at the bottom right. They differ in function - “Preview” will show what will change, “Run” will synchronize folders.”

If you click “Preview” the following window will appear. For the purity of the experiment, I cleared the “SCAN” folder and put only one file “stores.xlsx” there. There is one file in the folder (it is marked with a checkmark), a window with the “New” operation (new file) is shown at the bottom left, the synchronization direction and the “Run” button are displayed at the bottom.

After clicking “Run” the window will be as follows.

“Completed” status and “Close” button. Synchronization is completed, all that remains is to check the result.

In the “Everyone” folder, two files are displayed - “stores.xlsx” and the synchronization file. Do not delete it under any circumstances! Works!

If you need to add a new pair of synchronized folders, in the main program window, click the “Create New Folder Pair” button and specify the desired settings.

After.What.was.said.

Automatically starting synchronization through the task scheduler is in the help window, but my advice to you is to do it manually, since the choice of time task scheduler is very poor.

Categories:// from 03/14/2018

After the article oh exclusively manual method folder synchronization There were requests to find and describe a “lazy” solution to this issue. Keep it - a free program for automatic folder synchronization called Allway Sync.

Why do you need folder synchronization?

Some users in the comments and mail surprised me with this question - I answer them. She may need...

• if you want to be safe after the transfer any system folder or temporary data to another drive
• if you don’t have enough time to finish some project at work/at home (you come home/to work, plug in a flash drive and work with automatically updated data)
• if you need to store backup copy important data on external media information (hard drive, SSD drive, flash drive...)
• if you need to quickly and losslessly exchange data between several computers
• to facilitate and speed up manual copying of data between folders and drives

Automatic folder synchronization

The Allway Sync program, as the manufacturers themselves assure us, “uses innovative algorithms for synchronizing your data between desktop PCs, laptops, USB drives, remote servers FTP/SFTP and WebDAV, various online data storage etc. Data compression and encryption are supported. It combines bulletproof reliability with an extremely simple interface."

Well, they managed to intrigue us, didn’t they? Let's put their claim to the test.

Installing Allway Sync

There is nothing scary or confusing about it. Only two nuances - NOT uncheck installation special service (needed to automatically track changes in folders)…

...and also decide whether you need desktop shortcut and are you installing the program for all users of your computer...

Setting up Allway Sync and working with it

Immediately after installing the program, you need to teach it your language...

I'll show you the rest of the program settings as I test it. So, by default we already have some kind of task called “New Job 1” - click on the tab right click mouse and create your own personal new task...

After this, you can rename or delete any task in the same way. We've sorted this out - let's move on and specify the folders for synchronization...

…we decide on the direction of synchronization (the “Change” link between the arrows in the middle)…

(default is general synchronization)

If you, like me, in this case, the second folder lives on a flash drive - I recommend clicking the “Configure…” button and checking the box to link the program to the characteristics of the drive...

As you can see, everything is explained to us competently and clearly at literally every step in this wonderful program.

Primary manual synchronization

I press the “Analyze” button, read the warning and ignore it...

...after which I finally synchronize the folders...

Opening in explorer tabs both experimental folders at once, checked the result of the Allway Sync program - everything is clear and without errors (as many files in one folder as there are in the second).

All this is good, but it was ordinary manual synchronization - where is the automatic one? I'm telling you.

Automatic data synchronization

Let's go to the settings of our task, which can be accessed in several ways...

• "View" item in the program menu and "Settings..."
• right-click on the task tab and in context menu"Properties" item
• in English keyboard layout click "Hotkeys Ctrl+O (sequentially, without plus)

(by the way, here and program autorun can be turned on)

...at the very bottom of the list of settings on the left side of the window, look for your task and go to “Automatic synchronization”...

...and then you customize it for your loved one, however you like - when connecting the drive to the computer, after a certain period of time, when launching the application, before exiting...

The variety of conditions for automatic folder synchronization in this program is simply amazing - the authors foresaw most of the users’ desires.

I set the first condition (“When connecting removable device") and pulled out the flash drive from the laptop and deleted three photos in the test folder. After connecting the drive to the computer, the data was automatically synchronized instantly...

Each of you can decide on the safety of this data in your own way. I suggest you take a look at how to secure these files using data synchronization.

My friend's laptop recently broke down. He hit it accidentally and it stopped turning on. It turned out that he flew HDD, and all the important information was on it. Backup files he didn’t do it because he often forgot, sometimes he was lazy or it was simply difficult to keep track of all the documents. Then he had a lot of problems with information recovery. Now, knowing about synchronization, he is not afraid of anything.

Now you understand perfectly well that when it comes to storing data, relying only on your computer, disks and flash drives is very unreliable and unsafe. You can also take into account human factor when something is accidentally deleted, forgotten, lost...

If you have already started to have questions about the meanings of some words and phrases, you can always look at the section . I will be collecting answers to frequently asked questions there.

How to synchronize files and folders?

Synchronizing files and folders is actually easy. It all comes down to the fact that you need to register in one of these services, then download a special program to your computer. The program will create its own folder on your hard drive in which you need to place files for synchronization.

On this blog I tried to cover the most popular services file synchronization. You can find them at these links:

Nowadays there is a stormy development cloud services , which in the fight for users they are trying to come up with unique chips and offer profitable terms using their services. On average it is offered approx. 5 gigabyte free cloud disk space to synchronize files. This is not so much, but for the most important files will be sufficient. Therefore, I recommend also taking a look at the article, where I tried to answer the question of which files are for you and which are unimportant. It will help you choose the right files for synchronization and backup.

The essence of synchronization

Data synchronization ensures the identity of the selected information on different devices, which are connected to the synchronization service. If we take for example Text Document, then it will be the same on all your computers. If you add anything to this document, the file will be automatically updated on other computers. Synchronization occurs mainly via the Internet. To do this you need to install special programs to all the computers, tablets or smartphones you use, for example. The program will create a folder called Dropbox in which you will store your documents. They will be uploaded to special storage on the Internet, after which you will have access to them from anywhere on the planet via a web browser, smartphone or tablet.

The distinctive feature of data synchronization is that you no need to keep track of file versions with whom you work. You will always have the most latest version your document. Any file synchronization service allows you to upload your documents, photos, music and other files to cloud storage and then access them through programs for computers, tablets, smartphones, or simply through a web browser. In order to start using file synchronization you need to register and download the free file synchronization program. You can read about how to do this in the article about . And don’t let the English interface scare you, you can use a wonderful plugin for Google Chrome For quick translation incomprehensible words.

What benefits does data synchronization provide for ordinary users:

Firstly— data protection from loss of important information. You are not afraid of computer failure, loss of a flash drive, breakdown hard drive. Your documents, photos, presentations, spreadsheets and other files will always be available from anywhere there is Internet access.

Secondly— you can easily share files with other people simply by sending them a link via e-mail, VKontakte, Facebook or in any way convenient for you.

Third— synchronization of computers via the Internet. You can start doing something on your work computer and continue where you left off on your home computer. Synchronizing data on two or more computers has become much easier.

Fourth— you don’t have to carry a flash drive with you all the time, often forgetting to put something on it. It is enough to know the login and password for the data synchronization service and your files will always be available to you via the Internet.

I never tire of repeating that with the modern rhythm of life, synchronization will not be superfluous. Nowadays it is especially easy to lose all your documents, files, photos due to the fact that computers have become mobile, they are easier to break or lose. Quite often, important documents just lie on the Desktop. But this won't bother you until you lose something important. So, secure important information they will help you synchronization services

I think each of us asked the question “What is this Briefcase that appears in the Create menu and what is its purpose?” I also became interested in what a briefcase is for in Windows. At first glance, it may seem that Briefcase performs the same functions as a folder, but has a different icon, but this is far from true. The fact is that you cannot create files and folders directly in the Portfolio, but only copy them to the Briefcase and change them. You can create only in subcategories, i.e. in subfolders! And all this is due to the fact that the functionality of the portfolio is designed to perform synchronization between files and folders.

In this article, let's find out why we need a briefcase in Windows and look at how it works.

According to the help, Microsoft recommends using Briefcase in two situations, when syncing files and folders from a PC over a network and between a computer and a removable device. I would not use the portfolio for synchronization over the network, since it is much easier to give access to resources specific user and he will be able to work with documents through the network. But we will look at synchronization through a removable device!

As a rule, the need for synchronization arises if you work with the same documents over and over again. different computers. Therefore, you always need to have latest version files. Of course, you can copy and delete the entire folder in which your documents are located each time, so as not to have to figure out which files were changed. But if there are a lot of files, this can take a lot of time. In this situation, the Windows portfolio can help us out.

Let's create a portfolio at the root USB flash drives(RMB\Create\Portfolio\Working documents)

And we will copy into this Portfolio the files and folders that we are going to work with in the future on another computer. It is at the moment of copying documents and folders that a connection is created between them, thanks to which file versions will be compared.

As I said earlier, we cannot create anything in the Portfolio, since there is simply no “Create” item in its menu.

But, we can create files and folders inside folders

All this is due to the fact that between the files and folders inside the Portfolio there is a connection with the files and folders from which they were copied. If we try to create a file, it simply will not have a connection, which means there will be no one to synchronize it with.

After we have worked with documents on another computer (or simply with documents in our Windows Portfolio), we can perform synchronization (copy changed files and folders).

To do this we can either right-click on the Portfolio and select “Update All”

Or go to the portfolio and click “Update all objects” on the toolbar

As you can see from the screenshot, since the last synchronization I have made changes to the Partnership file and created a file UUUUIIIIII in a subfolder. So, during the update process, the “Partnership” file will be replaced, the file UUUUIIIIII will be created and thus there will be identical files on both sides.

To get more detailed information, you can right-click \ Details and if any non-standard situations arise (both files have been updated since the connection with the portfolio was created) make the right decision.

Also, by going to (File (folder) properties \ Status) you can see information about which file (folder) it is associated with.

And also update separate file, separate from the original and find the original to which the file or folder is attached.

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