Features
-
License:
Free
- Editor's Rating:
- Average User Rating:
-
Downloads:
21,280
- Operating Systems:
Windows Vista, Windows XP
- Additional Requirements:
Windows XP/Vista, Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
- Limitations:
No limitations
- Date Added:
September 18, 2008
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Previous Versions:
Publisher's description of SyncToy
From Microsoft:The easy to use, customizable application helps you copy, move, rename, and delete files between folders and computers. There are files from all kinds of sources that we want to store and manage. Files are created by our digital cameras, e-mail, cell phones, portable media players, camcorders, PDAs, and laptops. Increasingly, computer users are using different folders, drives, and even different computers (such as a laptop and a desktop) to store, manage, retrieve and view files. Yet managing hundreds or thousands of files is still largely a manual operation. In some cases it is necessary to regularly get copies of files from another location to add to primary location; in other cases there is a need to keep two storage locations exactly in sync.
Version 2.0 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
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Editor's review of SyncToy
stars
- "Don't play games with syncing"
- Version reviewed: SyncToy 2.0
If you're looking for a convenient, uncomplicated, and stable synchronization tool, you could do much, much worse than Microsoft's SyncToy. Part of the Windows XP PowerToys add-ons, this tool makes it easy to keep folder contents identical on one machine or across a network.
The first time you run it, SyncToy will guide you through creating a pair of linked folders. Labeled as Left and Right, it will then ask you to choose from one of five synchronization methods. Echo works like a standard one-way sync, copying all files from Left to Right. Synchronize is bidirectional; Contribute works like Echo but it won't delete files removed from the Left folder; Subscribe only updates files in common that have been updated; and Combine merges Synchronize and Contribute so that files are updated in both directions, but none are deleted. SyncToy does support encrypted files.
SyncToy also offers up a preview, preventing accidental loss of data. However, the two feature omissions are hard to ignore: you can't synchronize across the Internet, and there's no scheduler. For the former, Microsoft does offer a different tool, FolderShare, but by requiring users to manually sync all folders leaves SyncToy behind other free backup apps.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 13 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 9 user reviewsSee all 9 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: SyncToy 2.0
"Nice, but boesn't work NTFS to FAT (bug rprtd aug08)"
Pros: does sync nicely, does what it says on the tin
Cons: Doesn't work NTFS to FAT (bug not fixed in nearly 1 year) - see http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/synctoy/thread/f00b8777-d70c-4ba9-a6e6-52f1be3e55a3.
Also can't modify a folder pair, have to recreate it -
Version: SyncToy 2.0
Pros: Nice for manual syncronization and I used 1.4 version for several years.
Cons: The echo function does nof fully echo the original files and folders. For example, if a new file version is added in original folder and the old file version is removed, the destination folder gets the new file but old file is not removed.
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Version: SyncToy 2.0
"a bit clunky, but it does the job"
Pros: the price is right. a great way to manage backups
Cons: ckunky interface... no built in scheduler
Summary: there are built in backup products, but this will do the job for many users
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: SyncToy 2.0
Pros: It is simple to understand and use.
Cons: I needed a program for backing up my files onto a seprate hard drive. For this purpose. SyncToy is a total waste of time. I used the "echo" feature but it was just rediculously slow. 12 hours to backup 4.5 GB or something like that.
Summary: Waste of time for ordinary backup jobs. I think it would have taken 12 hours or so to back the folder up (about 4.5 GB). I found it much, much, quicker to drag & drop the folder on my PC onto the standalone drive, and overwrite the previous back... read more >>
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Version: SyncToy 2.0
Pros: Does the Job
Cons: Had some problems with the Task Scheduler. Not as easy to set up[ and use as it could be.
- See all 9 user reviews Write review
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