How to Sync - New Laptop with Vista

[OldBirdman]

Help & Support - Start syncing
1. Click to open Sync Center - OK I did that
2. On the toolbar, click Sync All - There is NO toolbar

So under Tasks, I click "Set up new sync partnerships". WRONG. Message "There are no new sync partnerships that can be set up on this computer".
There are 2 computers. The new Vista Laptop can see the C:\ drive of the XP desktop. I have copied some of the files to the new Vista machine, and now I want to sync these files.

How do I start?

[DonRayner]

Hi OB;

I believe that the Vista sync center if for syncing Vista with mobile devices or folders on a network server. Did you try creating a briefcase and copying the files into that?

Don

[OldBirdman]

Briefcase is, according to Vista Help, only included for people used to it who want to continue using it.

Step 1 - copy files from one computer into briefcase.
Step 2 - move briefcase across network connection to the other computer
Step 3 - when done using the 2nd computer, sync briefcase with 1st (desktop in my case)
So I have to copy what, 10,000 files into the briefcase. Then copy these to the laptop, each time I leave home, in case I want to use a program that uses these files. No way.

Windows XP had a download of SyncToy from Microsoft that compared pairs of folders, and copied/moved the minimum necessary to keep the files in sync. This is not available in Vista, as Sync replaces it.

I want copies of ALL my files, programs, pictures on both computers all the time. Maybe when I'm visiting my companion, we'll use one of these programs. Which one? Depends on what else is happening in the world. Who knows.

Briefcase also assumes that I will move the files to the laptop, and then not use the desktop until I sync the computers. This doesn't happen either. I may close up the laptop in anticipation of leaving, but continue with the desktop. Briefcase would be corrupt if I touched anything for which there were a copy in the briefcase.

SyncToy took care of all of this, with one click to run. I always wanted a preview (didn't 100% trust it), but it always made the correct decisions. Now I want this capibility with Vista.

[OldBirdman]

Further reading - Sync is for mobile devices, and will sync files, documents, music, photos, schedules, contacts. But a laptop is not a mobile device. So the sync center doesn't apply.

So let us just close this thread