Microsoft updates FolderShare beta

Filed under: Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Microsoft, Freeware, Beta

Microsoft updates FolderShare beta

by Brad Linder Mar 11th 2008

Microsoft has released a major update to its FolderShare file synchronization tool. FolderShare essentially lets users synchronize files and directories between multiple computers. There are clients for Mac and PC, so you can even keep documents synchronized if you're in a mixed marriage.

In a blog post, the FolderShare team point out some of the highlights of the new release:

New website for easier library and computer management
Improved performance on Windows Vista
Better setup and imporved system tray
Backend improvements keep FolderShare running more reliably

If you've got more than one computer and you've never tried FolderShare, you should really check it out. While you could set up shared network folders on your computer the old fashioned way and then use a tool like SyncBackSE to synchronize files, FolderShare makes the whole process a lot simpler.

Tags: foldershare, sync, synchronization

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bob Mc said 9:35AM on 3-11-2008

I really like this app. It allows me to keep my documents folder in sync between my Windows computer and my Mac at home. It's also an easy way to transfer individual documents back and forth.

John Vilsack said 9:53AM on 3-11-2008

This software was developed originally by the same guys who did AudioGalaxy. I have been a fan since I first heard of it.

In addition to personal use of syncing files between computers (and now syncing with Amazon S3 using JungleDisk), this program can help shore up some issues with other software.

Quickbooks POS has several issues with send and receive when dealing with multiple locations. Instead of forcing the user to transfer a file each day manually through email, Foldershare allows us to seamlessly place the file on the remote machines, so that the process is completely hands-off.

This is a great piece of software, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is interested in keeping their computers in sync!

Robert H said 1:11PM on 3-11-2008

I've had great luck with Foldershare until this latest update - I along with many other users seem to have an issue where it crashes immediately after launching. So keep an eye on the blog before you update to see how that is going. And.. does anyone happen to know the download location for the previous release? I love what FolderShare does and would like to have it back up and running :)

Cory P said 7:08AM on 3-12-2008

The latest update was complete junk for me too. Like Robert said, it just keeps crashing.

The old 2.5.1 version still works fine for me. You can get it at http://www.download.com/FolderShare/3000-7240_4-10260756.html

Good luck.

DP said 8:56PM on 4-07-2008

Not any more.

Leroy Rich said 12:26PM on 3-12-2008

I'm not terribly impressed with this service. It's just a sync service with no online storage at all? What good is that, if I have to leave my computer running all the time anyway?

I tried it out though, using a machine at home as the "source" and I couldn't get my Mac sync'ed at all. Very disappointing.

I think I'll wait for DropBox... That looks promising!

GN said 9:13PM on 3-19-2008

Does anyone have a problem with the new foldershare as follows. Every time I reboot my computer, my browser opens to the foldershare live beta site.

DP said 9:02PM on 4-07-2008

i was looking for a simple folder sync application between my XP desktop and my Macbook. Foldershare looked promising. But it just sort of works.

From the Mac, I was able to use the browser to grab files off of the sync folder. The auto sync wouldn't work on my Mac. The activity screen shows file transferring but just can't seem to complete the sync.

jarah said 9:11AM on 4-19-2008

i love foldershare
i use it to sync my three pc's a laptop with XP and desktop with XP and a new Desktop with Vista

Foldershare keeps all my documents family pics and music on all the computers, for convience and if one hardrve fails, the other two computers will have backups :)

Great piece of software, Foldershare is, id even Pay for that sort of thing.

adcessor said 6:06PM on 5-12-2008

I think it just dawned on me, Microsoft has sabotaged Foldershare on any computer not running Windows Vista, duh. They want to try to force people into buying Vista, that useless piece of crud! I have yet to meet/talk with anyone who likes Vista, professionals and amateurs, it really sucks.

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