A power user needs more than one computer. Whether it's a laptop or just a second desktop system, most of us have at least two of the darn things, and that brings up the headache of synchronizing files between the two (or more) systems. Personally, I need three desktop systems in the office, plus a laptop. As I travel a lot, I need to have yet another system set up at home. How to transfer files among all these boxes?
May 18, 1998
The obvious answer is a network, which allows you to exchange information among machines quickly and easily. If one of the machines on your network is a Web server, you can even transfer files remotely using FTP. There are situations, however, that call for a more all-purpose file transfer solution. Laplink, from Traveling Software, is the Swiss Army knife of file transfer. Laplink allows you to transfer files using a serial or parallel port, a modem, or just about anything, for that matter.
Some poor souls have to travel around to various offices all over the world, and they need to be able to transfer information between their laptop and an assortment of systems, which may have Ethernet, Token Ring, Thinnet, or no network card at all. Others may simply have a couple of computers, between which they occasionally need to transfer files, but don't really need or want a network. Audio and video folks may need to transfer files that are much too big to put on a floppy, or even on a Zip disk. And of course, Laplink is far cheaper than a pair of network cards.
Laplink is a very handy item to have in your toolbox. The package comes with both serial and parallel cables. Carry these and the Laplink disks around, and you'll never be at a loss to transfer files. In order to transfer files, Laplink must be running on both computers, so if you really want to be ready for anything, you'll need to tote around the installable files as well as the cables.
You can connect via a cable (serial or parallel), wireless (infrared or AirShare Radio Module), modem, or a network. Not only can you transfer files, you can actually control another computer remotely, running the remote computer's applications, copying and pasting information between computers, or whatever. You can also access the remote computer's network connections, so your Laplink-equipped computer can act as a remote node, letting you gain access to a network without a network card.
The bad news? Transferring files over a serial or parallel cable isn't anywhere near as fast as working over a network. In fact, it's very slow. Theoretically, Laplink can run in the background while you do other tasks, but we found that while a file transfer is going on, any other apps running are so slow as to be unusable. Your mileage may vary.
A variety of options make file transfer more efficient. You can choose to transfer only files that are newer than the file on the target computer, or to transfer only files that already exist on the target. It's even possible to automate file transfer, so you could set Laplink to back up all your files after you go home every night. If your file transfer gets interrupted for any reason, Laplink is smart enough to pick up where you left off. Very cool! For security, all data is encrypted during remote control, remote node or file transfer sessions.
Remote control capabilities are pretty extensive. You can see the screen of the computer you're remotely controlling (as a window within Laplink). You can lock the remote computer, so nobody at the remote location can see what you're doing, or interrupt your work. You can even reboot the remote computer. The Chat feature allows you to send messages to remote users.
Laplink gets a big thumbs-up. As a poor man's network, it does the job, albeit slowly. As a handy tool for traveling geeks, it's great. I for one will never again leave home without Laplink in my (already bulging) laptop case.
