MS SyncToy
Posted by Jeff September 10, 2007
Problem: I’m copying 1.2 gigs of data from a home computer over a Windows file share. The transfer will take hours, lots of small files.
Predictably, the transfer failed 4 hours in when the WIFI dropped. The directories and files are half-copied. It’s a big job to figure out what’s what.
I need something that will:
- Preserve existing files
- Be able to restart in case I switch networks again
- Verify file integrity
So I install the free MS SyncToy project.
You create a Folder Pair, and choose a direction. Unfortunately the terminology (Synchronize/Echo/Contribute/Subscribe/Combine) is confusing, with no graphics to make clear what’s going on. Any Deletions are made using the Recycle bin, in case you mess up.
User interface complaints aside, it works well. You get an overall progress bar, and it recovers nicely. You can relax knowing that if you switch networks or drop connection, it’ll recover and get the job done without worrying about the details.
Thanks for the report. I’ve been using SyncToy along with WebDrive to sync with a remote server using SSH - it’s cool!