Want to use Offline copies even when on network, is this possible?

[Colin Higbie]

Most of the files that I use are stored on my desktop computer (also acting
as a file server, with RAID5). I keep an Offline copy on my laptop and take
them with me to do work. Everything works fine. When I'm away from the
network, I have nice speedy access to all my Offline files. Also, if I
connect to the network via 100BaseT Ethernet, while a little slower because
it's using the server files over the Ethernet, access is still reasonable.
However, when I'm connected to the network via Wi-Fi, which is the typical
case (like right now, I'm sitting in bed), the connection is very, very
slow. With occasional exceptions (my wife has a third computer and shares
some of these files), I'm the only one who ever changes these files, so I
don't care about being out of sync with the "real" copy on the server.

Is there a way to make Windows XP use the Offline file version of the files
and folders by default? I could still synchronize every time I bring my
laptop back to the network, but that way I would not be forced to rely on
the super-slow network access.

By the way, I don't want to disable the Wi-Fi network and force the computer
to use the Offline files that way, because I rely on the Wi-Fi connection
for Internet access. I only want to use my local copies of the Offline files
and folders, while otherwise interacting with the network normally.

Thanks for any advice,
Colin

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Hmm--here's something I haven't tried, and it may be absolutely useless, but
read on:

The Windows Server 2003 resource kit contains a tool "CSCCMD.EXE" to allow
command-line interaction with the client-side cache (i.e. offline files.)

There's an argument cssccmd /disconnect

which appears to do what you'd like, as (obliquely) cited here:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822888

And, of course, this article exists because there's a bug, which is fixed in
XP SP2--so you want to be running SP2 to use this method.

And, of couse, you need the resource kit, which fortunately, is downloadable
here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...69-57ff-4ae7-96ee-b18c4790cffd&displaylang=en

This seems to me worth trying, unless Jeffrey Randow (or somebody else!) can
tell us I'm all wet in left field and this absolutely isn't applicable!

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Left off the best reference:

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/...windowsserv/2003/all/techref/en-us/csccmd.asp

This looks like it will do what you want--but read the usage information so
that you understand how it works--you reconnect via doing a synch.

 

[Colin Higbie]

That sure looks like the right thing! Thanks. I'll try and report back.

- Colin

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Another option, which I much prefer to Offline Files: www.centered.com . I
think it's a lot better in general - and it's cheap & cheerfu.

</shameless plug>

 

[Jeffrey Randow (MVP)]

Those are the best resources out there, Bill..


Jeffrey Randow (Windows Networking & Smart Display MVP)
(e-mail address removed)

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