Synchronisation Software
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
I have used Unison and it works well, the UI is not "modern", but if the task can be scripted (e.g. scheduled daily), it would be fine for non-geeks once setup. Our company has used it as the backup tool for our Subversion repositories (post-commit hook), but since SVN 1.4 was released, you're better off with svnsync.
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
Vice Versa is a great peice of software so long as both end points are Windows machines, or you just want to mirror a drive to another. You can find it here: http://www.tgrmn.com It can also do one-to-many replication, and real-time replication (this is what I use it for mostly). The real time optin is nice as it listens for file change notifications and syncs as needed.
Visit me online at http://www.templeofthegeek.com!
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
I am the author of AJC Directory Synchonizer. This is a powerful sync and backup tool that will do what you want. Please read more at: http://www.ajcsoft.com/ProductsAJCDirSync.php[^] It also has a powerful archiving facility that lets you get back to older versions of files that you have overwritten.
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
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Michael Martin wrote:
Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Why, EZBackup[^] of course! :) /ravi
This is your brain on Celcius Home | Music | Articles | Freeware | Trips ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
Thanks Ravi, though I am looking for something that just synchronises the files between the original directories on the HDD to the external HDD. That way if they butcher something they can just go to the USB HDD and drag the offending files back to their C:\ and move on with life.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
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I use Super Flexible File Synchronizer (www.superflexible.com) and I've been very happy with it. It has probably too many settings, so you have to be careful with files that may have moved between drives, but once you get it set up in a script you just schedule it or run it when required.
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
Yet another alternative is EMC (Dantz) Retrospect. I think this used to come with Maxstor or Seagate. I though the software was good enough to buy personal licenses for my home systems. http://www.dantz.com osm
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
SyncBackSE is cheap and reliable: http://www.2brightsparks.com/ Cheers, Mack
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
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They'd be great if they were anything but Maxtor. It's called a "One Touch" because that's about all you get before you loose every byte of data you ever had. If you use Maxtor you need at least 9 of them for a 3 day rotating backup strategy. I had 3 in a row all die on me within 2 weeks. I was really impressed.:sigh:
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code-frog wrote:
They'd be great if they were anything but Maxtor. ...
The trouble with that statement is it is a one person experience. I have been using a 250 GB Maxtor USB backup for 11 months now without 1 problem. And the trouble with that statement is the same as the trouble with yours. :) :)
DB_Cooper1950 Either enjoy life, Or Hate Life, Just quit SITTING ON THE FENCE!
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code-frog wrote:
They'd be great if they were anything but Maxtor. ...
The trouble with that statement is it is a one person experience. I have been using a 250 GB Maxtor USB backup for 11 months now without 1 problem. And the trouble with that statement is the same as the trouble with yours. :) :)
DB_Cooper1950 Either enjoy life, Or Hate Life, Just quit SITTING ON THE FENCE!
Actually it isn't. This discussion happened a while back and many chimed in with similar experiences. But... Isn't every reply on this message board a "one person" experience?:~
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Actually it isn't. This discussion happened a while back and many chimed in with similar experiences. But... Isn't every reply on this message board a "one person" experience?:~
code-frog wrote:
...and many chimed in with similar experiences.
This is actually moot, but I read all of the entries on this thread and saw no other mention of bad Maxtor experiences. Anyway have a great day! :-D :-D
DB_Cooper1950 Either enjoy life, Or Hate Life, Just quit SITTING ON THE FENCE!
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
Michael I've used SynchBack from 2BrightSparks to good effect. There's a licensed version and a free version. I've used both on '98, 2000 & XP systems, I think the latest version in Vista compliant. Very comprehensive but relatively easy to use, can be run as pretty much as set & forget once you've set up the relevant "jobs". As it's name implies it does backup/restore and synchronisation Rgds PhilD
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code-frog wrote:
...and many chimed in with similar experiences.
This is actually moot, but I read all of the entries on this thread and saw no other mention of bad Maxtor experiences. Anyway have a great day! :-D :-D
DB_Cooper1950 Either enjoy life, Or Hate Life, Just quit SITTING ON THE FENCE!
Actually not to argue at all but the conversation took place about 6 months ago and I think at that time quite a few people either made comment of similar experience or pulled up others comments with 5's to indicate a similar experience. I don't like to bandwagon any product. I also support a *lot* of hardware and systems (self-employed) and really got rocked big time when Maxtor nearly flattened one of my clients by blowing 2 USB drives about 6 months after mine failed and I forked to a new product. Interesting Costco was the carrier at the time and they have since left Maxtor completely and gone to Western Digital. My conversations with some of the people at Costco indicated that a lot of them kept coming back so Costco chose to change vendors. Anyway, I really don't like to bandwagon any product but I think there's ample evidence to justify what I stated. I'd be willing to bet reviews and reports would indicate a two to three star rating out 5 stars. Out of curiosity ( and to eat my own dog food ) I just might look and see what I can find. I don't doubt at all you have had good luck with yours. There's going to be edge-case experiences for many products (and I'm not saying you are the edge-case). I went with Western Digital MyBooks (500 Gig) and made a hacked-up software RAID out of them and have been very happy. I have 3 other Western Digital USB drives 1 at 160 Gig and 2 at 250 Gig that are 2 to 3 years old and still humming. I also have a pair 250 Gig Maxtor internal drives that have run flawlessly for about 5 years now. Overall I prefer Seagate or HP drives to just about anything but then I was on the team that built HP drives so I have to be a bit partial. I'm running some HP SAS drives right now and they are a noticeably improved experience for high disk demand processes. Anyway, if you are curious search back about 6 months (maybe more) and have a read. I think I'm going to see what reviews might exist out there...:rose:
What I am up to: ReadyToGiveUp(Not!)[^] What friends are up to:SQLServerCentral[
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code-frog wrote:
...and many chimed in with similar experiences.
This is actually moot, but I read all of the entries on this thread and saw no other mention of bad Maxtor experiences. Anyway have a great day! :-D :-D
DB_Cooper1950 Either enjoy life, Or Hate Life, Just quit SITTING ON THE FENCE!
I happen to have and love using 2 of these so maybe I'll retract what I said.[^]:-O Hey look... I like egg on my face. Can I have some pancakes please?:laugh:
What I am up to: ReadyToGiveUp(Not!)[^] What friends are up to:SQLServerCentral[^]
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Personally I like the Maxtor One-Touch USB HDD's - very cheap, and the backup software is quite reasonable. Set and forget - once you set it up, you just plug the USB in and push the button on the top of the case.
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Personally I like the AllwaySync - very simple, friendly user interface and really makes that I want. My IT guys use only it. See website for details http://allwaysync.com. I shall be glad, if it will help You.
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
Personally I like the AllwaySync - very simple, friendly user interface and really makes that I want. My IT guys use only it. See website for details http://allwaysync.com. I shall be glad, if it will help You.
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I am needing a piece of software to install on client machines that I can setup to synchronise their important data onto their USB drives. These are people that have no idea when it comes to computers in general so I have to set something up that just works at a later time. Almost all clients are running Windows XP and I have been using Microsoft's SyncToy as it is free and basically does what I need. My only gripe is the need to install the .NET 2.x runtime to get one program to run. Anyone have another program that they have used that can be used to backup data to an external drive? One where I can tell it what directories/files to backup and the user can run any time they want.
Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash 24/04/2004
I used to use a tool called SecondCopy which was great for synchronising two locations. Not used it for a long time and can't remember if it supports removable media but it probably will as it does everything else you can think of! Main advantage is it just works without any interaction from the user - only tells them when there is a problem and even then it can be set to email an administrator instead. http://www.secondcopy.com/[^]
-- The Obliterator