Recently I talked about keeping several computers, in different locations up-to-date with the latest versions of my files.  Microsoft’s Mesh has solved this problem.  Yesterday, I received my invitation to participate in the closed beta.  I didn’t have to pull any strings or call in favors to get the invite.  I went to the web site, filled out the request and waited for a few days.  It was worth the wait.

Once I had the account, I logged into the Mesh site.  I was presented with the picture above (without my computers that have been added).  I went to each of my computers and clicked the Add Device button.  A system tray program was installed and that computer was a part of my mesh.

Next I went to my Live Desktop.  This is where I can share resources between computers.  By clicking the Create New Folder icon a “mesh-share” is automatically created and shared among all the computers in my mesh.  A short-cut to this share is added to my desktop and any files dropped into that folder are automatically synchronized on each computer in my mesh.

I started with my presentations, since I have a lot of them.  I copied them into a mesh-share called Presentations.  Here is where it gets really cool.  From another computer I opened a PowerPoint that was in the mesh-share.  I didn’t copy it to the computer; I merely opened it.  I made an adjustment and saved it.  The final version was instantly available to all the machines in my mesh.

In Windows Explorer, a new right-click item is added to the menu.  It’s called “add folder to live mesh” and it permits any mesh member to synchronize a local folder with other computers on the mesh.

On top of the file synchronization, mesh adds a remote control feature to any computer on the mesh.  I can already do this with a combination of VNC and Hamachi.  I did test out the feature in mesh just to see how it works.  It was slower than VNC.  I also had a problem connecting to my home desktop with dual monitors.  The remote display was resized to the equivalent of one screen (half the normal size).  There may be a way to fix this, but I didn’t see the need to invest the time to research it as this remote control solution will be a backup for what I already use.

I am still playing around with all the features of Microsoft Mesh.  I will certainly add a post as I become more proficient in its use.

I consider email as a last resort when it comes to file management.  It’s inefficient because of the background processes involved.  There are also file size limitations.  UF gives every user 100 MB of email space.  It doesn’t take much to fill 100 MB.

I am waiting for an account on Microsoft’s new Live Mesh.  Once I have an account there, I will be able to synchronize files across multiple computers in multiple locations.  That will be ideal.  I can create a PowerPoint file at home and it will automatically be copied to my laptop, tablet and office desktop.  Likewise, I can update the PowerPoint on my office desktop and the new version will be copied back to my machines at home.

For local file synchronization, I have been using Microsoft’s SyncToy 2.0 beta.  By hand-configuring the Windows Scheduler, I can automatically sync my files every night.

I have a few files that I use over and over.  Using Microsoft’s SkyDrive, I have placed those into a more permanent online storage area that is accessible from anywhere.  With the drag-and-drop control in IE, SkyDrive is about as easy to use as a local file manager.

Drag

Drop

The files here are not automatically synchronized, but manage them much more easily than with email attachments.  Plus, Microsoft gives everyone 5 GB for free.