In a few weeks, the college and university campuses will be back to full activity. There will be many new computers and new laptops put to use for academics and not just for gaming, music and Facebook / MySpace. The importance of doing a routine backup of school material has been emphasized previously and this is an easy way to do routine backups.

With every class session, with every lab / seminar and with every library session, there is new material that should be backed up. The chance of actually doing a backup to an external drive or to a desktop is far greater if the process is simple and easy. One way to simplify is to use the Briefcase feature in Windows:

For example, in Windows XP:

“…The Briefcase feature in Windows XP helps you keep your files updated by automatically synchronizing multiple copies of individual files. In other words, Briefcase keeps track of the relationship between files on two or more computers. For example, if you use a desktop computer at the office, and you use a portable computer when you are on the road, Briefcase synchronizes and updates the files on your desktop computer to the modified versions when you reconnect your portable computer to the desktop computer.”

link: How To Use the Briefcase Feature in Windows XP

Using the Briefcase feature, there is not the need to drag and drop files (and remember which class file has been moved to backup). It can be as simple as using the “Update all items” on the Briefcase menu.

If the Briefcase functions are not a familiar Windows feature, now is the time to experiment and see how easy it is to synchronize files. Create some “dummy files” and become familiar with the system. In a few weeks, when classes begin, there will be far less time to experiment and the stakes will be much higher. You want to have this skill from Day One of classes.

Catherine Forsythe