Hi MacTalkers.

I've been wondering for a while if there is any software (or any method) available for syncing the data I have on a little USB drive thingy with a folder (or folders) on my computer (Mac OS of course!)

I've searched and searched and can't find a thing, so I obviously search like a mutant rabbit with cataracts, or nothing exists...I'm hoping that I'm bad at searching.

It is becoming really risky when I go to make all the folders the same - trying to remember what got updated on which device can be really tricky, I dread the day that I screw it up.

Does anyone know if this is possible? (It would be tops if Super Duper or similar had some sort of a plug-in).

Try out PsyncX
http://psyncx.sourceforge.net/

It's a decent free backup program that uses psync to do update backups.
(i.e. it only updates files that have been added/modified since the last backup)

Not sure if it'll suit your needs, but it's worth a shot given the price.

Heaps of other free programs on MacUpdate too. Stick to the ones with high ratings:
http://www.macupdate.com/search.php?...ckup&os=macosx

You can use the checkboxes at the top of the list to filter all the free apps.

I use SyncTwoFolders: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/30727

So far so good.

chronosync $$ does it well and you can even set it to do it upon drive insert

Thanks for the tips guys. I don't know why I always forget to try versiontracker and the like....I guess I'm a little too reliant on google.

I downloaded synctwofolders, it's a little confusing - the report anyway. My brain is a little too addled at the moment to figure it out and learn to trust it.

I've looked at some of the other ones too, like chronosync, but I've recently paid for super duper, and can't quite justify spending more.

If anyone knows any other reliable free programs, let me know

I'm surprised I can't get automator to do this....

I'm not too keen on synchronising files, since it's not intuitive (to me) as to what happens if I edit the same file on both locations, before running the sync program. And I'm not too keen on sync software synchronising my errors (i.e. if I accidentally delete a file from one location).

So what I do, is just edit the files on the USB drive, and then run rsync to copy those files to my hard disk.

I enter this into my AppleScript Script Editor, and then save it as an application; which I put on the root directory of my USB drive.

do shell script "rsync -avE /Volumes/USBDISK/study/ ~/Desktop/study/ "
display dialog result

I'm not even a UNIX casual user by any means, but AFAIK, running that Applescript will copy the changes from the folder (study) in the USB drive, onto my desktop. If I delete a file from the study folder, I think this is not reflected on the destination folder -- unless I specifiy a -delete tag.

One good thing about this method, is that it's portable: I can just double click the Applescript application (this lives on the USBDISK root directory), and the stuff gets copied to the desktop, no matter which ones of my computers I am using.

It's quite rudimentary, but it does what I want. And free. And editable enough in case I want to do a backup over a network.

ps, you could type this into an Applescript module of automator, if you wanted to. That would give you a universal binary app. Script Editor creates PPC apps.

pps: I also format my USB drive into HFS Extended no journaling, if that make a difference.