Here’s an Easy Way to Back Up Your E-Learning Project Files

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 12:57 AM PDT

Articulate Rapid E-Learning Blog - easy way to back up files to the network drive

In today's post we'll look at two free applications you can use to synchronize your files between your computer and a network drive or Dropbox folder.

Saving to a Network Drive

Many of you keep your elearning project files on a network drive. But working with multimedia projects from the network drive isn't always ideal. That means you're copying files from your network to the desktop. And ideally, you move them back over when you're done. But who really does back up their files daily?

Articulate Rapid E-Learning Blog - move files from the local desktop drive to your network drive

It sure would be nice if there was an easy way to make sure that the files on your desktop are sync'd to your network drive.

Working with Dropbox

Dropbox is great for syncing folders between computers. I use it all the time. But you can only sync from a folder within your Dropbox folder. So that means your project folders have to be in your Dropbox folder.

Articulate Rapid E-Learning Blog - sync your folders so they're added to your Dropbox folder

I prefer to manage my files outside of Dropbox. But I do like using Dropbox to sync my files between computers. I also prefer working outside of Dropbox when I am editing my project files. I don't want to run the risk that Dropbox's active syncing interferes with my multimedia production.

It would be great to have a solution that lets me work on my projects outside of Dropbox and then automatically move them to Dropbox so I have access to them on my other computers.

The good news is that there's an easy and inexpensive way to make sure to backup your network drive or a Dropbox folder. Here's how.

Microsoft SyncToy

SyncToy is a free application from Microsoft. You select a "Left" and "Right" folder to sync. And then you determine how and when you want to sync them.

Articulate Rapid E-Learning Blog - sync two folders using Microsoft SyncToy

The left folder is what's active on my desktop and I sync that folder to the right folder which would be either the network or Dropbox folder.

Here's a tutorial that shows how to set up and sync two folders using Microsoft SyncToy.

View the SyncToy tutorial
Download SyncToy

To sync the folders, open SyncToy and select "Run." Of course, that requires you remembering to do so, but that's where the next step comes in.

Task Scheduler

Your PC comes with a task scheduler. It's in the Systems Tools folder. With Task Scheduler, you schedule tasks (funny how those names work) to run at specific times.

Articulate Rapid E-Learning Blog - task scheduler is in your accessories folder

In this case, we want to create a task that opens and runs SyncToy so that the left and right folders are sync'd automatically. I schedule the task to run around 7:00 PM when I am mostly done with work and usually not at my desk.

Articulate Rapid E-Learning Blog - how to set up task schedule to run SyncToy

You can learn more about Task Scheduler here. There are a lot more options, but for this post I kept it really simple.

View the Task Scheduler tutorial
Access Task Scheduler from windows: Start > Accessories folder > System Tools folder

Let's review the process:

Create a folder on your PC for elearning projects.
Create a folder on your network (or Dropbox) that will sync with your PC folder.
Use SyncToy to synchronize the two folders.
Automate syncing the two folders using Task Scheduler to run SyncToy at a scheduled time.

That's about it. It's an easy process and great way to make sure that what you have on your PC is sync'd with your network files and Dropbox. It sure beats having to manually copy things back and forth.

Tidbits

2012 Calendar

Here are the rest of my workshops for 2012. I'll be at Devlearn in Las Vegas. Swing by the Articulate booth and say hello.

October 17: Bloomington, IL (CIC-ASTD). Rapid E-Learning Design Workshop. Get practical tips for building engaging, interactive e-learning courses on a budget. Sign up before it sells out.
October 23: Milwaukee, WI (SEWI-ASTD). Two sessions: PowerPoint's No Longer a Slide Show Freak and Practical Approaches to Building Successful Communities.Sign up here.
October 24: Milwaukee, WI (SEWI-ASTD). Articulate Storyline: Advanced E-learning Made Simple. Sign up here.
November 1: Las Vegas, NV (Devlearn). Create Engaging and Interactive eLearning with a Simple Design Model.
November 14: Chicago, IL (CCASTD). Become a Rapid E-Learning Pro: Practical tips on getting the most out of the resources you have to build engaging and interactive elearning courses.
November 15: Chicago, IL (CCASTD). Getting Started with Articulate Storyline. Learn how to use Articulate Storyline to build engaging & interactive courses.
November 15: Chicago, IL (CCASTD). The Power of Rapid E-Learning. Presentation at chapter meeting.