We love having our files synchronized between our computers, especially photos. It’s a great feeling to know your photos are always up to date, and ready to be viewed and shared. The Sync team wanted to share this feeling so we’ve partnered up with Windows Live Photo Gallery to let you synchronize photos between two computers directly from Photo Gallery!

 

 

Although you always could synchronize photos manually on http://sync.live.com, setting Photo Gallery to do it is much more convenient. Give it a try. Download and install Windows Live Essentials on two computers, launch Windows Live Photo Gallery on both and sign in on each using the same Windows Live ID. Next, on one of the two computers click Setup gallery sync… from the File Menu in Photo Gallery and follow the instructions. You’re on your way to synchronizing photos!

 

 

Another cool thing about synchronizing your photos with Sync is that your edit history is also synchronized! You can undo edits you've made to your photos and even revert back to the original photo from any of computers synchronizing with the gallery.

 

Keep in mind that the current Sync limits (20 synchronized folders containing up to 20,000 files each) still applies.  Also if some of your folders in your gallery are already synchronized, you’ll need to visit the Sync website to modify your existing sync settings.

 

This is a new feature that we’re trying out with a limited number of people. If you can, try it out and let us know what you think. If you can't, hold on - you'll be able to soon!

 

 

—The Sync and Photo Gallery Team

• Higher file limits—up to 20 synchronized folders (formerly known as libraries) with up to 20,000 files in each one.
• Integration with Windows Live ID.
• Integration with the Recycle Bin for Windows. 
• Unicode support.
• More languages for Windows (46 in all).
• And lots of bug fixes.

• Install the software on each of your computers that previously ran FolderShare so Sync can automatically reconnect your synchronized folders.
• To keep sharing your synchronized folders, you'll need to send your pals a new invitation. Don't worry if they don't have a Windows Live ID; we'll help them get set up using their preferred e-mail address.
• Your synchronized folders will be set to automatically sync after migrating. If you'd prefer to sync on demand, just visit the Sync website to adjust that.
• Have more questions? Take a look at the latest FAQ for more answers.

Please check out the new software and let us know what you think. We hope you like it!

Hello, Sync friends!

 

Thanks for all the great feedback you've sent on our upcoming release. Here are some answers to the more frequently asked questions.

 

Q. When can I download the Sync software?
A. Soon. We're still finishing up a few more things.

 

Q. Will the limit remain 10 libraries with 10,000 files per library?
A. Nope. The new limit is 20 libraries with 20,000 files per library. That's a lot of files! The library limit is for the combined total of personal and shared libraries. (Keep in mind that what were called "libraries" in FolderShare are called "synchronized folders" in Sync.)

 

Q. Are you also releasing new software for the Mac?
A. Yes. The Mac and Windows software will be released at the same time.

 

A. Yes, plus some great new ones:

Q. What will happen to my computers running FolderShare? What about my folders and files?
A. Sync is designed to make the transition easy for you. When Sync releases, any computers running FolderShare will stop synchronizing files and will notify you that you need to download Sync. All of your files and folders will remain untouched on your computers, but you need to install Sync on each computer to continue synchronizing files.

 

Q. Will I need to synchronize my data all over again?
A. No. If you've been running FolderShare, your data is already synchronized, so you won't have to do it again.

 

Q. What will happen to my personal libraries?
A. On Windows only, Sync will automatically rebuild your personal libraries on the new Sync website, and will reconnect your computer to those libraries. You'll have to install Sync on each computer that previously ran FolderShare so that Sync can reconnect each of your libraries to each computer. (All of your files and folders will remain on your computers–you won't lose anything!)

 

Q. What will happen to my shared libraries?
A. This part is a bit tricky. Sync won't be able to rebuild your shared libraries, but we've tried to make it as easy as possible to set these up again.  If you were the owner of a shared library you'll have to resend the invitations to your friends, family, or coworkers to start sharing the library again. (Sorry, we know it's a pain, but we hope you'll forget all about it once you see huge improvements we're making to Sync.) Don't worry if the people you shared libraries with don't have Window Live IDs; we'll help your people switch using their preferred e-mail addresses.

 

If you weren't the owner of a shared library you used, keep your eyes out for a new e-mail invitation to the library.

 

Either way, your files and folders will remain untouched on your computers.

 

Q. Why won't my shared libraries be rebuilt automatically?
A. To use Sync, you need a Windows Live ID. If your old FolderShare pals weren't using a Windows Live ID to sign in to FolderShare, we don't know whether they have one or not.

 

Q. My shared libraries won't be rebuilt, so do I have to invite everyone all over again?
A. Yes. If you're the owner of a shared library, we recommend before Sync is released that you go to each of your shared libraries and copy the e-mail address and permission level of each user. Once you install the new Sync software, you can send the invitations to the e-mail address you previously copied. Don't worry if it's not a Windows Live ID; we'll help your people migrate using their preferred e-mail addresses.

 

Q. Are my synchronization settings (On-demand or Automatic) on my libraries going to change?
A. When Sync automatically rebuilds and reconnects your libraries, they will all be set to Automatic synchronization. After Sync has rebuilt your libraries, you can change them to On-Demand by visiting the Sync website.

Soon we'll be unveiling a new addition to the Windows Live family: Windows Live Sync. It's the next generation of Windows Live FolderShare and is part of a whole slew of excitement in store for Windows Live users.

 

Sync will have the same easy-to-use features as FolderShare so you'll be able to synchronize files among your computers and share files with anyone. Sync also will launch with some key improvements:

 

·         Increased sync limits, to 20 folders containing up to 20,000 files each.

·         Integration with your Windows Live ID – no more separate sign-in.

·         New client versions for both Windows and Mac.

·         Unicode support for increased compatibility with files and folder names in different languages.

·         Deleted files will go directly to the Recycle Bin so you can recover them more easily.

 

These were the top feature requests from the FolderShare newsgroup and blog (and even from our internal Microsoft users), so thank you for all the feedback. Keep it coming!

 

We're excited about Sync and hope you're looking forward to trying it out. We'll post an announcement to our blog as soon as it's ready, so stay tuned.

 

- The Windows Live Sync Team.