Inwood Journal

Here’s the background.  Microsoft recently replaced Windows Live Sync (formerly FolderShare) with Windows Live Mesh, which doesn’t work with Windows XP.  Mesh works just fine and has additional features like easy remote access, but not everybody has moved past XP.

So I went looking for a Windows Live Sync replacement, specifically for a few clients who sync a handful of documents and a small database between their home and office computers, or between their office PC and a laptop.

SugarSync came to my attention.  It’s easy to set up, syncs via the Internet, and is free for low volume users.  It has some nice features, like the Magic Briefcase, and works with a variety of devices and systems. Who doesn’t love interoperability?

I set up a test account with two PCs and a laptop and a few small folders.

The first problem I encountered isn’t really one created by SugarSync, but by its users and my local ISP (Optimum Online).  Optimum apparently identifies SugarSync as a P2P file sharing program and slowed or shut down my service repeatedly during my trials, although the volume of data I was syncing was laughably small (a few dozen MBs).

The second problem was the deal-breaker.  I set up two folders containing text files, PDFs, a few small JPEGs, and an old Palm database to sync between two machines.  The folders had previously been synced by Windows Live Sync.  The result was a plethora of duplicate files in both folders identified by machine of origin, i.e. filename.txt and filename (from machine-name).txt.  I cleaned that up with FileMenu Tools, a handy shell extension from LopeSoft.  The static files stayed in sync thereafter.

I wasn’t thrilled about the need to remove post-sync duplicates, but I could live with it.  So I tried a more important test using dynamic files.  This time I targeted the folder storing a QuickBooks database.  I copied the folder from the first machine and pasted it into the same location on the second machine. I set up SugarSync, got the same type of duplicates, cleaned them up, then got nailed again.  Using QuickBooks created another “duplicate” of the database, actually a “backup” of the database before it was opened and changed.

In short, SugarSync is probably fine for folks who upload a static file, then share it to other devices.  Think music, photos, and video.  It’s definitely not OK for synchronizing actively edited text and data files between machines.  The same considerations would apply to using SugarSync for backup.  Good for static, problematic for dynamic files.

I know I’m not alone in this.

I bought a great little netbook loaded with Windows 7 Starter, added RAM, set the Visualization Properties to maximize performance, and the little guy (or gal) just flies.

But I was stuck with a nondescript blue background, and no way to add or change the wallpaper.

Looked all over for reliable, simple and safe way to change the wallpaper, and today I found it.

Voila! Works like a charm.

Go here for the solution to a nagging Wallpaper problem:

How To Customize Wallpaper in Windows 7 Starter Edition – How-To Geek

And don’t forget to leave the author a few bucks!