First of all we would just like to apologise to Andrea who sent us this demo of GoodSync version 7-5-2 to be reviewed, we've been having some trouble with our one and only PC after it was sent in, its given up on us! So as a result, you will probably notice from some of our screenshots, we're doing this review using a freshly installed Windows XP Pro via VMware Fusion on a Mac!
Let's first tell you what GoodSync is all about…
GoodSync, is the latest software in a series of highly reliable, easy to use products from Siber Systems, the makers of RoboForm. The program automatically synchronizes and backs up emails, photos, financial documents, MP3s and any other important files between desktops, laptops, servers, and external drives.
GoodSync uses an innovative synchronization algorithm to prevent file deletion, data loss, and eliminate duplicate files. GoodSync already enjoys numerous favorable reviews from both users and the press. Its powerful technology is remarkably easy to use, and is the only solution that offers true bi-directional synchronization.
Also it's worth pointing out to those who aren't used to the two terms sync and backup. The simple difference between synchronisation and backup is that backing up is a one way transfer, whereas in synchronisation, you're performing a transfer process that's two way and the end result is that both sources (computer folders which you have pre-specified for example) will have the same files.
So without further ado, let's tell you what we thought of GoodSync. Just from first impressions, launching GoodSync was fast, no delays, we thought on first glance that it was simple but also professionally made and well thought out.
And if we take a closer look at what it's doing to our virtual PC, for those who are cautious about memory usage, we can see that it's consumption on system's memory is very minimal:
We then give it a simple task to do in order to test it out. This task was a very common one, we wanted GoodSync to sync for us some music files from another computer on the same network to this computer via WiFi. The aim wasn't to test out its transfer speed but to find out how it performed a job, as well as reliability, does it crash half way through, does it have bits of missing data at the end of the transfer process, etc…
Another feature I would like to point out is that you can ask GoodSync to perform multiple jobs at the same time by pressing the yellow plus button in the top left corner.
Of course this will compromise your system memory, but it's not something we see in all synchronisation tools you come across these days.
Now that I have given GoodSync the location I would llike my files to be synced from, it immediately provides me with a tooltip pointing out to me as to where I need to press to select the local folder for files to arrive and this is great for those who just hate reading instructions or find it difficult to recognise what the next step required actually is. As soon as I have provided it with the two locations I would like my files to be synced, again it now points to me that my next action is to use the analyze function.
After quickly analyzing, it provides me with a data report like screen, telling me which folders and files will be synced, as well as the memory that I will require to complete this task, any conflicts or errors that it encountered that I should give attention to.
Another good thing about this feature is that now I can see which files it will be synchronising for me, I can easily right click on a file or folder on the left and tell it to exclude synchronisation for those if I had regrets. As oppose to some softwares which go ahead and sync automatically, you often end up finding out that files you didn't want to get transferred got transferred anyway.
So now that I've just clicked on Sync, let's see how much more system resource it's using up:
Surprisingly it's just taken a tiny fraction more.
I guess now is a good time to recap and show you what I've just done using an example instruction taken from GoodSync:
In addition GoodSync isn't just for synchronising and backuping files from two computers. A key part of GoodSync's value is the options that you can use to control when items are synced. For USB flashdrive / key users, the option of having a sync start whenever a key is inserted is a must have. The periodic scheduling down to a one-minute sync is also very useful.
Check out the instructions below:
In my opinion this is my favourite feature, not only because I loose USB flashdrives all the time, this feature will ensure that I have my lost files right where I want them as long as I have plugged it in for a sync recently.
GoodSync also gives you a simple check box option whether or not you want to propagate deletions across a sync pair. That is, if a file is deleted from one side of the sync, it's up to the user (in the options) to choose whether or not the file should be deleted on the other side.
For those who were wondering whether GoodSync would work with other devices or servers. GoodSync does offer the same smooth functionality for FTPs, Amazon S3, WebDAV and also Windows Mobile. See screenshot below:
Did I mention our music transfer test went smoothly? After synchronising for us GoodSync also gave us a quick report, this is what I found useful. Especially if you plan on synchronising anything important, you would want to know which files or folders its missed out.
So in a short summary here are what we thought were the good points and the bad points:
Pros:
- Good simple user interface
- Runs smoothly, no instability issues
- Only a tiny bit of your system memory resource will be required
- Has some very useful features such as analysis, easy customisation for specified jobs
- Supports multiple types of files sources and destinations such as FTPs, Amazon S3, WebDAV and also Windows Mobile
- A reliable tool for those who need to sync priceless pictures, files and data
Cons:
- None! No issues were identified
- Some past reviews commented that "some configuration menus are quite heavy, with loads of text explaining each option" (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=5941), but we felt this has been much improved on the latest release which we tested
- Unfortunately, no support for Macs
We weren't asked to give a rating, however if we needed to, GoodSync would easily deserve a rating of 5/5 from us. So if you're looking for a software that's reliable for transferring, synchronising and backing up important files across different devices or servers, no matter what type of files, we would definitely recommend you try out GoodSync.
Though it isn't free, the download is just 1.05Mb and supports Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista, you can test out its 30-day trial with no limitations or restrictions, click here to find out more via GoodSync…
| Thanks for visiting, if you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. We update regularly on the latest gadget and software news, ideas and hacks. Subscribe now! |
Remember: We hand out 'dofollow' links to top five commentators of our blog within our sidebar each month, so get commenting! Thanks for your support!
