I use 3 different computers on a daily basis. A Dell XPS in the office, a Lenovo IdeaPad netbook on the road and a Samsung laptop at home. They all run Windows 7 and have (on the whole) the same applications installed, so setting up some sort of sync between the computers would save a lot of time and energy having to re-create or copy things between them.
Two examples are Sticky Notes and Google Chrome. I use Sticky Notes a lot. I can type faster than I can write and carrying some other note taking device around with me (like a pad and paper) is a pain. Google Chrome is also my preferred browser. Its lightweight, fast and takes up less screen real-estate than IE and Firefox (which is important on the netbook). We also use Google Apps for email and collaboration so Chrome is the browser of choice.
I often find situations where I have added notes on my desktop that I really need the other PCs and vice-versa. One shortcoming of MS Sticky Notes is that there is in-built facility for syncing notes between machines. Likewise with Chrome, if I create bookmarks, save log-in data etc on one machine, I have to manually replicate between the others. Once again, a pain.
Just because something doesn’t have inbuilt syncing abilities, it doesn’t mean it can’t be done! In this article, I will take you through the procedures to allow the above apps to sync between multiple computers. The basic steps involved can be used with almost any app that saves data in a file or folder based format so the possibilities are endless!
There are two keys to achieving this. Getting the app concerned to look somewhere else for it’s files and some form of cloud storage. It’s a little known fact between ‘non-techies’ that since the introduction of NTFS, Microsoft has included the ability to create Symbolic Links. These are like Shortcuts ‘on speed’ and basically ‘fool’ the operating system into thinking a file is in it’s original location when it is actually somewhere else. These used to be the reserve of the *nix community but now anyone with a recent Windows machine (Vista and 7 are simplest although it can be done with 2000 and XP as well) can create Symbolic Links. In their wisdom Microsoft have called them ‘Hard Links’ but their operation is nigh on identical.
The cloud storage I am using in these examples is Livedrive Briefcase. Regular visitors to the site will know we love Livedrive as it is a robust, powerful, and efficient online storage and backup solution. You can get this to work with other solutions such as DropBox, but for this exercise I will concentrate on Livedrive.
So, at this point I will assume that you have Livedrive installed and working with Briefcase enabled. If you haven’t got it yet, you can sign up to a 14 day free trial by clicking on the banner at the top of this page.
Creating Symbolic Links.
The standard method of creating Symbolic Links is via the command line using the MKLINK command but we are in 2011 so we will use a free tool that removes the need to mistype long lines of gibberish!
First of all, you will need the Microsoft C++ 2005 Runtime. This is a pre-requisit for a lot of utilities so you may already have it installed. If not, you can download the correct versions below:
Windows XP, Vista and 7 (64 bit):
vcredist_x64.exe
Once you have the C++ Runtime this installed, you can download a lovely utility called the
Link Shell Extension from here. Once again make sure you get the right version for your OS. If you are unsure if you have a 32bit or 64bit operating system, right click on Computer in the Start menu and select properties. The General tab details whether it is x32 or x64.
Install the Link Shell Extension. The installer will want to re-start Windows Explorer. When you do this, your Windows and Task Bar will disappear. Don’t worry because this is normal!
OK. You now have the tools installed to create Symbolic Links easily. Below are links to examples of what you can now do.