Is it possible to set up a folder that always mirrors the contents of another folder? • Non-Gaming • Eurogamer.net

Deleted user 13 March 2013 09:31:28

Need to do this on both a Mac and a PC. Basically I want the contents of a folder on a networked shared drive to always reflect the contents of a folder on my computer.

Ideally I could actually make adjustments to the contents of the folder on my laptop when I'm out and about, and then when I get into the office or home and connect to the network, it automatically updates the mirrored one.

Surely I'm not the first person who's wanted to do this?

dominalien 13 Mar 2013 09:32:24 10,703 posts
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owncloud.org

boo 13 Mar 2013 09:33:12 13,901 posts
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Could you use a cloud based folder and access the one folder from anywhere?

Deleted user 13 March 2013 09:33:32

Dropbox?

Phattso 13 Mar 2013 09:33:54 27,426 posts
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Could Dropbox be made to do what you're after? Just set its sync location to your networked drive?

Deleted user 13 March 2013 09:35:50

Hmm, ok thanks. I kind of assumed there was just a way of doing this in windows or whatever. Seems so obvious to me that it would be something you might need to do. I guess not.

Cheers though, I'll check out owncloud and dropbox and see if they can do what I'm talking about.

nickthegun 13 Mar 2013 09:37:00 87,711 posts
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You need a synch program that will let you synch mapped drives. I use FreeFileSynch and an automated task to run in the night.

Im sure there is a file synch program out there that will let you automate a task withint the program but ive never been arsed to find it or pay for it.

dominalien 13 Mar 2013 09:37:56 10,703 posts
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Owncloud is basically your own private Dropbox or Ubuntu One. I just learned about it recently and I'm hoping to get around to setting it up over the weekend.

nickthegun 13 Mar 2013 09:38:02 87,711 posts
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File synch would be better than drop box as, obviously, the storage is finite on dropbox.

nickthegun 13 Mar 2013 09:43:02 87,711 posts
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Oh, if youre using a mac try goodsync. Im sure that has a scheduler.

FreeFileSync is windows, so I suppose you are free to use the best client you can find.

Deleted user 13 March 2013 09:46:42

Cool, I'll have a nose around and see what works best. Again, bit annoying I can't just do this by right-clicking on a file like I was hoping, but there you go.

nickthegun 13 Mar 2013 09:52:25 87,711 posts
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Just had a squiz at goodsync and it seems to support real time sync now, so that may be a go.

pinebear 13 Mar 2013 09:55:39 8,571 posts
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kalel wrote:
Hmm, ok thanks. I kind of assumed there was just a way of doing this in windows or whatever. Seems so obvious to me that it would be something you might need to do. I guess not.

Microsoft has SkyDrive if that's what you're after?

Deleted user 13 March 2013 10:01:11

No, not really. This isn't really about cloud solutions or even network access. It's really just that at the moment I have to constantly copy and paste things from my laptop into folder on both my home and work network drives, to make sure that they're a) backed up and b) accessible to other people. It's just a bit of an arse, and easy for me to forget things. Would be nice if it could somehow all just sync up automatically.

Also, I like to keep all my itunes music on my laptop, but I also want it replicated on my home NAS so my Sonos can get it. Again, a bit of a pain to keep on copying any new music I buy onto the NAS. Ideally it would just mirror my music folder.

SClaw 13 Mar 2013 10:05:52 826 posts
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You can do it at a network level depending on your server setup (don't ask me how; been ages since I did tech support) but, frankly, it's shit in windows and never works right. You're better off with a cloud solution.

jellyhead 13 Mar 2013 10:07:15 24,355 posts
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Have a look at Microsoft SyncToy. I've used it once or twice but only to manage copying server content around not as a desktop sync tool.

ActiveSync is for Exchange content only isn't it.

Deleted user 13 March 2013 10:09:08

That sounds pretty good.

I guess I'm really taking the piss if I want something that will work for both a Mac and a PC though yeah? :-)

Deleted user 13 March 2013 10:10:07

Actually that does seem to work for both. That might be the one!

jellyhead 13 Mar 2013 10:12:38 24,355 posts
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Windows 7 - Offline Folders is native to Windows.

Also on Windows 7, click Start and type Sync. One of the results will be Sync Centre, give it a whirl.

As for Mac and PC apps, no idea. I rarely deal with Apple stuff.

Edited by jellyhead at 10:12:55 13-03-2013

nickthegun 13 Mar 2013 10:14:11 87,711 posts
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synctoy cant do scheduling, so he would have to kick it off manually, defeating the point, really. Goodsync will monitor for file changes and blart them across automagically.

Deleted user 13 March 2013 10:15:56

On another related but different note, why does itunes have to be such an utter cunt about folder related stuff? Can't Apple appreciate that some of us like some flexibility in relation to how and where we store things? It is insanely annoying.

nickthegun 13 Mar 2013 10:16:55 87,711 posts
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If you are talking about splitting albums up and the like, theres an option to turn that off.

Deleted user 13 March 2013 10:18:51

No, not that. I'm talking about you not having the choice between say, having music download to one drive, and video and apps in another. Or even some music on one drive and some on another.

nickthegun 13 Mar 2013 10:21:05 87,711 posts
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Oh yeah. Its because ITUNES IZ ITUNES. Its pure bloody mindedness.

Like how you cant manage music on your iphone on another computer without wiping it. MAKE THE FUCKING MUSIC SEPARATE! YOU ALREADY DO IN THE APPS ON THE PHONE!

Deleted user 13 March 2013 10:23:13

The weird thing about that is I used to be able to manage the music from several computers, it changed with ios 4 iirc. God knows why.

dominalien 13 Mar 2013 10:24:39 10,703 posts
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Yes, the iTunes-iOS ecosystem is just plain awful.

Very often, I prefer to reboot into Linux just so that my iPhone/iPad can mount as a drive so I can copy files back and forth. No putting in music or videos into the official apps that way, though. :-(

Deleted user 13 March 2013 10:37:50

It is particularly ridiculous as it actually massively contradicts their product strategy.

On the one hand they're telling us we don't need massive amounts of storage on our super light SSD based little laptops, as we have clouds and time machines and whatnot, and we can own all the HD content we like and get it directly from itunes and access it however and whenever we want...

But then it's all bollocks, because itunes has to all live in one place, and so that's either on your time machine, or on your laptop, and if you haven't got enough storage for all your music and HD video on your laptop then fuck you.

dominalien 13 Mar 2013 10:40:45 10,703 posts
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If this is the best Apple was able to come up with by way of data syncing and transfer without folder/file structures then I don't see any other existing company doing it any better. What Sony's solution with the Vita looks like strongly indicates I might be right. ;-)

nickthegun 13 Mar 2013 10:43:10 87,711 posts
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Actually, are you a member of iTunes Match? That would solve a lot of problems and is probably the cause of a lot of them (gimping functionality to push people towards a sub).

Deleted user 13 March 2013 10:45:57

Apple marketing is all fluffy bollocks and doesn't work in the real work SHOCKA!