The Windows Briefcase is a utility for creating Briefcases, a special type of folder that lets you keep its contents synchronized with copies that you make on another computer. Windows calls this special folder a “Briefcase.” The classic scenario for using Briefcase - and the scenario from which Briefcase takes its name - is that you need to take files with you on a trip. You copy them from your desktop computer or server to the Briefcase on your laptop so that you can work on the files when you don’t have access to the desktop computer or server. When you return home or to the office, you synchronize the files contained in the Briefcase so that your desktop computer or the server contains the latest versions. That’s the classic scenario, and it can work pretty well. But if the original file on the desktop computer or the server has changed as well as the copy on your laptop having changed, overwriting either file with the other file is going to lose some changes. When this happens, Briefcase asks you what you want to do. Choosing the newer version of the file won’t necessarily help - and even when standardizing on the newer version of the file is your solution, it can be complicated by the file on the laptop having been changed in a different time zone than the original file. When you run into a situation like this, you’ll probably need to review both files and incorporate changes from both manually.

You May Not Need to Use Briefcase

If you use both a desktop and a laptop, you may want to use Briefcase to keep files synchronized between the two - but here’s an alternative worth considering. Instead of keeping the files on the desktop computer, and then synchronizing them with the laptop when you plan to use the laptop, keep the files on the laptop computer and share them with the desktop computer from there. This way, when you hit the road with the laptop, you’ll know that you have the full set of files with you, and they’ll all be up to date.

Using Briefcase

This section describes how to use Briefcase. It assumes that you’ve read the preceding sections about how Briefcase works and the perils of synchronization.

Creating a New Briefcase

You can create a Briefcase on the Desktop or in any folder - for example, on a removable disk or USB flash drive that you’ll then transfer to the other computer. If you can connect the two computers so that you can transfer files or folders between them, the best place to create the Briefcase is on the hard drive of the laptop computer. To do so, right-click the Desktop or open space in the folder and choose New Briefcase from the context menu. Windows creates a new briefcase and names it New Briefcase or New Briefcase 2 if there’s already a new Briefcase in the folder.

Renaming the New Briefcase

You can leave the new Briefcase with the name New Briefcase if you want, but usually it’s a much better idea to assign it a descriptive name immediately. Rename the Briefcase by using standard Windows techniques. For example, select the Briefcase, press the F2 key to display an edit box around the name, type the new name, and then press the Enter key. You can then double-click a Briefcase to open it in an Explorer window that includes Briefcase commands. The first time you open a Briefcase, Windows displays an introductory dialog box, as shown here. Click the Close button.

Adding Files to the Briefcase

To add files to the Briefcase, copy them there by using any form of the Copy command. For example, you can use the Copy to Folder dialog box or drag-and-drop to copy files to the Briefcase. When you copy an item to the Briefcase, Windows displays an Updating Briefcase dialog box rather than a Copying dialog box, so you know where you’re copying them.

Working with Files in the Briefcase

Once you’ve got the files in the Briefcase, and the Briefcase on your laptop, you’re ready to work with the files. Open them as you would any other files, edit them, save them, and close them. You can also create new files in the Briefcase. A new file is called an orphan, because it doesn’t have a parent file and isn’t copied to the desktop computer or server during an update, so you’ll need to copy it manually to wherever you want it to belong. You can delete a file from the Briefcase as you would any other file. The file disappears into the Recycle Bin as usual, from where you can restore it if necessary. When you update the files, the original of that file will be deleted.

Viewing the Status of Briefcase Files

To view the status of files in the Briefcase, open the Briefcase in an Explorer window in Details view and examine the Status column, which lists the status - Up-to-Date, Needs Updating, or Orphan - of each file. Details is the default view in which Briefcases open. For more specifics on the update status of a file or folder, right-click it and choose Properties to display its Properties dialog box, then click the Update Status tab to display the Update Status page . This page includes a Find Original button that you can click to open an Explorer window showing the folder that contains the original of the file or folder.

Splitting a Briefcase File from Its Original

Sooner or later, you’ll probably work on a file stored in Briefcase and create a file that you don’t want to synchronize with the original of the file on the desktop computer or server. When this happens, you can split the file stored in Briefcase from its counterpart by selecting it in a Briefcase window, pressing Alt to display the menu bar, and then choosing Briefcase Split from Original. You can also issue this command by clicking the Split from Original button on the Update Status page of the Properties dialog box for the file.

Updating the Files in the Briefcase

When you bring the laptop back home, you need to update the files in the Briefcase so that the originals of the files contain any edits you made while on the road. Connect the laptop to the desktop computer or server, or put the disk containing the Briefcase in the desktop computer. Then issue an Update command in either of the two following ways:

• Right-click the icon for the Briefcase and choose Update All from the context menu.

• Open the Briefcase in an Explorer window and then click the Update All Items button on the toolbar.

To update just some of the items in the Briefcase, open an Explorer window to display the contents of the Briefcase, select the item or items you want to update, and click the Update This Item button or the Update the Selected Items button on the toolbar. You can also right-click the item or selection and choose Update from the context menu. Briefcase checks the status of each file that you’ve requested directly or indirectly to update and displays the Update dialog box for you to confirm the actions to be taken. To change an action, right-click the file and choose the appropriate option from the context menu. For a file that’s marked to be deleted, the options are Delete, Create, and Don’t Delete. For a file that’s marked to be replaced, the options are  Replace replace the original with the updated copy,  Replace replace the updated copy with the original, and Skip. You can also choose Details to display the Resolve Conflict dialog box , which lets you decide which version of a file to keep. When you’ve finished reviewing the updates and changing them if necessary, click the Update button. Briefcase makes the specified updates and closes the Update dialog box.

Troubleshooting Orphaned Files

The main problem that occurs with Briefcase aside from when both the original file and the copy have been changed, and you have to decide between their competing claims to your affections or integrate the changes manually is when one of the original files gets renamed or moved while its counterpart is being edited on the road. When this happens, Windows will tell you either that the file has been deleted or that “Filename Is an Orphan. It Was Not Updated.” If this happens, take the following steps:

1. Rename the modified copy of the file.

2. Copy the original file back to its previous location in Briefcase.

3. Open the modified copy of the file and save it under the name of the original file you just copied in step 2.

4. Delete the orphan file the renamed modified copy whose contents you’ve just saved under the original filename.

5. Issue an Update command to synchronize the files.

Access key mobile settings with Windows Mobility Center Windows Mobility Center gives you quick access to the main settings for mobile computing. To open Windows Mobility Center, click the Power icon in the notification area and then click the Windows Mobility Center link in the pop-up window.

Use Windows’ power-management features for portable computers The Power icon in the notification area lets you see whether your computer is running on battery power or on AC power, gives you a quick readout of battery status, and lets you quickly access Windows Mobility Center and the Power Options window. In the Power Options window, click the Change Plan Settings link for the power plan you want to configure, and then click the Change Advanced Power Settings link to display the Power Options dialog box. Use the settings in the Battery category to set battery alarms, notifications, and actions, such as making the computer hibernate when it reaches the critical battery level you set.

Configure Tablet PC and Pen and Input settings If your portable computer is a Tablet PC, use the Tablet PC Settings dialog box to configure screen orientation and handwriting recognition. Use the Pen and Input Settings dialog box to control how Windows interprets pen taps, gestures, and flicks.

Choose presentation settings to prevent interruptions during presentations Windows’ presentation settings let you ensure that your screen saver doesn’t start during a presentation, that the volume is correct, and that Windows knows which monitor to use. The easiest way to access the presentation settings is via Windows Mobility Center.

Connect an external monitor to your laptop When you connect an external monitor to your laptop, Windows displays the New Display Detected dialog box to let you specify whether to extend your Desktop onto the external monitor, mirror your laptop’s screen on the external monitor, or use the external monitor instead of your laptop’s screen. To choose further settings for an extended Desktop or an external monitor, such as placing it above the laptop’s screen rather than to the left or right, open the Display Settings dialog box.

Use different locations in dial-up networking If you use dial-up networking with your portable computer in different places, create a dial-up location for each place containing the appropriate area code and dialing information so that you don’t have to adjust dial-up connections manually. To create a new location, open the Phone and Modem Options dialog box, and then click the New button on the Dialing Rules page.

Synchronize files between two computers with Briefcase A Briefcase is a special type of folder that lets you keep its contents synchronized with copies that you make on another computer. You can create a Briefcase on the Desktop or in any Explorer window by right-clicking and choosing New Briefcase from the context menu. Double-click the Briefcase to open it, and you can then copy files and folders to it. When you need to update the files in the Briefcase, open it, and then click the Update All Items button on the toolbar.