March 18, 2015

What’s the best free file synchronization software for Windows?

File synchronization software comes in many shapes and forms. From cloud storage services that allow you to sync files with the cloud and from there to your other devices to local solutions that you use without third-party involvement.
This article concentrates on local solutions only that are offered for free and run on all supported versions of the Windows operating system.
While cloud syncing services have their advantages, it makes little sense to use them when you want to sync files in a local network between devices.
Before we look at the programs that we reviewed for this article, it is important to define what makes a good file synchronization software.
Requirements
  1. Supports manual and automatic (scheduled) modes of operation.
  2. Supports one-way and two-way synchronization of data.
  3. Filters to include/exclude files or folders based on rules that you specify.
  4. Should sync files in use.
  5. Should work with a variety of devices including internal and external hard drives, network shares and removable devices.
  6. Should not limit you in regards to the synchronization (no file limits, use limits).

The Contenders
Bvckup 2 - Freeware
Create Synchronicity - Open Source Software
FreeFileSync - Open Source software
SyncBackFree - Free for personal use. (Portable version link)
SyncFolders - Freeware
Syncredible - Free for personal use.
Synkron - Open Source software
Not included
Allway Sync - Limits syncs to 40,000 files per calendar month

 

Bvckup 2

 

bvckup

Bvckup opens a clean interface on launch., First thing you do is create a new backup profile under File and configure it.
There you select the source and destination folders as well as all parameters for the job. You will notice that you can only configure one-way sync operations using the program.
What sticks out on the other hand is support for delta-copying files which reduces the time it takes to update already synced files by transferring only the parts that have been modified.
The program can monitor the source directory in real-time, using specific intervals or manually. The preferences hold additional options of interest. It is for instance possible to link backup jobs to removable devices so that they are only run when the device is connected to the system.
The progress is highlighted in steps when a job runs. It highlights the current operation and the remaining steps and errors so far. A detailed log file is available as well which you can enable under options.

 

Create Synchronicity

 

synchronicity

Create Synchronicity is an easy to configure file backup and synchronization software. Compared to other syncing programs it is rather bare-bones which does not have to be a bad thing depending on your needs.
It does support one-way and two-way syncing though and a couple of additional features that you configure during setup of a new sync job.
It supports a preview option that displays exactly what will happen when you run the synchronization job. There is however no option to make last minute adjustments to the job which means that you will have to open the configuration of the job again to do that.
The sync dialog displays all there is to know about the process including the elapsed time, progress bars, the speed of the process and how many files and folders were created and deleted so far and how many are left.

  https://bvckup2.com/

 

 

FreeFileSync

 

freefilysync

Attention: The program ships with adware. Mystartsearch was offered during test installations and the only option to skip it was to switch from Basic (Recommended) to Advanced and remove the checkmark from the Install Mystartsearch box there before clicking Next.
FreeFileSync's interface leaves you puzzled for a moment where to begin. It is not really that complicated but a little bit of guidance would help out a lot.
What you need to do is add folder pairs that you want to sync using the browse buttons. Once you have added at lest one pair, you use the compare, filter or synchronize button to start a process.
Both compare and synchronize are configured with a click on the cog wheel button next to their buttons. Compare for instance compares all files in both folders based on their size and file time.
Synchronize on the other hand displays the sync methods supported by the program as well as other sync related preferences that you can configure there.
Please note that you need to run the program with elevated privileges as you may get access errors otherwise depending on the folders and files you select.
Compare loads all files and folders and displays them in the interface. FreeFileSync higlights which files are only listed in one of the two directories and displays the total size and file count of the operation if executed.
Scheduling is not built-in but you can export a job as a batch file and add it to the Windows Task Scheduler manually to run it regularly on the system.

  http://www.freefilesync.org/

 

SyncBackFree

 

syncbackfree

Setting up a sync job is a two-step process in SyncBackFree. You create a new profile and the desired synchronization method in the first step.
Once done, you configure the new sync profile in detail in the second step. A simple version of the configuration is displayed to you by default. You can change that to an expert configuration if you prefer that which displays all available options (and some not available in the free version).
The expert options leave little to be desired. At the very least, it is necessary to add two folders to the profile but you can do a lot more than that.
For instance, it is possible to define detailed compare options that determine whether files are equal or not based no parameters that you can adjust in the settings.
Next to that, it is the only program supporting compression and encryption of files, and ftp servers. Another interesting and unique feature it offers is a performance estimation for the profile highlighting settings that may slow down the profile.

  http://www.2brightsparks.com/freeware/freeware-hub.html

 

SyncFolders

 

syncfolders

The program is probably the easiest to set up thanks to its streamlined interface. One you click the new button you are taken to the configuration screen where you configure all sync related options.
Before you run a sync operation, you may want to run a scan first as it provides information about the job. It lists files and folders to synchronize, the total size of the data and errors that it ran into.
A click on errors reveals those while details lists all files and folders and their status in regards to the other folder. A right-click on folders or files displays options to override the default rules in place. You can block files from being synchronized or copied for instance.

  http://www.syncfolders.elementfx.com/

 

Synchredible

 

synchredible

When you first start Synchredible after installation you are taken directly to the task wizard which you can use to create a first sync job.
Adding a new sync job is not complicated and every option that you can select is well explained. It takes seven steps (pages) to set up your first sync job which can be a bit overwhelming if you never used a sync software before.
The wizard covers all necessary information on the other hand giving you full control over the process. Here is a quick rundown of the steps:
  1. Select the two folders and decide whether subfolders should be included.
  2. Enable one-way or two-way sync, and decide if you want to synchronize all files or only newer files.
  3. Add more parameters such as deleting redundant files, ignoring hidden files or folders, or comparing file contents.
  4. Set up filters to include or exclude files or folders from the operation.
  5. Set up automatic tasks. Schedule synchronization jobs or configure them to run based on certain conditions or system events.
  6. Add actions that you want run before or after synchronization.
  7. Add a name, assign a system wide hotkey for the task, and enable the preview feature.
Jobs can be run manually at any time or only manually if you want that.Another interesting feature is the program's group option. You can add multiple jobs to a group to run all jobs of that group in one operation.
Before you run the first job you may want to check the program's options first as they list quite a few sync related preferences.
Verification is enabled for instance by default while the saving of reports is not. You can also mail reports, suppress error messages during jobs, change the buffer size or disable log file creation.
Sync jobs that run show the progress of the operation in the interface. There is also an option to pause the job.

  http://synchredible.com/

 

Synkron

 

synkron

Synkron supports folder synchronizations and multi-syncs. The difference between the two operations is that a folder sync is keeping files in sync between two or more folders while multisync syncing multiple source folders with one destination folder.
Once you have added at least two folders you can hit the analyze button to display information about the current sync status.
All folders not synced currently are listed for synchronization but you can blacklist files or folders to exclude them from the process.
Advanced options are available as well which you can use to define additional sync related preferences such as not creating empty folders or syncing hidden files and folders.
Once you hit sync all files and folders are processed and displayed to you so that you know exactly where the process is at. There is no progress bar on the other hand which means that you don't know how long jobs will take to complete.

http://synkron.sourceforge.net/

Which program is the best?

This comes down to your requirements more than anything else. Synchredible overall made the best impression as it offers an immense number of options to set up synchronization jobs on your devices.
SyncFolders is another excellent program. While it may lack certain features, it makes up for them with its straightforward interface which is probably the easiest to use.
You cannot go wrong with both of them unless you require a specific feature that one of the programs does not offer.
Update: SyncBackFree is another excellent program that ships with a couple of unique features. It is probable the feature-richest program of all programs mentioned in this article.
If you don't require two-way syncing, then Bvckup may be another interesting choice. The program supports delta-copying which should speed up consecutive sync jobs significantly.
Other suggestions worth investigating:

March 12, 2015

3 tools for finding and eradicating duplicate files on your hard drive

One of the pains of owning a PC that's getting towards the end of its life is dealing with the ever-shrinking amount of storage as your PC fills up with music, photos, and documents. In the end, the only way to battle the bloat is often to get a new PC or more storage—but until you do, there are a number of tricks you can employ to make space on your PC.
A particularly handy one is to eliminate duplicate files and folders on your hard drive, getting rid of superfluous data you don't need. You'd be surprised how much content ends up duplicated on your PC thanks to a sync gone wrong with iTunes or an errant click with the photo importer.
Here are three tools that can help you reduce the clutter on your system.

DoubleKiller

doublekiller
DoubleKiller is an all-purpose duplicate finder that can scan folders, your whole drive, and even other PCs on your local network. It compares file name, size, modification date, and even content (presumably by hashing a file's contents). The program also lets you exclude files by name, size, or type (XLS, MP4, etc.).
DoubleKiller has a lot of great features, but the interface may not be as straightforward as it could be. If you find yourself confused, start by adding some folders to scan under the Options tab then, go back to the DoubleKiller tab and click Run. Once it's done you can decide to delete your duplicates or move them to another location.

dupeGuru Picture Edition

dupeguru
As its name suggests, dupeGuru Picture Edition is all about finding doubles in your image folders. Pictures can be one of the top sources of duplicates for many people, especially as we migrate to new PCs, restore data from back-ups, and keep pictures in different cloud services like Dropbox, Google+, and OneDrive.
DupeGuru PE is very easy to use. All you get is a simple window with options to add folders for scanning. When you're ready, just hit Scan and let the program do its magic, then decide what to keep once it's done.

Winmerge

This is a seriously useful tool if you have a lot of documents or text files kicking around and need to pare them down. Winmerge lets you compare two versions of a document (or an entire directory) and then view the actual differences between them on screen. You can then choose to merge the text into one preferred document.
Unlike the other tools in this article, Winmerge isn't about searching your hard drive for duplicate files. Instead, you have to know that the two files or directories you're comparing are similar or earlier versions of each other.
The big advantage is that you can see the differences and then easily bring your files together into one canonical version. At first glance, you may find Winmerge's interface a little overwhelming, but don't be intimidated. The icons are designed to offer visual cues to help you understand how everything works.
With these three tools you'll end up with a little more space on your hard drive in no time.


Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2893306/3-tools-for-finding-and-eradicating-duplicate-files-on-your-hard-drive.html#tk.nl_pwr

March 5, 2015

Use Recuva to recover deleted files - free

Recuva is, without a doubt, the very best free file recovery software available today. Recuva is very easy to use and is as or more effective as any other freeware or premium file recovery program out there.

At some point or another all of us have deleted something we shouldn't have deleted. Usually the solution is to simply restore the file from the Recycle Bin but what if you've already emptied the Recycle Bin? In that case, a file recovery program like Recuva can help.

If you try only one file recovery program, make Recuva that one program. I highly recommend Recuva.



Recuva Features

  • Recuva's easy to use wizard asks the important questions and does the hard work behind the scenes.
  • Frequent updates to the program by Piriform and a long history of success keeps Recuva at the top of many lists.
  • Recuva is available in a portable version making installation unnecessary - a very important advantage.
  • A quick standard scan and an optional "Deep Scan" cover all the technological bases in the search for recoverable files.
  • Recuva can recover files from hard drives, USB drives, memory cards, BD/DVD/CD discs, and even MP3 players, including the iPod.
  • Support for Windows 8 (including Windows 8.1), Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and even Server versions of Windows.
  • Native 64-bit version of Recuva available for optimal operating in 64-bit versions of Windows.
  • Supports drives as large as 3 TB.


Source: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/filerecovery/gr/recuva-review.htm

I accidentally deleted over 100 files from a flash drive (trying to move the directory "tree" of those files). The "Recuva" program shortly found them (although most of them, Recuva had "red flagged" as being unrecoverable, due to over-writing). THAT, I found strange (since I'D CEASED USING the flash-drive immediately following the deletions and until I got "Recuva" running). Nonetheless, I "undeleted" each of those flagged files...after which, almost all of them proved to be intact and fully readable by their host program ("Word")...they were NOT "unrecoverable!" In addition to the many, just-deleted files, "Recuva" found MANY other files-deleted from over a year ago (but I wasn't interested in attempting to retrieve these, so didn't). Undeletion was a slow, painstaking process, as each file must be selected and "undeleted," individually (save them to a different drive as you go, to avoid overwriting the deleted-files-yet-to-be-retrieved). "Recuva" ultimately salvaged almost ALL my files and recreated their original folder-trees. It would be dandy if Recuva displayed the DELETION-DATES of the deleted files...BUT it does NOT. ALSO, one of the (INDEED, corrupt) files I'd retrieved to a desktop folder, defied almost all means to get rid of it - Win7 kept stating "This File Does Not Exist," EVERY time a "cut" or "delete" attempt was made on it via the GUI (graphical user interface). Its icon defiantly remained on my "desktop" screen UNTIL I DID delete it via DOS command-prompt.

Source: http://www.snapfiles.com/userreviews/111664/recuva.html

You can download Revuva here: https://www.piriform.com/recuva