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SOFTWARE & SERVICES - SYNCHRONISATION - 12.11.2012

Live Mesh: cloudless syncing

To sync files between computers, a cloud service such as Dropbox or SkyDrive is ideal. But you can also sync files between computers without a cloud service, for instance via Live Mesh.

Extra privacy

Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com) or Skydrive (http://skydrive.live.com) are excellent cloud services: they give you several gigabytes of free online storage space and they are ideal for synchronising files between devices. But perhaps you don’t fancy the idea of your files being stored online for privacy reasons? Windows Live Mesh (http://www.mesh.com) lets you sync files directly between computers.

Live Mesh

Note. Live Mesh does synchronise via the Internet, but it doesn’t store the files on a server. You only need to install a small program on all the computers you want to synchronise. When the computer is on, the files will be copied to all the other computers running Live Mesh. If the other computer is off, the files won’t be synchronised until it is switched on again. You can synchronise up to 50 folders, each containing up to 50GB.

Installation. Download Live Mesh (http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=29222) on a Vista (with Service Pack 2), Windows 7 or Windows 8 system. Next, select Choose the programs you want to install - indeed, Live Mesh is a component of Windows Live Essentials 2011. Select Windows Live Mesh and wait for the installation to finish.

Getting started

After installation, you should enter a Windows Live ID or Hotmail ID. In Folders, click on Synchronise a folder. Select any folder on your hard drive and click on Synchronise. You can also check the SkyDrive Synced Storage option. As a result, this folder will also be saved in the cloud, so that you can access it even when the computer is turned off. You are given 5GB of free online storage space. Tip. The SkyDrive function is optional!

Now install Live Mesh in the same way on the other computer(s) inside or outside your own network, using the same Windows Live ID. Live Mesh will recognise your account and the shared folders automatically. These folders will be synchronised instantly - the duration of this process depends on your Internet connection. Whenever you now make a change in a synchronised folder it will be copied to the other computer(s) straightaway. Tip 1. You can also share folders on the second computer: they will be sent to the first computer automatically. Tip 2. The number of computers on which you can install Live Mesh using the same ID is unlimited.

Options

You can also share folders with others: choose Edit Permissions and enter one or more e-mail addresses. These people can then add, delete or create files. It’s not possible to give read-only access to a folder. Tip. For each folder, you can choose the computers with which they are to be synchronised, and whether or not they should also be stored online. In addition, Live Mesh lets you synchronise your Internet Explorer favourites and certain Office settings. Finally, clicking on Remote allows you to take control of a computer remotely via the remote desktop. You have to enable this feature beforehand by clicking on Allow external connections with this computer, and it only works if the Windows user account has a password.

Live Mesh lets you synchronise an almost unlimited number of folders with other computers. This is done automatically as soon as the computers are switched on. Moreover, the files aren’t stored in the cloud (although you can enable this option for individual folders).