The main feature of Microsoft programs and the key to their success is simplicity. The biggest flaw, however, is that you pay for everything and very few Microsoft free software.
One of the best programs ever developed by microsoft which is also free and completely free is SyncToy, a tool used to synchronize the contents of folders on a PC or those shared between multiple computers .
In the last days SyncToy 2.1 has been released which renews this program which becomes a fundamental software for those who need and want to create copies of the folders and files inside them.
SyncToy is addressed to those who own two or more computers, even at home, connected to the network, and is used to synchronize the contents of some folders so that they always contain the same files, with the same changes on all the computers used.
For example, you can synchronize the document folder so, whatever computer you use, the changes to the files are accepted by all the other PCs .
SyncToy can also be used on a single computer, not on the network, to make an exact copy of a folder on another directory or on an external hard disk or USB stick .
In doing so, the files inside the folder of which you also want to have a backup copy, are also stored in the backup folder and the risk of losing them for the breaking of the computer is reduced, especially if the backup is done on a USB drive external.
The word synchronization between two folders means that, if a file changes, be it in one directory, it is replicated identical on the other and also the vice versa. The old file is replaced by the new one in both archives.
The operation of SyncToy 2.1 is not complicated at all because, like all Microsoft programs, it is based on a point and click interface with the characteristic drag and drop.
You then choose the folder containing the files you often work on, select the one in which to copy the files, the destination and start the synchronization process.
If SyncToy is used for two or more computers, the network settings including the workgroup must be correctly set.
The automatic copy of files from one folder to another can be changed in some settings so you can decide whether the old file should disappear or should be kept and if the synchronization process should be only in one direction and not bidirectionally (i.e. only from A to B and not from B to A).
There are then:
- Sync mode with which the changes on folder A are reflected on folder B;
- Echo mode where B is updated according to the changes on A but the changes on B are not transferred to folder A.
- Contribute mode instead requires that the files from position A be copied to B even if they were renamed; however, the files deleted from folder A remain in B.
You can also, for all three modes, change other settings and choose to synchronize only a certain type of file, ignoring the changes made on others.
The choice of methods must be made according to personal needs, being careful not to cause unwanted cancellations.
In the latest version, the speed of transfers has been significantly improved and numerous bugs that caused errors have been corrected, especially in cases of synchronization between multiple computers.
Download SyncToy 2.1 .
In another article, other programs for synchronizing files and folders between computers
