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Backup any folder to Dropbox with Dropbox Folder Sync

Dropbox might be the most popular online file synchronizing and backup tool, but it sure misses some very basic features. Multiple folders backup, for one, and advanced control on what to and what not to back up and also the direction of sync. While we have to wait for the developers to integrate better synchronization control with the application, there is something we can do about the lack of multiple folders backup.

The workaround is simple: use another file synchronization tool to mirror the folders you want to back to your Dropbox folder. The file synchronization application will sync your chosen folders to your Dropbox folder and the Dropbox application will backup these folders to your online account.

Alternatively, you can create symbolic links to these folders from your Dropbox folder. A symbolic link is a special type of file that contains a reference to another file or directory in the form of an absolute or relative path and that affects pathname resolution. Simply put – symbolic links are shortcuts to folders and other locations on your computer. By creating a symbolic link and placing it in your Dropbox folder you can sync these folders without using another file backup tool to sync them first.

Symbolic links can be created by using the mklink command from the command prompt. But why bother with the command prompt? Here is an easier method.

Dropbox Folder Sync is a little tool that moves the original folder to Dropbox and creates a symbolic link for the folder using the junction utility from Sysinternals.

To sync any folder, right click on the folder in Windows explorer and choose "Sync with Dropbox" from the context menu. That’s it.

dropbox-folder-sync2

Related:
Synchronize files between Skydrive and your computer

Comments

  1. Dropbox is a great service… first heard about it half a year ago. Use it almost daily to move files to and from my Moto Milestone.

    Totally self serving link:
    If you want to try Dropbox, but don’t already have an account try signing up using my referal link. You’ll get an additional 250 MB (in addition to the 2 GB standard amount)

    http://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTkzNTAwMDk5

    Full disclosure: I’ll get 250 MB too. So everyone wins :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. A new version (2.5) of Dropbox Folder Sync is released with unsync feature, automatic dropbox path detection and several other fixes.
    Check it out
    http://wiki.dropbox.com/DropboxAddons/DropboxFolderSync

    ReplyDelete

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