Working on multiple computers, such as home, work and school computers, can become cumbersome if you're working with the same files and have no way to synchronize the data in each. Fortunately, Microsoft built in an automatic synchronization tool into Windows that you can use on Windows 7, Vista or XP. This tool, Windows Briefcase, can be used to sync and automatically update files on one computer with ones that have been edited or changed on another.
Instructions
Create and Synchronize Briefcase
1. Right click any spot on your desktop background. In the menu that appears, go down to the "New" submenu and click "Briefcase." Type a name for the Briefcase and press Enter.
2. Click on each of the data files or folders you want to keep synchronized to select the files. Hold the Ctrl key if clicking and selecting multiple files. Click the highlighted, selected files and drag them over top of the Briefcase icon to copy the files to the Briefcase. Or right click the selected files, click "Copy," right click the Briefcase icon and click "Paste."
3. Modify and edit the files and folders that you transferred to your Briefcase in their original location on your computer. You can add, remove or change data in any way you want.
4. Right click the Briefcase icon and click "Update all." Click "Update." The Windows Briefcase automatically synchronizes the data files.
Synchronize Briefcase on Multiple Computers
5. Insert a USB flash or thumb drive into an available USB port on your computer.
6. Open "My Computer" or "Computer." Double click the USB flash drive's drive letter to open it and view its contents.
7. Right click the Briefcase that you've created and synchronized and click "Copy." Right click the empty space on your USB flash drive in Windows Explorer. Click "Paste" to paste the Briefcase. Click the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon on the computer and wait for Windows to display a message telling you that it's safe to remove your USB flash drive. Remove the flash drive from the computer.
8. Insert the USB flash drive that contains the Briefcase into any other computer's available USB port. Open the Windows Explorer, locate and open your flash drive. Copy the Briefcase and "Paste" it anywhere on the computer's desktop or in another directory.
9. Work with, modify, add or remove data files in the Briefcase on the second computer. Right click the Briefcase on the second computer and click "Update All." Then right click the Briefcase icon located on the USB flash drive and click "Update All" to synchronize the data between the second computer and your flash drive. Remove the flash drive from the second computer.
10. Insert the USB flash drive on the original computer on which the Briefcase was created. Find the Briefcase in the location where you created it on the original computer, such as on the desktop. Right click this Briefcase icon and click "Update All." Windows Briefcase synchronizes data between the USB flash drive and the first computer.
Tags: flash drive, click Briefcase, Briefcase icon, Right click, your flash drive, click Update
