If you don't already use Dropbox, you should!

I’ll admit it’s a selfish motive, (extra free storage for referrals) but I’m not kidding when I say Dropbox is a must have service on any PC/Mac, and even iPhone and Android. And it’s FREE starting at 2 GB up to 8 GB if you can refer 32 people.

For every friend who joins Dropbox, we’ll give you both 250 MB of bonus space (up to a limit of 8 GB)!

A new killer feature for anyone who uses 1Password on both their Mac/PC and iPhone. You can use Dropbox to automatically sync 1Password with all your devices and keep your passwords backed-up encrypted in the cloud. I’ve been using this feature for a few weeks now and love it.

I also use Dropbox to sync my desktop wallpaper collection, Safari bookmarks, and work web design files, between my Mac and PC.

Use this link to sign-up for free and get 250 MB extra free

2008 version of my site archived

I just realized that I could use my Dropbox public folder for a free web host, so I figured I could archive old sites that way. The only down side though is that it doesn’t seem to support javascript.

I’ll have to dig-out some of my oldest sites and get them online for the fun of it.

Windows 7 RC on a Mac Tips and Tricks

I’ve been running Windows 7 RC successfully on my MacBook Pro for about a week now. If you are thinking of giving 7 a try via Boot Camp it’s really not that hard to do. Unless you are already running a version of Windows and don’t want to overwrite it, the process is quite strait forward (See Apple Help: Boot Camp Install). Use a minimum of 20GB for your Boot Camp partition (more if you want to install a lot of apps or games).

For Boot Camp 2.1 (should be included on your Leopard disc) the LIMO patch is the only out of the ordinary thing you’ll need to get your Apple Hardware drivers running after install (read the included instructions). MacBook and Pro users will also want to install the Multi-Touch Trackpad update.

You should also check for graphics driver updates from NVIDIA or ATI depending on your model of Mac (after installing the Boot Camp drivers).

As always don’t forget to get a Windows anti-virus. I suggest Avast Home FREE. Note: Make sure you turn off any anti-virus software while installing drivers.

If you already have XP or Vista running on a partition and don’t want to mess that up, you will need some extra software to create a new partition for Windows 7. (See my previous post about using iPartition). I have a 500GB hard drive so I created a 32GB partition for Windows 7 leaving 200GB for XP and all my games (about 232GB for Mac OS X). I can now pick either XP or 7 when I boot into Windows. I found that I don’t need to re-install games or most programs to run them, I can simply run them from my XP partition “D:\Program Files” (I use Steam for most of my games). Game saves and settings however will most likely not be loaded from your XP partition.

Once you have Windows 7 up and running you may want to synchronize/backup files and settings between your previously installed version of Windows. I suggest using DropBox (register with this link for extra 250MB).

I’m using DropBox to sync my game saves and desktop wallpaper quite successfully. (See Sync files that exist outside the “My Dropbox” and download the suggested Link Shell Extension for both your installs of Windows). You can link all of your important settings and game saves inside XP or Vista to your DropBox.

Most settings and saves will be in C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Local Settings (or “Application Data”) also C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\My Documents

BACKUP SETTINGS FILES BEFORE LINKING TO DROPBOX TO PREVENT DATA LOSS.

I suggest re-creating the file structure inside your DropBox (use new folders with the same names) so you can easily find where to link your settings files when you boot into Windows 7. Finding all your game save locations may be the hard part. I suggest a quick check on Google for any hard to find settings. You may also need to turn on hidden files/folders inside Windows Explorer to get to all your settings. You may also need to get properties on your folders and un-check “Read Only” to allow the creation of a link to a settings file/folder inside your Dropbox.

Good luck! If you have any questions or helpful tips of your own please post them in the comments.

Sync files that exist outside the "My Dropbox"

A method I hope to use to keep my Windows game saves synchronized between XP and 7 (and backed-up) using the DropBox service.