Backup files from 1 PC to another?

[crashwg]

My situation is that I have two computers, no extra hard drives (or money to buy one) and I don't feel like wasting disks filling them half up with pictures but I want to have some sort of insurance against loosing a bunch of stuff (for the second time).

So I was pondering that there must be a way, program or otherwise, to do automatic backing up of specific folders between two PCs.

Anyone have any experience with this?

My google-fu is lacking today... 

[tommy]

Email it.

[XyloSesame]

If the machines are networked, you can map the drives and run pretty much any backup app, including the Microsoft bult-in. It might take a while on a 10/100 network, depending on the size of the backup, but it should work...

[knave]

You could copy the files from one pc to the other manually.  or you can temporarily pull the HD out of one and install it as a slave to the other and swap the files.

I too have used the built in backup software in XP and found that it is adequate for most things.

Use a flash drive...

And I've heard that if you rub the monitors together they will each know what the other know's.   (Spooky)

[zaphod]

Xcopy in a dos batch file as a scheduled task.

[crashwg]

If the machines are networked, you can map the drives and run pretty much any backup app, including the Microsoft bult-in. It might take a while on a 10/100 network, depending on the size of the backup, but it should work...

This is the advice I'll be going with for now.  A big DUH from me on the mapping the drive...  That makes perfect sense.  Off to check out the built in backup program.

[crashwg]

Ok, so I've checked out the windows backup utility. 

It can be scheduled to do backups at regular intervals which is great as I would very much prefer to have this as automated as possible.

The problem I have with it is that it creates a single backup file where as I am wanting to have usable files on both computers.

Perhaps what I'm looking for is synchronization between the computers?

Off to check out some programs to see if they offer what I'm looking for.

[zaphod]

My suggestion will do EXACTLY what you want to do.

[XyloSesame]

The problem I have with it is that it creates a single backup file where as I am wanting to have usable files on both computers.

I'd second XCOPY, then. You can map the drives, then schedule XCOPY (or ROBOCOPY) to run automatically, keeping folders, subs, and rights intact.

[crashwg]

My suggestion will do EXACTLY what you want to do.

Neato!  Looks as though that's an included part of windows also.  Researching usage...

[zaphod]

The standard format I use is:

xcopy "<from dir>" "<to dir>" /s /k /d /y

[knave]

The standard format I use is:

xcopy "<from dir>" "<to dir>" /s /k /d /y

LOL  so I don't have to go look them up can you define the attributes you are using?

Thanks

[boykster]

to "look those up" open a cmd prompt and type "xcopy /?"

/s = copy directories and subdirectories (except empty ones)
/k = copy attributes
/d = basically means copy all "new" files....
/y = supresses prompting for overwriting files....

[shmokes]

Check out www.foldershare.com

It's freaking awesome.  It used to cost money, but Microsoft bought them recently and made it free.  Anyway, you just specify what folders you want to be synced and it does it automatically.  It always runs, but it's tiny I haven't noticed any slowdown, even on my three-year-old laptop, that was comparatively slow when I got it cos I bought for portability not speed.

But, yeah.  The program is really great.  My problem was that when I'm home, I do all my homework on my desktop, but at school, I do it all on my laptop.  I'm always transferring files over the network from one to the other, but it was getting to where the Law School folder on one was looking fairly different from the Law School folder on the other, and I couldn't remember which computer had the most recent version of a file, etc.  So I set up this foldershare thing, and now the folders are always identical.  I tested the sync by creating a new text file in the folder and it showed up on the other computer within about 10 seconds or so.  It works in both directions, so regardless of which computer I'm working on, the changes will be reflected on the other one. 

As if all that weren't enough, as an added benefit, I can now go to the foldershare.com website and access the entire contents of my hard drives from anywhere that I have internet access. 

Oh yeah . . . you can also share a folder and then give invite anybody else to access it through the foldershare.com website. 

Did I mention it's free?

[crashwg]

Check out www.foldershare.com
etc...

Ya forgot to mention that the files are transferred through the internet and not a home network.  I imagine that this would work out pretty well for those with broadband and/or very small files they want to synchronize.  Unfortunately, I'm on dial-up right now and want to sync sometimes hundreds of megs, like when I upload my digi-cam pics.

For my purposes, I'll still be working on getting xcopy to do what I want...

Right now I'm stuck on copying only newly added files and/or newly edited ones.
After that I've got to figure out batch files! 

[ChadTower]

xcopy /e /k /r /i /c <source tree top> <dest tree top>

[XyloSesame]

Right now I'm stuck on copying only newly added files and/or newly edited ones.
After that I've got to figure out batch files! 

If you're not comfortable with command line, or are getting stuck on the switches, try RoboCopy GUI.