Syncing files, rather than folders.


  1. parkman
    Posts : 6
    Windows 7 Professional x64
       New #1

    Syncing files, rather than folders.


    Hi, I wonder wether some-one could give me a bit of assistance ? I am looking for a way to synchronise two or three files - not folders but files. I want to do this on one drive but in different folders. I keep a list of applicants to a course in a couple of folders in different directories on one hard drive on a PC. This prevents the loss of the data in the case of some-one inadvertently either deleting the file or even moving it by mistake and not knowing where it went.

    We have found that it can be fairly easy to move a file to an unknown location, particularly on a Win 7 laptop with a large mouse pad. So I would like to be able to keep two or three copies of the same file, and to update or synchronise the files whenever I have added data to one of the files.

    Any good suggestions would be welcomed, but I would rather not get suggestions referring to synchronising folders as I don't need this information thanks.

    Regards, parkman
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  3. Ztruker
    Posts : 6,285
    Windows 10 Pro X64
       New #2

    Maybe Synctoy? Download SyncToy 2.1 from Official Microsoft Download Center

    I use a paid program called Mirror Folder for this but it may be more than you want or need.
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  4. parkman
    Posts : 6
    Windows 7 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       New #3

    Hi, thanks for the suggestion. I have seen quite a lot of posts here and there regarding SyncToy so I may as well give it a go. I do know that programs such as FreeFileSync and PathSync don't do what I would like. I wonder if there is an alternative to synchronising,

    I have a recollection of updating files at one time, where copying the data from one file into another file only highlighted the information that was different when it was copied across, but I don't know what the program was. It could have been something along the lines of Adobe, but I don't think so.

    Anyway, I am open to other suggestions on how to achieve a solution.
    parkman
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  6. z3r010
    Posts : 51,474
    Windows 11 Workstation x64
       New #4

    FYI - We have a tutorial on Synctoy that maybe useful - SyncToy - Backup User Data
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  7. parkman
    Posts : 6
    Windows 7 Professional x64
    Thread Starter
       New #5

    Hi, thanks for your reply, I will have a look and see if I does the job for me.

    parkman
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  8. Ztruker
    Posts : 6,285
    Windows 10 Pro X64
       New #6

    You could probably accomplish what you want with a batch file using xcopy too, but Synctoy is better.
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  10. logicearth
    Posts : 5,642
    Windows 10 Pro (x64)
       New #7

    Or could just use hardlinks, create a hardlink from the original file to whatever folders you like. (As long as it takes place on the same partition/HDD.) Windows itself uses hardlinks to pull files from WinSxS.

    Helpful tool for doing that: Link Shell Extension
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  11. Ztruker
    Posts : 6,285
    Windows 10 Pro X64
       New #8

    My understanding is that a hardlink is just a pointer to a folder or file. There is only one copy of the folder or file. How does this make backups? I'm confused.
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  12. logicearth
    Posts : 5,642
    Windows 10 Pro (x64)
       New #9

    In order to delete the file you must delete all references that point to that file. So if you wanted to get rid of it all hardlinks must be deleted.
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