Want to mirror two computers

[PIGLEE]

I have two laptops. Is there a way to mirror the two computers, so they both are workable, and also a backup of each other? Looking for more ideas, to protect my self if a computer goes down. I am the only one working on the computers, so networking is not what I want.

[BOB W]

Networking is free with Windows. Only takes minutes to set up. Look into it.

Years ago there was a direct connect ability with dos but not sure today. Try to "Google" your question and see what pops up.

[Koss]

Two Computers

There's cables and software available at Staples and OfficeMax that is meant to allow you to quickly transfer files between computers. But I think it can be physically cumbersome, and it is still a manual process. So even if you do the transfer every day, you're still going to have periods throughout the day when one of the PCs has files that have been changed, and those files will not be changed on the other PC.

You used the term mirror and I think we all know what you're talking about. But I think the term preferred by IT professionals is sync, or synchronization.

The only way to get true, real-time synchronization would in fact be to somehow network the two PCs, or use a server. And that's also cumbersome. A laptop could theoretically be configured as a server, but it's a bit of an oxymoron. A PC won't function well as a server if it's not going to stay in the same location permanently.

So here's another option:

There are backup and storage services available for reasonable monthly fees that allow you to upload files to a secure storage location on the network of the service provider.

Some of these services allow you to configure the storage space as a virtual network drive. So you're not buying any hardware. You're still just paying for a monthly service. But when you set it up correctly, with the right software installed, you can access your network drive (on their server) from any PC that is connected to the internet.

So, say you only had one PC. You're working on a tax return while you're at the airport waiting for a flight. With ten minutes left until boarding, you have to stop and shut down. So you save the return locally on your laptop PC, but you also save it to your virtual network drive at the same time (assuming you have an internet connection available).

So then if your laptop is stolen or irreparably damaged, you always have the most recent version of your files saved to the network drive, which is on the server of the company charging you a monthly fee.

Sometimes I refer to this concept as "the giant computer in the sky."

It isn't quite the same as cloud computing, which goes one step further. With cloud computing, not only are your files stored on a remote server, but even applications, such as your tax software, are on the remote server, and thus do not have to be installed on your local PC.

Cloud computing is a much more advanced concept, and it's probably not what you're looking for. But you might be happy with a virtual network drive. This product literally allows you to configure the storage space on their server as an additional drive letter that shows up under "My Computer" whenever you are connected to the internet.

So if your tax software has an autosave feature, you just set it up to automatically save the return to both your local drive (usually the C drive) and your virtual network drive, which could be labelled as your S drive, or almost any other letter that you choose. When you're not connected to the internet, the S drive just isn't available.

You can e-mail me if you want more details.

BMK