The built-in Windows Direct Cable Connection (DCC) tool allows users to hook up two PCs and transfer data between them. But this arcane application is difficult to get working, even on systems with the same operating systems. LapLink, the company that made a name for itself with its notebook connectivity products, has brought us PCsync, an easier-to-use version of DCC that includes speedy USB transfers for Windows 98 systems and above. Installing PCsync takes a few steps. You might be required to install Java Virtual Machine (included on the CD-ROM) if it's not installed already. Additionally, to use the USB cable that comes with the product (it also includes a serial cable for transfers involving older systems), you need to install the USB drivers as well. But after a couple of reboots, we had our systems--one using Windows Me and one using Windows 2000--hooked up and ready to go.
PCsync uses a split screen that lets you browse the contents of both PCs using either system. File transfer is as simple as drag and drop from one window to the other--you can also use right-click menus to send files from one system to the other. Using USB to transfer files is a boon to any user who has ever watched files drag their way from one system to another via a serial cable. When copying large files, we were able to get sustained transfer rates of more than 400 KB per second--it took only nine seconds to transfer a 4 MB file. PCsync also supports many Internet storage sites, letting you easily transfer files between your system and the online drives.
PCsync includes a Copy My Files wizard, which walks you through the steps of transferring all your documents and data files from one system to another. For example, if you purchase a new PC, you can install PCsync on both systems, hook them up, and then use this wizard to update the new one with all your personal files from your older system. And for those users planning to keep both systems hooked up, PCsync's SmartXchange feature synchronizes folders on both PCs, automatically keeping the same file versions in each.
We would have liked to see better documentation with PCsync--all the help files were on the CD-ROM, with only a skeletal installation and user's guide printed on the CD jacket. But the software does a slick job of attacking what can often be a monumental task--after we made our way through the installation process, file transfers were never easier. --J. Curtis
