In this hectic world of ours one may find themselves frequently traveling from place to place. With computers an integral part of every day life, how do you work with your files while you’re away from your main workstation? Do you simply copy and replace them when you return? What if you need to do this often? What if there are many files edited, added and/or deleted?

Fortunately there are two quick ways to accomplish this sort of thing built right into Microsoft® Windows®. You have a choice of a Briefcase or using Offline files. Both of these options allow you to synchronize your files with copies on another storage device. You can edit either version and synchronize them bringing the contents in sync. This is also a nice method of a sort of quasi-backup of your beloved files. The USB flash drives are perfect for offline storage. They are compact and capable of holding large amounts of data. I personally use Briefcase with my 1GB SanDisk Cruzer mini.

The creation of a Briefcase is fairly simple. Open up Windows® Explorer and browse to the location where you would like to store you briefcase (this is where your synchronized copy will be kept, not the original location). After browsing to the desired location select File --> New --> Briefcase from the menu items. A new briefcase object will appear on your device. Rename the newly created briefcase to something meaningful or appropriate. .Next find the files/folders that you would like to keep synchronized. Select those objects and copy them. Browse to your newly create briefcase and copy these files/folders inside. Tada! This is pretty much all that is necessary to set up your files for synchronization.

Once you have a briefcase set up you can take your storage device with you and work on your files while you are away. When you return to your main workstation you simply need to synchronize your files. To synchronize your files open up your briefcase and select Briefcase --> Update All from the main menu. A dialog will appear showing you the changes that are about to take place. You can keep the results as is, or change the direction of synchronization or even skip synchronization changes.

At first glance, to some, this may seem complicated. However, once you start using briefcases (yes, you can have multiple on one device for different locations, I use many. I even have one to synchronize my bookmarks on all the different computers that I use.) you’ll quickly become comfortable with them. They’re a great way to ensure you can access your files while you are away from you main workstation. It is also a nice way to keep a backup of those must have files.

Labels: Apps, Information, Tech