There has to be

[Angus Hines]

A Better way.....OK I have 3 laptops and a desktop running in the house I need files on at least 3 of the machines daily for this that or the other.

I design on my laptop from the comfort of my couch and then e-mail that file out to the shop desktop running (XP Pro all others run Vista) to be used by whatever piece of equipment it was created for.

Then there is the laptop that does all the paper design stuff and accounting.

How the hell can I centralize all of this info to be accessible from any machine in the house?

I do like the separation of info also, because if I lose one hard drive all is not lost in the one event however, I need to streamline things a bit also?

[Dan Hintz]

If it's all connected to the same network, share the drives and be done with it. Or get a NAS drive, they've become quite the cheap backup solution for multiple computers... a few hundred bucks gets you 1/2 a terabyte, just plug in and share.

[Mike Null]

Angus

I think a network will do what you want. You just have to set it to share files.

They're not too hard to set up.

[Kenneth Hertzog]

Angus

I use a memory stick to transfer files from one to another.
I have 3 laptops and two desktops and save my files on the stick.
this lets me have access to anything I need.
also use it at work.
easier than disks
also its a good backup for the just in case.

ken

[Mike Null]

Don't put too much faith in thumb drives as a back up device. The one I was using to back up my financials just fizzled. I do have another backup so no harm done.

[Angus Hines]

So I just go in to Network Sharing & Settings and turn on sharing???...for back up I use Carbonite and a separate set of CD's done weekly, kept in the fire safe. Having lost everything once I can't get enough backup protection...LOL

[Steve Clarkson]

Hmmmmm....I'd like to know how to do this too.....I have a desktop and a laptop connected to a wireless network using FIOS. If I save a file on my desktop, how can I access it from my laptop? Also is there any way to "watch" what is happening on the desktop using the laptop....in real time?

[Mike Null]

Angus

I'm inclined to use Carbonite as well and I bet that you can access that from any of your pcs if you set up the permissions properly.

You should then be able to see all of your files from any pc.

[James Stokes]

Setting up a network would be the simplest way. I have 3 wired computers and 1 wireless. I can access files off any computer from any computer. The network is a little difficult to set up but not to bad. If you want simple There is a program called network magic. You install it on all of your computers and it does all of the work setting up the network. It is only about $20

[Scott Shepherd]

The trend is also going away from storing data on your computers. It's moving towards offline servers. Apple's MobileMe setup is an example. It's cheap and you can save all your files, emails, everything on there. Then you can log in from your computer, your laptop while in the airport or on vacation, or from a smart phone and get to any file you created on any one of them.

It works for PC's as well. I have no used it, but I'm not far from giving it a trial run. It's $99 a year or $149 for a family plan, I think.

Might be worth a look. I don't know if it's the solution you're asking about, or if it'll work well for laser people, but it's something to look at and be aware of.

http://www.apple.com/mobileme/features/pc.html

[Robert Eiffert]

In Windows I used SyncToy (from Microsoft) to update a small NAS from two different computers. As I recall, it was a pretty easy setup to have both computers only add their new or updated files to the NAS. We did updates automatically each night, but we could invoke it anytime through the start menu.

However, remember if you're really trying to backup stuff, you need off-site storage as well as non-doc stuff like remembered passwords, webhistory, bookmarks, email if you're not using something like gmail, etc.

[Angus Hines]

No not really trying to back everything up I do that in several ways already. What I';m looking for is synchronicity between machines.

I'm thinking this Mobile me will work but it only gives you 20GB of storage so I'll have to look into that more.

I was hoping there was a simple plug and play way to do this but I guess not without a server.

[James Stokes]

Angus, It is easy to set up a network. You do not need a server. All you have to do is give all of your computers the same domain name and run the network set-up wizzard. With the xp computers you will not have a problem. With the vista computer the permission name has to be everyone, then you have to go in to vista and set the folders you want to share to sharing permitted. It is not that difficult.

[Charlie Bice]

I had exactly that problem.

Solution. Used the desktop as the 'main' repository and shared the folder. It looks just like another folder on the laptop.

Backups are also easy. Once a week, or however often you want, just copy that folder to your laptop.

I do a double backup. One copy on the laptop, one to a thumb drive. Once a year I do a multiple CD burn.

If I am going on a trip I copy the folder to the laptop and list the files that I modify. When I get home I copy them back to the 'main' folder.

charlie

PS make sure you secure your wireless network in some manner. Otherwise anyone can get on the network and change the stuff in your shared folder. I lost count of the number of home wireless networks I've been able to access from the street.

[Bob Keyes]

I don't think anyone has asked this. Do you have any kind of network now? Wired or wireless or a combination of the two?

[Angus Hines]

Hey Bob I'm all wireless not a cable in the house

[Dave Johnson29]

I'm all wireless not a cable in the house


Hi Angus,

Your DSL or Cable modem should be a WiFi Access Point (AP) and that will allow networking.

Ideally you should have one machine defined as the "Server". This machine will be the file repository for all of the stuff you want to share. The idea being there is only ever one copy of that file and that prevents accidental over-writing with an older version.

I have 5 computers here. One runs win98, one runs DOS+win3.1, one runs Vista and the rest XP-Pro. I have defined one as the server and all of them use that as if it was a local hard drive.

Setting up the network on all computers is a bit tedious but if you are steady and methodical it can be done in around 30 to 45 minutes. You must be logged on with Administrator privileges on each machine. Also it is wise to have ALL machines use the same login name and password. <sigh> Don't ask, it is M$oft software! :)

Once you have decided which computer is to be the server. Select the folders (as many as you like) where you will store all of the stuff and then right-click and select "Sharing..." Select "Share this folder" and that will allow other computers on the network to read and write to those folders.

One important point top mention is to make your Firewall allow access to the individual IP addresses. Usually the AP will have an address that looks like this

192.168.254.0

If yo have 4 computers, you will need to set the Firewall to allow an IP range of

192.168.254.0 to 192.168.254.5

It is a good idea to unplug the DSL/Cable line and turn the Firewall off completely when setting up the network. When you have it all running, replug the DSL/Cable and turn on the Firewall. If the network doesn't work, then mess with the Firewall until it all works.

Search online for detailed instructions on setting up wireless networks for various Operating Systems. It is far too much for me to type here. Many websites ending in .EDU (Schools and Universities) have some very good and detailed pages on the subject.

[George D Gabert]

How about just putting a wireless network harddrive in you system. a little pricy but any computer on system can access data.

GDG

[Erik King]

I have just two words to contribute: "Sugar Sync".

Go to SugarSync.com and check out the free trial. Works on macs and PC's and will sync all the files you want to use on all the different computers, plus keep them backed up and accessiable from the "cloud".

I keep all my laser stuff (within sub-folders) in a folder called "laser sync" and than have it replicate (sync) to all my computers. That way I can work on things on my home computer, office computer or laser computer and I am always using the same files on each with no delays or headaches, plus have them backed up safely as well. I can even access them from iphone and email them to anywhere I want.

I really like it - maybe you will also.