You may be using multiple devices like computers and smartphones to work from multiple locations. You use your personal laptop, your mobile device, your office workstation PC or Mac etc to work and access documents.
How is it possible to access one file from your home PC when you are in office? How do get access to all these files ? How do we sync and share all these files so that you can access all these from any of your devices?
There is an excellent solution from Microsoft, the Windows Live Mesh 2011. Live Mesh keep your documents, photos, and other files up to date on all your computers, whether PC or Mac and allows you to access using your personal Live Desktop. You can sync, share and access folders across computers which are added to the Live Mesh.
You can access your files from anywhere if you use Windows SkyDrive as your sync storage. Also you can sync your program settings and even you can configure Remote access to any computer in the Mesh.
Sync – Share – Access Information and Files using Microsoft Live Mesh
Microsoft Live Mesh can help you to a great extend to achieve this. You don’t have to send to mails or upload to a file sharing program to do this. Just create a Microsoft Live Mesh account using your Microsoft Live account. It is very simple and easy to configure. When you sign up for Live Mesh you get your personal Live Desktop on web with 5 GB of free storage. In fact this is your SkyDrive storage.
If you sync folders between computers then the limit is up to 200 folders, each up to 50 GB in size and containing up to 100,000 files.
Once you enable your Live Mesh account you can add each device to your mesh by installing Live Mesh software, and then choose folders to sync. You can sync a folder with one or two of your devices or all of them.
You can invite others to share a Live Mesh folder and keep it in sync on everyone’s devices as files are added or updated. Synchronize files to your Live Desktop, and you’ll be able to access them using almost any web browser, from anywhere.
Getting started with Microsoft Live Mesh
Get your Windows Live Mesh Devices Sync UI and install it. You can get the Mac version of Windows Live Mesh. Windows Live Mesh can be installed in computers running the following OS versions.
- Windows 7
- Windows Vista
- Windows Server 2008
- Mac OS X version 10.5 or later.
Windows Live Mesh can’t be installed on computers running
- Windows XP
- Windows Server 2003
- Windows Home Server version 1
- PowerPC-based Mac computers
After installation you can,
- Sync folders between computers
- Sync on SkyDrive
- Sync program settings
- Connect remotely using Remote Desktop Connection in Windows
Sync folders between computers using Windows Live Mesh
You can sync folders between two or more computers if Windows Live Mesh installed on each one of them. You can sync up to 200 folders, each up to 50 GB in size and containing up to 100,000 files. Any changes you make on one computer will be made on the other whenever the computers are online at the same time. Since the contents of the synced folders are saved on all of the computers, you can work on them even when you’re not connected to the Internet.
To start folder sync follow the below steps,
- Start Windows Live Mesh.
- Click Sync a folder.
- Select the folder you want to sync, and then click Sync.
The synced folder will be saved in your personal folder on any PCs (home folder if it is Mac) you selected.
Sync folders on SkyDrive using Windows Live Mesh
Select folders to sync on your Windows Live SkyDrive synced storage. The advantage of using SkyDrive as sync storage is that you can access and update these files from anywhere.
Follow the below steps to sync a folder on your SkyDrive synced storage
- Start Windows Live Mesh.
- Click Sync a folder.
- Select the folder you want to sync, and then click Sync.
- Select SkyDrive synced storage, and then click OK.
Now you can access the synced storage either from SkyDrive or from Windows Live Devices website.
See below.
Access from SkyDrive.
Or access from Window Live Devices.
Windows Live Mesh: Sync your program settings
- Start Windows Live Mesh
- Turn on syncing
For the program settings you want to sync, under Program settings, click Turn on syncing.On each computer, install Windows Live Mesh and turn on syncing for the program settings you want to sync. See below.
Connect to a computer remotely Windows Live Mesh
Windows Live Mesh has a remote connection feature. If you have use windows Remote Desktop Connection (MSTSC) utility, then you are at ease. you can work on your computer from a computer in another location. To do this you need to allow remote connections to it in Windows Live Mesh. Please remember that only an administrator can allow remote connections to this computer and also when remote connections to a computer are allowed, anyone who has a Windows account with a password on the computer can connect to it remotely. . If you do not have administrator privileges on your computer then you may not be able to do this. Once allowed the Windows Live Mesh remote connections service will be allowed to communicate through Windows Firewall.
- Start Windows Live Mesh.
- Click Remote, and then click Connect to this computer.
You can also connect from a computer that doesn’t have Live Mesh installed from Devices website. Open Devices website and then click Connect to this computer. Install the ActiveX control if prompted.
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