Chris Pirillo » sync

Backup Security and Synchronizing (even for Macs!)

Chris — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:14:38 +0000

Backup Security and Synchronizing (even for Macs!) is a post from Chris Pirillo

You’ve seen us repeatedly say to back up your files. When someone has computer problems, one of the first questions that we ask is whether there is a backup of the important files. You would be surprised at how many people do not have a backup. And there is no reason for that lapse in security.

Computers will fail. Hard drives will stop working. Disasters will happen, so we are going to make this backup routine very easy. We have an offer for our readers from GoodSync. This program has had good reviews and we agree. It is easy to use and it is effective:

GoodSync will automatically back up and synchronize all your important files so you never need to worry about losing your emails, precious family photos, contacts, MP3s, and financial documents. GoodSync works locally – between desktops, laptops, servers, and external drives, but it is also capable of backing up and syncing files to and from remote servers using FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, and more.

This program will work with Windows XP/2003 Server/Vista and yes, Windows 7. As a special offer to our readers, there is a twenty percent (20%) discount when you use coupon code LCKGS. This offer expires on November 11, 2009.

And for the Mac users, GoodSync has an alpha version, which is free. It’s still being tested, so use it at your own risk.

For the sake of full disclosure, we tested the pay-for version extensively. The Mac version was not tested by our reviewers.

How to Sync Any Device (Audio, Video, Photos) to a Computer

Chris — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:28:30 +0000

How to Sync Any Device (Audio, Video, Photos) to a Computer is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Like many of you, I have a lot of gadgets. These devices are capable of playback of audio and video, and of viewing images. Most of my media sits somewhere on my home network. Synchronizing that media between computers and devices can be a nightmare. Finally, there is software available for OS X that helps me do this with ease. There’s also a Beta test going on right now for this program to run within Windows!

doubleTwist helps you to better sync the media on your machines to your various devices. There is support available right now for everything from Blackberry products to the G1 and Android phones. This includes the PSP even!

Browse through your media and play anything. doubleTwist supports all major audio and video formats. doubleTwist works with your phone, MP3 player, PSP, camera, and much more! Take your music, videos and other media wherever you go. Publish a video to YouTube, upload photos to Facebook and Flickr or privately share an experience with friends.

The list of supported devices will grow over time. There’s an image pane on the site that helps you look at the devices supported currently. However, it will no longer be a pain to sync your devices and use your media!

As Geeks, we have way more than one device. These devices are great on their own. But getting the media there and synchronizing all devices together is maddening. ARGH!! But doubleTwist makes it easy, and takes the guesswork and headaches out of the equation.

doubleTwist is a basic media manager that is essentially the uber station of media management with your devices.

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How Do You Keep Files and Folders in Sync?

Chris — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:45:51 +0000

How Do You Keep Files and Folders in Sync? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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It’s a routine task to copy or move a file from one location on your computer to another. When it comes to synchronizing files in one folder with another folder can be hard without the right software. When it’s another machine that you’re wanting to move or copy a folder to, you have to have that same software on the other machine. See where I’m going? It can get to be a huge hassle. Thankfully, Synkron can help. Synkron is a multi-platform Qt application designed for synchronizing two or more folders.

Apart from doing synchronizations, it provides many other additional features. The user interface of Synkron is divided into several sections: Synchronize, Multisync, SyncView, Scheduler, Restore, Blacklist and Filters. To switch between these sections, use the toolbar.

Synchronize multiple folders.
Tabs allow you to have more synchronizations running at once.
Periodical synchronizations automatically sync your folders in selected intervals.
Restore files, which were overwritten during the synchronization.
Add files and folders to black list to make sure they won’t be synchronized in the future.
Make schedules and backup using multisync.

It’s amazing how detailed this program is. As I pointed out, it’s fully open-source. With this much power, it’s almost overwhelming. I’ve been looking for a simple way to sync multiple folders and files across my network, on many different operating systems.

How many computers do you have at home, and how often do you back up? What happens if your backup is messed up? Redundancy is a good thing. You should be able to sync your folders and information together with ease, so that you always have access to it. If you’re looking for a good tool to do this, make sure you check out Synkron.

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Syncing Outlook, OS X, Google with Ease

Chris — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 08:47:59 +0000

Syncing Outlook, OS X, Google with Ease is a post from Chris Pirillo

Not sure how it happened, but I ran into The Holy Grail of Synchronization – how to synchronize Microsoft Outlook (multiple locations), Google Calendar, Gmail, iPod, and mobile phone with Funambol, ScheduleWorld. I took the time to dig deeper, largely because I’ve been wanting to sync Outlook with Google (and Google with iCal) for a while now – and I’m still using Outlook 2000, which keeps certain syncing tools out of reach.

Standards to the rescue! Engtech, as described, pointed me to ScheduleWorld: “An experiment in a new kind of rich Internet application, built on the foundations of open standards that enables you to access your data from virtually anywhere using a growing number of interoperable devices and software.” Yes, it’s absolutely free – and absolutely 100x more useful than you may realize:

Sync between countless devices, platforms (iPod included!)
Simple and fast Calendaring, Scheduling, Tasks, Notes
Global address book (LDAP!)
Java Micro Edition (JME/J2ME) Client for mobile phones

Whoa. As recommended, I downloaded the Outlook SyncML client (which runs independently). Took a small bit of troubleshooting to get going, but the problems were remote – and cleared up quickly by Mark Swanson (ScheduleWorld mixmaster). In no time at all, I was able to do what I’ve always wanted to do – sync calendars, tasks, and notes through simple software, as well as have a network-accessible address book. Dude, ScheduleWorld is absolutely amazing – and free.

How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.