31. Sync Center
We are a synchronizing generation.
We sync files and folders, digital cameras, email, cell phone apps and
data, portable media players, camcorders, tablets, laptops, and so
forth. With the Sync Center, you have a single item that helps you know
how you’re doing—how in-sync you really are.
Through the Sync Center you establish sync
partnerships with devices you use and then you have a behind-the-scenes
relationship with your device that allows the center to display
information like a progress bar and a report of any problems or
conflicts.
If you have a mobile device, a simple way to
see the connection status without opening the Mobile Device Center is
to open the Sync Center.
To open the Sync Center, open Control Panel, type sync
in the Control Panel Search box, and click on the Sync Center that
appears on the left of the screen. By design, the Sync Center has a
simple layout. There are just a few links in the left pane and a main
view window (see Figure 18).
Figure 18. Sync Center layout
• View Sync Partnerships—Sync your device, view recent sync activity, or change your sync settings.
• View Sync Conflicts—View
any files that had conflicts during the sync process. If there are
conflicts, you can resolve them one at a time as you view details for
each conflict.
• View Sync Results—Review errors, warnings, and other sync information.
• Set Up New Sync Partnerships—Before you can sync with anything, you need to set up a new partnership for it.
• Manage Offline Files—This opens the Offline Files dialog box. Four tabs let you configure several options:
• General—Disable offline files, open the Sync Center, or view your offline files.
• Disk Usage—Provides
a visual graphic of your available offline file space and temporary
file space. Two options on this tab are changing your space limits and
deleting temporary files.
• Encryption—A simple
Encrypt button lets you do just that to your offline files. If you are
concerned with security, you might want to turn on encryption, which
provides an additional level of access protection. If your computer is
ever lost or stolen, encryption can safeguard files that contain
sensitive or confidential information.
• Network—Set the interval at which the Sync Center checks for a slow connection.
If EFS is available and
you want to encrypt your offline files, be advised that you encrypt
only the offline files stored on your computer; you don’t encrypt the
network versions of the files. Also, you do not need to decrypt an
encrypted file or folder stored on your computer before using it. This
is automatically done by Windows. The whole process is transparent to
the user.
Another nice feature of Sync Center is that
you can schedule your synchronization. So, for Offline Files, although
you normally might sync, then go on a business trip, then re-sync
(perhaps manually doing the syncs), you can use Sync Center to work on
a schedule.
If you are wondering why you should use Offline Files, here are three reasons:
• You can keep working when the network
goes down. With Offline Files, it doesn’t matter if the network becomes
unavailable. If this happens, Windows automatically opens offline
copies of files stored locally and you can continue working. When the
network returns, the offline files are synchronized back on the network.
• You can get the latest version of the network file. Just click to sync with your network folder and get the updated file.
• You can speed up work over slow
connections. If your network has a slow connection, you can switch to
working with offline copies of your network files. When you’re done
with the file, synchronize it with the network folder.
One issue that concerns some users when
they’re working with Offline Files is the synchronization process. The
worry is that somehow, a file will not get updated correctly when it is
modified offline, and, when the file is synchronized with the network,
how will Windows know which version is correct? Simply put, if you are
away from the network and have changed a file that someone has already
changed on the network while you are gone, a sync conflict occurs when
you are back on the network.
Windows prompts you that there is a
conflict and asks you which version to keep. If you know in advance
that the file you are working on will be updated before you get back on
the network, rename the file so you can keep your work and merge it
with the network version when you get back on the network.
32. System
The System item, shows you basic information about your system to begin with. It is more of a portal to other information. For
example, you can change settings regarding your computer name, domain,
or workgroup settings. You can also access the Device Manager, Remote
Settings, System Protection, and more Advanced System Settings. You can
access the System item by clicking the System and Security group in
Control Panel.
33. Taskbar and Start Menu
This item gives you control over the appearance and working behavior of
the taskbar and Start menu. You can open the taskbar and Start menu
from the Appearance and Personalization group in Control Panel.
