Windows 7 Briefcase is not viable

Anonymous

I use briefcase extensively to sync my travel laptop with my office desktop. I carry virtually my entire working life in two large synced files. Windows 7 seems to render briefcase unusable. 1) a.sync source file and b. status are missing from the default Windows Explorer display. I finally figured out how to restore them, but it is hardly user friendly. 2) Syncing analysis is so slow it needs to speed up to stop (usually Task Manager says it is non-responsive) but it does (I think) usually come back if you wait long enough. I've given up on wireless as I believe that is worse. 3) If there is a way to "split from original" so that files or directories may be removed from the briefcase, I haven't figured out how. 4)Other strange things happen. My "Critical" briefcase just changed from a briefcase into a normal folder for reasons I haven't figured. Had a file marked read only, which wouldn't sync, and after removing the read only attribute, resyncing and exiting, the briefcase icon was replaced by the folder icon and no longer had briefcase characteristics. (That may not bee the reason, I did other things, but that was the strangest.). - If anybody at MS is interested in making Briefcase viable, I'd love to help. - SY Wink

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Anonymous

SYWink,

I stumbled across your post in looking for answers to the Windows 7 Briefcase. What I was able to find as an answer (at least for my situation) was that the necessary menu bar for the briefcase was hidden by default in Win7. The standard Windows 7 folder view doesn't have the familiar File, Edit, View, etc. You can re-enable the normal menu bar by clicking on Organize-Layout-Menu Bar. Once this is enabled you will also see the familiar "Briefcase" option in that menu bar when you're in your Briefcase. Under Briefcase you should see the "Split From Original" option.

I have not yet looked into the sync speed, so I have no insight as to that. However, as for the briefcase magically turning into a regular folder, I have actually seen that on just about every Microsoft OS, I've never found a reason for it.

I hope this helps you, at least a little.

Toledohitman

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Anonymous

If one requires synchronization so urgently and in a professional capacity perhaps one should purchase synchronization software such as Allway Sync or BellSync or GoodSync or others. Also, if data management is part of ones profession, than one may have buddies that can try out the different software and collaborate on the best of what's out there. Again, if you make more money by being on your A-game with file synchronization than it pays to purchase specialized software instead of kicking yourself and crying about it for all to hear, no?. Good software is only about 20 bucks. I make less than 30k a year and can afford that :)

To all, this thread raises an important problem of compounding a problem with frustrated ranting. If one is frustrated than take a moment to focus on the goal before one speaks out. Otherwise you don't solve anything and you reinforce and popularize adolescent behavior. Readers should also consider ranting to possibly be trolling or competitor negative advertising. Compulsive insincerity and cowardly rude behavior are going to cause big problems if we don't all recognize them as bringing society into very dark times.

Dear S Wink, you could do your listening audience a great service and post reviews of software like the aforementioned. Maybe even get into a Linux club and work with GNU projects perhaps? If your job involves these things than you stand to really contribute to making things better. If your job is to talk down Microsoft than you're doing great, lol.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

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65 additional answers

Anonymous

2013-10-20T22:21:29+00:00

I've been having decent luck with Briefcase so far in Windows 7, but lately its been hanging for up to a minute on an almost-new USB 3.0 flash drive. Has anyone found a real solution to the speed problem of Windows Briefcase?
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Anonymous

2013-03-12T23:01:24+00:00

I created a briefcase on desktop 1st computer follwing exactly the step-by-step description as shown by microsoft on their web page http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Sync-using-Briefcase and then copied Briefcase to removable media 500GB GoFlex Seagate. On second computer i added pictures from a canon camera to the Briefcase on removable media. Re-connected the removable media with 1st computer, opened removable media, right mouseclick, Update All: The result was, that the Briefcase on removable media did not synchronized with the Briefcase on Desktop 1st computer, but with the original picture file folders on 1st computer C:/user/user... where most pictures of Briefcase 1st computer originated from. Unfortunatly Briefcase 1st computer and original Picture File Folder on 1st computer are not the same.

How can I make Briefcase sync, synchronizing between Briefcase 1st computer and Briefcase removable media ?

System: Dell Inspirion, core i5, Win 7 pro

Best Regards

Joachim
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Anonymous

2012-11-25T06:20:47+00:00
Hi S Wink,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Answers Forums.

I’d suggest you to try sync using Briefcase with removable media and check if it is viable to you.

To sync using Briefcase with removable media

1.     Copy the Briefcase to any type of removable media.

2.     Remove the media from the first computer and insert it into the second computer.

3.     Make any changes you want to the files in the Briefcase on the removable media. Do not copy the Briefcase from the removable media onto the second computer.

4.     To sync your changes with the first computer, remove the media from the second computer and insert it into the first computer.

5.     From the first computer, open the removable media folder, right-click the Briefcase, and then click Update All to sync any changes you have made.

Please see Sync using Briefcase for more information.

Hope this information helps you.

Regards,

Yaaser - Microsoft Support Engineer

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I think this might be an older post, but I came across tyhis because I am trying to perform a data-commonality operation among several computers -- most, but not all, of which reside on my own home/business network. In you answer, you make a disctinction to NOT copying a Briefcase file to a "Laptop"; rather use the Briefcase files on the laptop from some removable media (modifying as necessary) and then syncing up on the desktop. Is this correct?

If so, then I am left with a few deficiancies regarding data syncing with Briefcase:
1. I have a large amount of data (about 3-4G) that needs to be common among several computers -- both laptop and mostly other desktop units. Not actually copying files onto each syncable computer makes me extremely uncomfortable.
2. Why impose such a limitation for the Briefcase function? What was this feature really designed to do?
3. What option would you recommend for syncing data among several desktop PCs? Having a sole copy on removable media only is not an option.
4. Also note: I have most systems now on win7; but I have a few Vista-PCs and one XP PC.
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