The Windows Live FolderShare team launched a new beta today, along with a new blog. Here’s what their first blog entry has to say:
Introducing the new FolderShare!
Hello, and welcome to the blog for Windows Live FolderShare. It’s a big day for us here at Windows Live HQ, and not just because we’re launching this new blog. We also have updated FolderShare, and published an all-new FolderShare website…at last!
Today we’re unveiling:• A new website designed to makes managing your FolderShare libraries and computers even easier.
• A new FolderShare with a better setup, a better system tray menu, and better performance on Windows Vista.
• Improvements on the backend to keep FolderShare running more smoothly and reliably.(And of course, it’s still free.)
To all the users who already have fallen in love with FolderShare, we thank you! We hope all the new users equally enjoy the features FolderShare has to offer: syncing files across your computers; sharing files with friends and family; and accessing your files from anywhere on the Internet.
We’re proud of this release, and we really hope you like it. So without further ado, check out the new website, install the new FolderShare, and let us know what you think!
- The FolderShare Team
I hope they actually keep up with their blog. I just hate blogs that are set up, yet rarely updated. That wouldn\’t really be a blog.
I also wished they would elaborate how this is different from SkyDrive.
I keep getting emails from banks, paypal, ebay etc telling me that there is a security alert on my account and that my account could be frozen and that my last transaction did not go through. They advise that I have to click on a link to update my personal details. I\’ve checked my accounts ( not by clicking their link!) only to find that there are no such alerts… This is just a scam to steal your identity and/or account numbers. I\’ve reported these as phishing scams to Hotmail but I still keep getting them.
Does anyone else have this problem? Can anyone explain how I still keep recieving these emails?
How they are different is that with SkyDrive linked to your Live ID and Live Spaces website/profile and FolderShare is not linked to your Live ID or Live Spaces profile. With SkyDrive you upload files from computer to an online folder linked to you Live Spaces profile and can access them using any computer by just logging on to you Live Spaces profile. You then can specify who (if any) in you friends list on Live Spaces can view each file (individually) or you can invite a new friend to you Live Space profile and view that file. It is very different with FolderShare! You install FolderShare on your computer and create an account with the installation(using just your email address, a password, and a nick name); now your computer is remotely accessible via the internet (they use your computer\’s IP address and internet connection). When you install FolderShare, before creating you account but after choosing Not yet-I\’m new to FolderShare and clicking Next, you were asked to assign a name to your computer; you assign a name to every computer which you wish to access folders (or have its folders accessed) from other computers (whether your computer, a friend\’s, realitive\’s, library\’s, or other public computer). This name can be HOME, OFFICE, JOHNSON & ASSOCIATES (the name of the company you work for), DAD, MOM, TRACY, JASON, CUZJASON, SIS, SPENCER (locality name of library), etc. So anytime your computer is connected to the internet all files and folders can be accessed via the internet. This is called remote desktop access, or remote desktop for short. Once you installed FolderShare and created your account you can acccess your computer from anywhere by logging on to your account at http://www.foldershare.com or running FolderShare and logging on with it; when you installed FolderShare and created your account you assigned a name to your computer and that would be the one you click on to access everything on your computer. Microsoft is not the only company providing this service, in fact I believe they are providing it under a different name and website (which has more features and may cost). Do not worry all you folders are safe because people can only access it through FolderShare. They can only access you stuff if they have an account, you invite them to access your files, you stay connected to the internet with FolderShare installed and keep FolderShare running with you logged on. Note that you share (with yourselfe at other computers and other people at other computers) whole folders, not individual files. If you only want a particular person to access one file, or individual files that are in different folders but not the rest of the files in those folders, then creat a folder for that person and put it/them in it and give them access to that folder. Also remember that givining access to someone to a folder that has its own folders(subfolders) gives them the same access to those folders so be cautious and make neccessary changes. Once FolderShare is installed on someone\’s computer it will be in their start menu under Windows Live and when it is running there will be an icon next to you messenger icon(s), volume icon, and to the left of your digital clock. To share folders with other people you would create a shared library when logged in at http://www.sharedfolder.com then you can invite users whose email address you know. You will have the option to specify what permission they have with each sharred folder to either reader, contibutor, editor, or senior editor. Then when they receive your email message inviting them have access to the folder(s) you just gave permission to they either install FolderShare and create an account or start FolderShare in their start menu(if it isn\’t already running) and log on; they will then be able to see the folder(s) you are allowing them to remotely access by clicking on that folder after clicking on their FolderShare icon near their messenger icon(s). They/you can also go directly to http://www.foldershare.com, after installing FolderShare, by clicking(right or left mouse button) on the FolderShare icon near you messenger(s) then clicking on FolderShare website. To remotely access your computer the process is very similar to giving remote access to other people, but the main difference is that instead of inviting your self you syncronize with another computer that has FolderShare installed to have remote access to your whole computer (not just specified folders like when giving access to other people) by starting FolderShare and logging on. If the other computer is not your\’s (or is used by others) and it is running you just have to swithch users. To swith users click the FolderShare icon, click more, then Chang Users, click Yes when is asks you if you are sure, then log on the way you did the first time at your computer at home (or where ever you first installed and used FolderShare) except in the Computer Name field when you log on you would assign a new name; hint: you can use the same name for all computers then just add a number at the end of the name, with each computer having a different number and underscores(_) are allowed but not spaces or other characters just letters and numbers. Then after you are loggen on and click on FolderShare website from you FolderShare icon. When you are at http://www.foldershare.com just click on the name you assigned to the computer which you wish to access remotely. Alternatively, the same way you can make a library(shared) for other people to remotely access folders on one of your computers you can do the same for each of the computers that you remotely access (do not do this for computer you do not own or your computer at your office). These are called personal libraries! When FolderShare is running and you\’re logged on click FolderShare website on the FolderShare icon. When your browser opens and you\’re at http://www.foldershare.com (logged on) click on create your first personal library, or create a personal library, and locate the file you want to access with ease at other computers; make sure you use automatic synconization so that when you make changes it will be reflected for the other computers and people with access. Now when you run FolderShare at other computers click your FolderShare icon, above FolderShare website you will see all folders from personal libraries(that you created from your other computer only for you) and shared libraries(that either you created for other people to access or other people created and you can access) just click on the folder you want to access and it will open it just like you open folders normally on you computer.
Claire, that sounds like a phishign scam
Yes, how is this different from SjyDrive?
What\’s the difference between FolderShare and SkyDrive?
- FolderShare gives you remote access to files on your computer from any web browser, provided that the computer where you have the files is online. It also let\’s you sync folders between multiple computers. The files are stored only on your own computers; Windows Live doesn\’t keep any copies of your files on their servers. You need to install FolderShare software on each computer that you want to sync or that you want remote access to. - SkyDrive allows you to store files directly on a Microsoft server. This allows you, and the people you give permission to, to access to these files from any computer. No special software is required for accessing the files.
I\’m really happy that they are making a better windows vista it has been really crapy lateley
YOU ARE ALL BIG STINK BALLS!
Thanks for clearing that up Windows Live Team.
Though I think it would be better if Microsoft could just combine SkyDrive and FolderShare (and maybe even Office Live Workspaces) into one simpler product that does many uses. All-in-one services are more popular these days, especially if they do a great job at it.
THnx 4 the improvement of windows live.its fantastic m awesome…
i liked it.Hope every1 like it tooo
at the risk of appearing dumb… Foldershare won\’t accept any of my known email aliases to let me log in. How do I get logged in the first time?
Too bad Micro$cam makes things harder than need be. I guess that\’s why I use Linux for more than 90% of my work.
To Claire and others as well:
About those emails that you may get that appear to come from ebay, paypal or your bank or any other bank for that matter, is more than likely a fake email called a phishing email. DO NOT ever click on any links in any of those emails. If there emails appear to come from ebay, to repport fake ebay emails forward the whold email to spoof@ebay.com If appears to come from paypal, then report the fake paypal emails to spoof@paypal.com and also for the fake ebay emails you could also forward them to spam@ebay.com and for the fake paypal emails, you could also forward them to spam@paypal.com
Now as for the emails that appear to come from your bank, check your banks website for info about phishing emails as your bank may have a phishing email address that probably would look like this phishing@yourbank.com, replace yourbank with the name of your own banks, anohter words use your banks address. Such as phishing@regions.com for Regions bank. As for those fake emails that you may get with other banks name in them, I guess you could checking the banks website or you could try reporting them to your email provider.
Hope this is found helpful.
THat\’s it for now. Take care till later.
B4N Joel (aka joetom57)
Hey Mircrosoft folks! I\’ve been using FolderShare for over a year now and couldn\’t live without it! Are there any plans to interface FolderShare with SkyDrive so that I could easily SYNC a couple of my folders with the online storage service? That would be great!
Oh my, the folder share was so flippant in the past! I believe I must upload more files to be abreast of the new technologies. Perhaps I may learn to be more affable. It is to shame those other sites that do not allow for such large files to be used by the general public. For what oversight did this befall the spaces members? In due time, there should be more of a like-mindedness amongst those most affected by such advancement. This obligatory content is overtly abasing the competition, therefore I must succomb to the preclusion of the statically presentable. I bid you good day.Bruce
What is the difference between this and the Remote Access option Microsoft had before? I only used this briefly and never did or knew how to Remote before. I noticed that with FolderShares Remote option the other person doesn\’t get loged off the computer but I think usually when remoting the computer that is being accessed is not acessable until the Remoter is done. Or I could be completely wrong about everything. Please excuse me, I am fairly knew at this.
Hello, I am a wife and mom who appreciates a clean respectable blog site.
I also am fairly new with computers.
I do hope that there are certain rules that everyone should follow, as far as, "No X-rated trash allowed," I hope I will not have to see anymore blogs, such as the one I stumbled upon just a moment ago; ugh!
I Always thought that the leading technology of blogging was for microsoft and windows live is moving ahead with this anouncement. The FolderShare is really a great idea and it will make the life much easy for the fil sharing safetely in between us Costa Rica and The World we are a Costa Rican website to let the world know about us.
This is not a Public restroom nor a newspaper, so why are there public ads all over the place?
I look at the comments for reviews from people who use the product that is beong discussed… NOT to find some woman looking for a long term relationship from the phillipines or anywhere else!
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! how do u change ur back ground
Hi there,
Can anyone help me out? When I click on hotmail my username comes up along with my password. Is there any way that I can enter my password manually without it automatically logging in when I click on my icon.
Cheers,
Martin.
The foldershare link isn\’t working! Comon, Microsoft, you can do better than that!
Ohh…ok, it worked the next time. Thanks!
Could you please explain exactly what foldershare is for, not just one sentence.
Thank you.
i didn\’t see the last page. it\’s really clear and enough , Thank you.
But may be some security problems, i installed first time in the caffee net;
it did not ask me the permission; installed instantly! (it was only a user level account i logged on.)
The problem I am seeing with the "new and improved" Windows Live Foldershare is that "Live" is being used in its title, but my Live ID does not work with it, at least not at the present.
My thought was that the Live products were a family of services centered around the Live ID for ease of access and security purposes. The "Live" in Foldershare seems more cosmetic or deceptive than anything else since Foldershare is still in beta.
If a Microsoft product is to brandish the "Live" name, then it should also be Live ID accessible upon production. The only improvement with Foldershare is the name, which is misleading and leaves me with a feeling of intentional marketing deception.
The H.E.A.T. is on!
Nice And Gr8 .. Service … As Ever We Have From Microsoft..
Yeah, I installed it and it asked for my live id and password, but it didn\’t work. There\’s nothing at all in help. How in the world am I supposed to use it?
For those of you reporting problems using Windows Live ID and other issues with the new FolderShare release, please see the recently posted FAQ on the FolderShare blog. They are posting updated info on a regular basis to the FolderShare blog.
Thanks for your feedback!
Microsoft this new feature is superb! hope u can make more new ones! CONGRATS ON A JOB WELL DONE , this is a very good thing cause now its not necessary to run here and there searching the files!!!!
Installed this and nothing happened. I saw it in my system tray for about 3 seconds and by the time I went to access it the icon was gone. No information on how to use at web site…so I recommend to stay away from the beta.
I\’m feeling very overwhelmed with the range of software now available. The Windows Live \’suite\’ is impressive, but isn\’t this new FolderShare a little too similar to SkyDrive? I can publish files in the \’Public\’ area of SkyDrive if I wanted to share them with friends. OK, so the syncronising of folders sounds neat, but I\’m already syncronising my Favourites between home and work with Windows Live Favourites via the Live toolbar. With a similar example, I\’ve just upgraded to Vista and again overwhemed by the \’Contacts\’ folder in my user folders (titled \’Windows Contacts\’ on the Start Menu, and the \’Windows Live Contacts\’ (accessed either online or via the locally installed \’Windows Live Mail\’. I have a Smartphone running WM6 and have spent all day trying to figure out how to sync the contacts on my phone with my Vista laptop, but can\’t figure it out. A quick jump onto microsoft.com/windowsmobile and I read that to sync Contacts I need to have Office Outlook 2003 or 2007 installed. Yet another piece of software!!! So all this nice new support between Vista and WM6 using the new WM Device Centre and yet I can\’t directly sync my contacts without going through Outlook?! Its crazy! Microsoft – good work, but its getting confusing now. Mark
I\’m always annoyed receiving spam. All the comments on this site are great. I\’ve read seveeral and found them so helpful.
Thanks for the hot tips of dealling with unwanted e-amail.
its verey nice it will make everything easy when u are away from ur pc no need for the laptob to view ur data
how do you change the backgrounds, Tools – Background then set default but it\’s still not showing on my page?
I have several saved folders on my msn email account. Is there a way I can transer those folders to my hard drive and free up my internet space. I still use these and they are well sorted-but getting full and I would like them off my page-just too many
my name is jason hill i fell my msn has been hacked ,i kept getting message sites going thourgh my msn when iam not online saying ive blocked every body,dont mind but people are not talking two me not had this prop before not sure how two stop it re installed my msn again,this should not happen has any body else had this propleem coming ,not being funny whot other sites are going thourgh my msn,your not very happy mr ,jason hill ,who ever it is hope they get ther kicks out of it ,please can u help me???????yours jason hill my email add is golfbandit@talktalk.net ???
Wonderful! Non-existent folders in which I can now store the apparently empty e-mails I keep receiving. Is this incompetence or insulting?
This looks good, I\’ve signed up from my office computer and will sync with my home PC when I get home tonight. My only whinge is that I had to open a new account in a different name. Surely the whole idea Windows Live is that there should be a single log on?
im happy to have a hotmail account..hope in the help of msn i can find and seek for the person im seeking for
i love to meet new friends.. if you have a free time just send me a message here in my email..
sugarbaby_jhen01@hotmail.com thanks guyz.. hope to meet some cool
I don\’t understand – I signed up because I thought I could store files remotely but I can\’t see how to do this.
Good idea MS, still, a lot to compete with .Mac. A nice step in the right direction tho, a lot of computing and communicating has become online orientated so I guess this Live bundle will be good, specially its integration with Vista….
This looks good and really helps me to experience hassle free single log on.
I joined this blog, to meet new friends who like the same things I do. I enjoy sewing,quilting,cross stitching and crocheting. Love to garden and read mystery novels. This site seems good to me.
me i done land here oooooooooooooooooooooo mugu mugu mugu mugu mugu mugu
wooohh!!! is this another way to find special someone!!!by sharing blogs!!!anyways goodluck for our search!!!hope that by using this site it will helps me to find my special one!!!..a relation with value!!!trust!!respect and serious!!!…check it out my hotmail my msn account just add me!!!
amhie@live.com
…AMhie!!!~~~~
Hi….I never realized there was a capp on how many emails you can send from a hotmail account….any way around this??
my name is Paresh Bafna…great going Miscrosoft…excellent feature by u guys…LIVE…it is so much covenient now…i can read the e-mails even staying offline…guys Windows Live Mail is an amazing facility to use, get it now!!…..also online storage facility named Sky Drive is good…just add some more new features to it to make it much better…cant really make out of this new feature Folder Sharing by MS team ….is it the same as Sky Drive?? anyways MS team can u add chat room applications so that we can meet new people having same interests…through it. Nice step in right direction MS!!! 3 cheers
looking for people to chat about setting up email address and making a few friends on line
Congratulations, on avail of this new service.
Congratulations, on avail of this new service.
The key thing with FolderShare is that it AUTOMATICALLY syncs files and folders between two or more machines. You can set it up to sync your My Documents folder between your laptop and your home PC. When that is set up, every time you add a file to My Documents on one machine it will be automatically synced (copied) to the other machine. It\’s really helpful for people that switch between multiple machines and like to have the same files available everywhere. The service does not store the files online, it just synchronizes through the Internet.
I\’ve been using Foldershare since before MS bought it. It\’s GREAT software and I had been waiting a LONG time before something like this became available. I\’m happy that MS is picking it up now and I hope it will unleash all it\’s experience with ease-of-use on it
Is FolderShare eventually going to replace SkyDrive? Is there a good case to use both services? Is one service better than the other? Any feedback would be nice.
WOAH, although this sounds GREAT, the LAST thing I need is another set of credentials to remember!!! That alone is keeping me from using FolderShare. I don\’t need it so bad that I\’d switch from SkyDrive, because it is truely a Live app as far as I\’m concerned. SkyDrive beta didn\’t even require different credentials.
Can\’t wait to see the blog post when the FolderShare Team figures out how integrate the LiveID.
I\’m not too sure about signing up for this. My concern lays with too much access to my files. But @ the same time I guess I would like o add that I am new to Victoria, and do not know too many people. I would be happy to make new friends.
I am really glad I added a comment yesturday, and I would like to take this time to thank all of you who e-mailed
me yesturday. I was truly shocked and VERY touched.
It\’s really hard when you leave your whole life behind. When you first move, this reality does not even enter
your mind. So it is a rude awakening when it hit\’s you, that you are kinda in a world, and all alone. what a nasty slap
in the face.
But I DO love this place. Being from the Toronto area, you get used to the way people are. NOT the friendliest.
But it\’s all you know. And moving here, although I need to make new friend\’s, I am still amazed at how nice and
especially friendly people in this city are.
Anyone I talk to when I am out walking, are SSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo friendly. I still can\’t get over it.
People verbally welcome me to Victoria!! It\’s so cool! Thanks evrybody! And p.s….I am open for dating too.lol.
hey my name is kinika i live in par and love to party xxx
NA
It\’s like my diary though I\’m not writing everyday. I write when I am overwhelmed with emotions. It\’s where I can express myself very truly; where I can speak what I am hiding
This is John from India.Hi i am wqaiting for a new friends
No Bady there
hi everyone
Just checking this out! I\’m new to the blogging world…
Peace to all,
Leslie
Hi, I\’m an old time fan of FolderShare! Congrats on the new release!Does this version allow for running FolderShare as a service? It would be great to run it without having to leave my session open in my home computer (i.e. logged off).Thanks guys! and go on with the good job!
look out!!!! caution!!!! someone hacked into my account and sent spam via my e-mail everywhere!!!!!
HELP!!!! I am trying to log in for our company website mail address and we have forgotten the password. I have tried to reset with location and secret question, but my boss has forgotten what he put as his first pet name. I then have tried to reset and send to a different email address and it keeps saying it will send to our company email and I can\’t get into that account. I don\’t know what else to try so hopefully someone can help me!!! Thanks!!
did any one read this part? u can find this when you log into Filshare at the bottom under code of conduct, then read on to "Termination and Cancellation"Microsoft reserves the right, at its sole discretion, and without any
obligation to do so, to review and remove user-created services and
content at will and without notice, and delete content and accountsDoes this mean that they can browse my PC\’s at will looking for content that is not appropriate? or in violation of the "Code of Conduct." something about that makes me feal VERY uneasy. sorry i will no longer use this product or recommend it within my community of Professionals. i was exiceted until i read that.
it cool to have it much faster
You all changed my page design without my request or aggreement. I want my old style of hotmail back please. Tell me how to put the look\’s of my hotmail account back to its original style. I hate this new style that you switched it to. Thank You !