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Windows Live FolderShare Team

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December 11

Windows Live Sync is live!

Hello, Sync and FolderShare friends.
 
We've been hard at work on the new software, and we're pleased to report that the new Windows Live Sync is now available for Windows and the Mac.
 
We've listened to your feedback, and Sync will continue to offer the same great service as FolderShare, along with several new features:
  • Higher file limits—up to 20 synchronized folders (formerly known as libraries) with up to 20,000 files in each one.
  • Integration with Windows Live ID.
  • Integration with the Recycle Bin for Windows.
  • Unicode support.
  • More languages for Windows (46 in all).
  • And lots of bug fixes.
As part of the new release, we will be retiring the old FolderShare blog and newsgroup to make room for a new Sync blog and a new Sync newsgroup.
 
Sync may be new to some FolderShare users, but don't worry! Sync is designed to make transition easy, although there are a few steps for you to take:
  • Install the software on each of your computers that previously ran FolderShare so Sync can automatically reconnect your synchronized folders.
  • To keep sharing your synchronized folders, you'll need to send your pals a new invitation. Don't worry if they don't have a Windows Live ID; we'll help them get set up using their preferred e-mail address.
  • Your synchronized folders will be set to automatically sync after migrating. If you'd prefer to sync on demand, just visit the Sync website to adjust that.
  • Have more questions? Take a look at the latest FAQ for more answers.

Please check out the new software and let us know what you think. We hope you like it!

—The Sync (formerly FolderShare) team

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December 09

Windows Live Sync FAQ

Hello, FolderShare friends!
 
Thanks for all the great feedback you've sent on our upcoming release. Here are some answers to the more frequently asked questions.
 
Q. When can I download the Sync software?
A. Soon. We're still finishing up a few more things.
 
Q. Will the limit remain 10 libraries with 10,000 files per library?
A. Nope. The new limit is 20 libraries with 20,000 files per library. That's a lot of files! The library limit is for the combined total of personal and shared libraries. (Keep in mind that what were called "libraries" in FolderShare are called "synchronized folders" in Sync.)
 
Q. Are you also releasing new software for the Mac?
A. Yes. The Mac and Windows software will be released at the same time.
 
Q. Will Sync have the same features as FolderShare?
A. Yes, plus some great new ones:
  • Integration with your Windows Live ID.
  • Integration with your Recycle Bin for Windows.
  • Unicode support.
  • And lots of bug fixes.
Q. What will happen to my computers running FolderShare? What about my folders and files?
A. Sync is designed to make the transition easy for you. When Sync releases, any computers running FolderShare will stop synchronizing files and will notify you that you need to download Sync. All of your files and folders will remain untouched on your computers, but you need to install Sync on each computer to continue synchronizing files.
 
Q. Will I need to synchronize my data all over again?
A. No. If you've been running FolderShare, your data is already synchronized, so you won't have to do it again.
 
Q. What will happen to my personal libraries?
A. On Windows only, Sync will automatically rebuild your personal libraries on the new Sync website, and will reconnect your computer to those libraries. You'll have to install Sync on each computer that previously ran FolderShare so that Sync can reconnect each of your libraries to each computer. (All of your files and folders will remain on your computers–you won't lose anything!)
 
Q. What will happen to my shared libraries?
A. This part is a bit tricky. Sync won't be able to rebuild your shared libraries, but we've tried to make it as easy as possible to set these up again.  If you were the owner of a shared library you'll have to resend the invitations to your friends, family, or coworkers to start sharing the library again. (Sorry, we know it's a pain, but we hope you'll forget all about it once you see huge improvements we're making to Sync.) Don't worry if the people you shared libraries with don't have Window Live IDs; we'll help your people switch using their preferred e-mail addresses.
 
If you weren't the owner of a shared library you used, keep your eyes out for a new e-mail invitation to the library.
 
Either way, your files and folders will remain untouched on your computers.
 
Q. Why won't my shared libraries be rebuilt automatically?
A. To use Sync, you need a Windows Live ID. If your old FolderShare pals weren't using a Windows Live ID to sign in to FolderShare, we don't know whether they have one or not.
 
Q. My shared libraries won't be rebuilt, so do I have to invite everyone all over again?
A. Yes. If you're the owner of a shared library, we recommend before Sync is released that you go to each of your shared libraries and copy the e-mail address and permission level of each user. Once you install the new Sync software, you can send the invitations to the e-mail address you previously copied. Don't worry if it's not a Windows Live ID; we'll help your people migrate using their preferred e-mail addresses.
 
Q. Are my synchronization settings (On-demand or Automatic) on my libraries going to change?
A. When Sync automatically rebuilds and reconnects your libraries, they will all be set to Automatic synchronization. After Sync has rebuilt your libraries, you can change them to On-Demand by visiting the Sync website.

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November 19

Windows Live Sync replacing FolderShare: What you need to know


Dear FolderShare friends,

We want to let you know what's next for FolderShare, and to make you aware of some important upcoming changes.

In December, we will release a new product called Windows Live Sync. You can think of it as FolderShare 2.0. It's going to look familiar and offer the same great features, plus:

  • More folders and files - sync up to 20 folders with 20,000 files each.
  • Integration with Windows Live ID - no more extra sign-in stuff to remember.
  • Integration with the Recyle Bin - no more separate Trash folder to fiddle with.
  • New client versions for both Windows and Mac. 
  • Unicode support - sync files in other languages.

A huge part of Sync's success story depends on FolderShare users like you. When Sync releases, FolderShare goes into retirement. That means your FolderShare software will stop working and will ask you to upgrade to Sync. Once you do, Sync will automatically rebuild your personal folders. We expect a lot of new users when Sync is released, so if you can't sign in right away, please give it a little time.

Here's the part you need to pay attention to: Sync will not be able to rebuild your shared libraries. If you have a lot of shared libraries, you should hop over to the FolderShare website while it's still available and copy all that information. You'll need it to rebuild your shared libraries (which we'll be calling "folders" moving forward) in Sync.

You should also note that the Professional option is being retired with the FolderShare name. Sync has a single offer, which provides free synchronization for up to 20 folders and 20,000 files. We'll be working to raise those numbers as our service grows.

Thanks for being a FolderShare user! We're excited about delivering an even better file-synchronization experience to customers like you. We hope you'll come along as we move forward with Windows Live Sync.

Sincerely,

The Windows Live Sync (formerly FolderShare) team

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June 26

New FolderShare client for Windows available

 
Hi, FolderShare friends.
 
There's a new version of FolderShare for Windows available today that includes several updates designed to improve reliability. We encourage all the awesome FolderShare users to install it at their earliest convenience.
 
These feature improvements work only on the new version, so the old version needs to be removed before the new one is installed. We understand this process may cause some inconvenience, but be assured that your settings and files will remain the same from start to finish.
 
If you have any thoughts about the new improvements, please let us know by posting a comment.
 
Thanks for using FolderShare!
 
—The FolderShare team
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June 12

**UPDATED**: June 18 maintenance

 
Dear FolderShare friends,
 
Some users may have intermittent problems signing in Wednesday as we upgrade our servers.
 
  • The upgrades begin Wednesday, June 18, at 1 PM Pacific Time (UTC-7).
  • All users should be back online by 9 PM the same day at the latest.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. We'll post to our newsgroup when we come back online.

- The FolderShare team.

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April 22

New FolderShare client for Windows available

Hi, FolderShare friends,

There's a new version of FolderShare for Windows that's designed to help improve security and reliability. To bring as many people as possible up to date, we’ll start prompting users to upgrade this week. When the time comes, you won't be able to sign in until you update. We understand this process may cause some inconvenience, so we strongly encourage you to get a head start and install the new version today.

Thanks for your patience as we get FolderShare into even better shape!

—The FolderShare team

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March 25

FolderShare back online

 
Hi, FolderShare friends,
 
We successfully completed our update this morning, and the system has fully stabilized.  Users should be able to sign in and synchronize normally.
 
Thanks for your patience during this upgrade!
 
- The FolderShare team
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March 21

Planned system outage - Monday, March 24 8pm PST

 
Dear FolderShare friends,
 
To improve reliability and increase capacity, we need to pause the service for a little while. We're planning to take Windows Live FolderShare offline beginning at 8 PM PST (GMT-7) on Monday, March 24.  It's scheduled to be back in service at 9 AM PST on Tuesday, March 25.
 
We're sorry for any inconvenience.
 
- The FolderShare team
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March 20

New bug fixes


Hi, FolderShare friends,

Thanks for your patience while we roll out our first major update. Some users have reported having problems with the new website and the new version of FolderShare for Windows. We’re happy to anounce that we've posted updates to address the majority of those concerns.
 
What we've addressed
  • The problem some users had with Windows Vista and Windows XP failing to respond.
  • All known website sign-in and library management problems.
  • The version number typo on the download webpage.
  • The difficulties that users of the IOMEGA external hard drive had with the website. Users may need to re-sync their PC libraries now that we've fixed that. (By the way, syncing with the actual devices isn't supported anymore, which we warned about in the previous blog post.)
Please use the latest version
All Windows users should be using version 14.0.1329.0317, which is available on the FolderShare download webpage. If you have any problems after installing it, please tell us by posting to the FolderShare newsgroup.
 
Also, please note that we've posted a couple more FAQs to the previous post.  Thanks for all your support and feedback...and a special thanks to the users who helped us perform some swift investigative work!
 
- The FolderShare team
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March 12

Thanks for the feedback


(Updated with new FAQs on 3/20/08)

Hello, FolderShare friends! Thanks for all the great feedback on our new release. Here's a list of answers to the most common questions we've received:

Q: Does the current release support Windows Live ID for sign-in and signup?
A: No, but we're working to add this to both the Windows and Mac versions in the future.

Q: Where's the Mac update?
A: We're working on it.

Q: Is the 10,000 file limit per library still in place?
A: For now. We've gotten this request a few times, and we're considering raising the limit in the future.

Q: Is there a public forum where I can ask questions?
A: You can find answers from power users in our public newsgroup.

Q: Does the new FolderShare website require cookies?
A: Yes, you need cookies to sign in.

Q: Is it possible to sync a library between two hard disks on the same computer? For example, can I sync a folder on my C: drive to my removable E: drive?
A: No, but we’ll consider supporting that in the future.

Q: Is the Iomega HD with built-in support for FolderShare still supported?
A: No. When that device was discontinued in 2005, we announced that we weren't going to support it anymore. If you have one of these legacy devices, you should know that sign-in will be disabled within the next 30 days.

Q: Does FolderShare use the same authentication as Windows Live ID? 
A: No, but in the future, we hope to make that the case.

Q: Can I use my Windows Live ID to sign in?
A: Perhaps - if you're a new user, you can set up FolderShare using your Windows Live ID as your sign-in information. If you're an existing user, you'll use the same e-mail address and password you've always used (which may already be the same as your Windows Live ID), but you can also update your FolderShare e-mail address and password to match your Live ID at any time.

Troubleshooting assistance
Have you had problems signing in with FolderShare credentials created before the website changed? We’d love to hear from you. Please post to our public newsgroup and tell us about it. We may get back to you to ask a few questions.

Is the new version of FolderShare for Windows crashing on you? We’re working hard on a fix for that, and we'll post updates when we have more information.

Thanks, everybody, for your support. Enjoy the new site. We promise it will be fewer than two years till our next update. Smile

- The FolderShare Team

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