How to work with a Briefcase

Windows XP has come up with an easy option for people who work from home, away from their office networks. A briefcase is a folder of sorts which helps you take your files home on a removable disk, work on the files and then synchronize the updated files with the originals on the hard drive of your office system. Here's how you could create and use a briefcase.

• Click on Start and then click on My Computer.
• Click the folder in which you want to create a new briefcase.
• On the File menu, click New, and then click Briefcase. The new briefcase is created. To open the briefcase, double-click it.

If you want to create a new briefcase on your desktop, right-click an empty area of your desktop, click New, and then click Briefcase.

• To move objects from My Documents , double click on the My Documents icon.
• Open Briefcase and My Documents side by side by right-clicking on the blank Task bar and select Tile Windows Vertically.
• Copy any files and folders to your Briefcase by simply dragging them onto the New briefcase window.

You could work with your briefcase just the same way as you would with any of your folders. To check the status of any file in your briefcase right-click the file that you want to check, and then click Properties. Now click on the Update Status tab.

• If the Briefcase file and its counterpart outside Briefcase (the original copy of the file on another computer) are synchronized, an Up-to-date icon is displayed.
• If the Briefcase file and its counterpart are not synchronized, a Replace arrow is displayed. The arrow points towards the copy of the file that requires updating.
  Click Update to synchronize the files.

The file stored in the Briefcase and its counterpart outside are now synchronized.

To take your Briefcase with You
You can carry your files with you back and forth between computers using a CD or USB drive.

• Copy your briefcase files onto your CD or USB drive.
• You can now work on your files when you are away from your network from the CD or USB drive and burn the new files back onto the CD or save them onto your USB drive.
• Once you are back into your network, insert your CD into your computer or connect the USB drive to your USB port.
• Start your briefcase and update your files. To update all your files click on Update All on the briefcase menu. To update a particular file, select the file and click on Update. Now the files on the hard disk will be replaced with those from the CD or USB drive.