What is FreeFileSync

FreeFileSync is a folder comparison and synchronization software that creates and manages backup copies of all your important files. Instead of copying every file every time, FreeFileSync determines the differences between a source and a target folder and transfers only the minimum amount of data needed. FreeFileSync is Open Source software, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Web site and download

Web Site: https://freefilesync.org/

From this page you can access

• Tutorials
• The application Download page
• The User Forum (for help topics)
• The user Manual

Before use

Use an external USB storage device and ensure it has enough capacity to store the files on your computer.

It is recommended to format the USB device using the NTFS file system. This will ensure that large files will be included in the sync process.

You can check each folder size on your computer using Windows File explorer and right click on each relevant folder to be synchronised. Then click Properties to view the folder size (capacity). Add these together to get an idea of the size of external USB drive capacity that is needed.

The folders to be synced may include all of the following:

• Desktop
• Documents
• Downloads
• Music
• Pictures

Running FreeFileSync

After running FreeFileSync for the first time a configuration file is created with the settings and folder pairs you created during the first run. You are then prompted to save this file. I recommend saving this to the Desktop so that next time you run it you just need to double click the icon on the desktop.

I would give the saved configuration file any name that helps you understand what the icon on the desktop will be used for.

Using Volume Name instead of Drive Letter

I recommend replacing the drive letter on the right hand side with the volume name of the USB device. Storage devices are allocated drive letters by the system and this will avoid issues when you have multiple storage devices connected to your computer.

In the target side file path replace the drive letter (E.G. “D:”) with the Volume name (E.G. “[Integral]”). Enclose the volume name in square brackets (“[]”). Quotation marks ” are for clarity only and should be omitted in the file path.

To change the volume name of the drive. Open File explorer > This PC or Destop > Right click on the drive and click on Properties. Under the General tab type in or change the name accordingly.

The interface

The interface can be a bit daunting as there is a lot of information on the screen. However once all the folder pairs are setup and the settings created then there are just 1 or 2 buttons to click to perform the backup/ Synchronisation.

Click Compare to get an idea of what will be synced.

Click Synchronise to perform the sync.

Settings

Clicking on either one of the icons (blue cog, Filter, green cog) brings up the same Synchronisation settings dialogue for all three of these items.

Here your initial setting of your first folder pair is set into the item called All folder pairs. From here, if you wish, you can make individual changes  to each of the folder pairs.

Backup

Most users will simply want a BACKUP of their files and not a synchronisation. The recommended settings for a backup is as follows:

The above image shows the settings as follows:

With the files on the left hand side (your computer)…

• Copy new item to the right
• Update item to the right

Difference (Action)

• Update right item

With the files on the right hand side (your USB backup storage)…

• (Item is newer) Do Nothing
• (Item does not exist) Do Nothing

Unlike some other sync programs where the folder pairs are added on the left hand side and each folder can be synced separately, FreeFileSync lists the Session name on the left hand side and it is only possible to sync all folder pairs together.

This setup process just needs to be done once.

The first Sync process will always take a long time depending on how big your user data (files) is on your computer and the speed of your USB connection. This could be anything from a few minutes to a few hours.

When the process is run the second time and subsequent times, only new or updated files will be copied to the external USB device and this should then only take a few seconds or minutes.

Further Notes

Close all applications before using FreeFileSync.

Running the FreeFileSync configuration file (created above) automatically performs a compare routine. However, when you run the Synchronise process and  you have some files open (e.g, Microsoft Outlook or if a document is open in Microsoft Word) it will cause read errors saying that the “File is locked by another process.” Be sure to close all applications and then run the Compare and Synchronise routines again.

Error Messages

If there is an error message after the Sync process such as “The recycle bin is not available for {enter file path here}”.

The fix for this would be to set deletions to be permanent. This setting can be found in the config settings of the application.

Further help

Web Site: https://freefilesync.org/

From this page you can access

• Tutorials
• The application Download page
• The User Forum (for help topics)
• The user Manual

It was a  working week day and I’d left my smartphone¹ at my girlfriend’s house and would only be able to retrieve it the following morning.

Fortunately, I had left my phone connected to a power bank². It was also connected to the wireless internet in the property.

How would I carry on working and keep in touch with friends and clients without my SmartPhone?

Amazingly I found that I still had remote access to:

1. My text messages
2. Missed calls
3. Voicemail
4. Calls to and from my VoIP³ account

As a Virgin Mobile customer, there was no way to remotely forward incoming calls to another number.

Here is how it all worked…

Text Messages and Missed Calls

I have been using an app called MySMS⁴ on my phone since 2015. This is a text messaging app that replaces the standard text messaging app on your phone. It costs about $10 per year.

With MySMS, I was very relieved to find that I could still send and receive text messages. Using the MySMS companion app for a tablet and an extension for Chrome I was able to see continue sending and receiving text messages as well as see my mobile phone call log. Seeing the missed calls I could decide whether I should send a text message, return the call or ignore it.

Phone Calls with Voice over IP (VoIP)

I have a Voice over IP number from VoIPTalk⁵.  Back in 2008 I took out this subscription with a Bristol phone number at a cost of £6 per month. It includes 1,000 minutes to landlines. Being already setup up in an app on my smartphone, I needed to set it up on my tablet and computer.

I quickly installed the free app called Zoiper⁶ on both my tablet and computer and configured the VoipTalk account in each app. Immediately, I was able to make and receive calls.

VoiceMail⁷

Using my VoIPTalk account I could now check my voice mail by calling my mobile phone number. The procedure (for Virgin Mobile) is to press * when the voicemail greeting starts then enter the voicemail PIN (setup in the voicemail settings), then press #.

References

1. SmartPhone – an internet connected phone that is linked to an App store to enable the installation of programs providing extra functionality over normal phone calls and text messages.
2. Power bank – a rechargeable battery pack designed to provide backup power and recharge a phone.
3. VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol. A technology that relays voice (as well as video and text) over an internet connection, typically by dialling a local national number or a toll free number.
4. MySMS – A text messaging app for an Android smartphone. https://www.mysms.com/
5. VoipTalk – A VoIP provider. Rent a number so that your internet connected device will ring wherever in the world you might be.
6. Zoiper – A telephone app for a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer enabling the installation of a VoIP account. https://www.zoiper.com/
7. VoiceMail – Voice message service used when you are unable to answer your phone.

Custom Setup

I provide a custom setup service for both Android and Apple smartphones so you can release the full potential of your phone. Hopefully in the process you will save time, get more things done and be better connected.

SmartPhone Setup