How to sync files across the Internet with Live Mesh

By Jeremy Ashburn

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Did you know that now you can easily backup your documents, pictures, and music across the internet automatically? It's all possible with a brand new technology that's just now becoming available. With this new technology, when you type a document on your desktop the same document automatically shows up on your laptop! Now with this new technology when you download your pictures to your laptop the same pictures automatically show up on your desktop! This new technology is awesome because it does all the hard work of backing up your files in the background automatically. I've been using it for the last month and have found that it really makes my life much easier.

The new technology I'm talking about is called cloud computing. Cloud computing makes it possible to sync up to 5GB of your files with a free program called Windows Live Mesh. Windows Live Mesh is file backup solution that's easy to setup, completely automatic, and totally free. Before we get into Windows Live Mesh I need to first introduce you to the concepts of cloud computing and file syncing.

Cloud Computing and File Syncing

Cloud computing is computing that happens on the Internet rather than on your personal computer. In the old days when we wanted to get on America Online (AOL) we had to load a bunch of software on our computers. Now when we want to get on Facebook all we do is open a Web browser, click a button and we're there. Computers on the "cloud" (or Internet) are doing all the hard work behind the scenes to make web programs like Facebook happen. This frees our computers to browse the internet without being bogged down with a lot of processing. The cloud makes most of what we do every day easily possible.

File synching is the process of making sure that files in two locations are exactly the same. File synching allows you to easily backup or share your documents, pictures, and music across the internet with a couple of easy clicks. With file syncing I can easily have the exact same documents and pictures on both my laptop and desktop. The nice thing is that cloud computing makes file synching happen in the background without bothering us as we do our work. Now without worrying about backing my files I'm getting a lot more work done.

Windows Live Mesh

Windows Live Mesh is one of the best programs that automatically syncs your files. Live Mesh is free and allows you to sync up to 5GB of files. I recently discovered Live Mesh, installed it, and instantly loved it. If you actively use more than one computer and have the burden of continually transferring files between machines you need Live Mesh. I used Live Mesh to type out this article on both my desktop and laptop without ever having to manually transfer files back and forth. Live Mesh did all the work for me! Amazing.

Running Live Mesh requires a  ten-minute installation an setup process. After setup you simply tell Live Mesh to share a particular folder by right clicking and selecting Add folder to Live Mesh. That's it! From then on it will automatically sync those files across as many computers as you want. Yes, Live Mesh works on both Windows and Macs. Those concerned about hardware need not to worry: Live Mesh works on any laptop or desktop bought within the past 6 years.

How to Setup Windows Live Mesh

All you need to get started is a Windows Live ID email address and internet access. Setting up Live Mesh involves these three easy steps:

1. Sign in to Live Mesh First sign in with your Windows Live ID here. If you have a Hotmail, Live Messenger, or Xbox LIVE account then you already have a Windows Live ID. If you don't have a Live ID account you can easily sign up for one with any email address. I didn't have a Live ID email address so I just used my existing Yahoo email address.
2. Adding a Computer to Your Mesh Once you signed in you'll be taken to your Live Mesh devices page. From there all you do is click Add Device. Select your operating system from the drop down and click Install. This downloads the software to your computer. Now your mesh is officially created! You're ready to sync your files.
3. Sync Folders With Live Mesh To sync files all you do is right click (hold click on a Mac) on desktop folder and click Add folder to Live Mesh. Name the folder and click the down carrot to Show synchronization options. The window drops down to reveal your devices on the left side and Synchronize files on the right side. Click the down carrot on particular device to share that folder across your mesh. The folder you're sharing will turn blue, indicating that it's now synchronizing across your mesh. When you later add other devices you'll select that they be synchronized with that folder as well. The best part is that from here you don't have to do anything else! 

Synchronization happens automatically across your computers and your Mesh. Whenever you add any file into that shared folder Live Mesh automatically will sync that file with your other device. Nice.

Other Live Mesh Features

Windows Live Mesh does much more than sync your files across multiple computers. Here's a brief overview of additional features:

• Live Desktop: If you've got a PC then you can use the Live Desktop feature. It's essentially a desktop on the web with 5 GB of free storage space. From there you can see your synchronized files all in one place. You access Live Desktop when you sign in.
• Live Mesh Bar: This bar appears on the right side whenever you open a folder that's shared on your mesh. From there you can invite other members, see who have access to this folder, and change synchronization settings.
• Notifier: It's a popup that gives you details about what's happening in your mesh. It only shows when your computer first starts up or when it's synchronizing files. You can maximize it by clicking the Live Mesh icon (Blue circle) on your Windows taskbar or menu bar on your Mac.
• Remote Desktop: This feature allows you to remotely connect to another computer in your mesh. Live Mesh Remote Desktop opens a window into your remote computer and gives you access to everything on that computer, even those folders you haven't synchronized. From this remote computer you can use any programs and copy and past files. The only requirement here is that that other computer has to be on and connected to the internet. 
• Mobile: If you've got a smart phone with web access you'll soon be able to use Live Mesh. Since Live Mesh is still in Beta this feature isn't totally ready yet. Once implemented you'll be able to sync your mobile devices by opening a browser on that phone, going to mesh.com, signing in, and setting up synchronization. I can't wait to sync the pictures on my Motorola Droid when this feature is ready.

Final Thoughts

If you're using more than one computer and continually have to transfer files between machines you need Live Mesh. I really enjoy using Windows Live Mesh because it does all the hard work for me. As soon as I setup my mesh I shared my documents folder. Now I don't have any worries if my desktop hard drive crashes. My Mesh has a backup of documents on my laptop and Live Desktop. It was so much easier typing this article on multiple machines vs. moving files around on my flash drive. Since I started using Live Mesh it has really made my computing life easier. I think it will for you too.

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