Apple PowerBook File Assistant User Manual



PowerBook

File Assistant

User’s Guide

K Apple Computer, Inc.

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Contents

How the PowerBook File Assistant Can Help You v

What is file synchronization? v

What is the Assistant Toolbox? vi

1 Installing Your Software 1

Do you have what you need? 1

Using the Installer 1

Easy Install 2

Custom Install 3

2 Using the PowerBook File Assistant 5

Why synchronize your files? 5

Using a PowerBook with your desktop Macintosh 6

Using a PowerBook with a network 7

Using a PowerBook Duo with a Duo Dock 8

Starting the PowerBook File Assistant 9

iii

Linking files or folders for synchronization 9

If your PowerBook has a system software version 7.1 or later 10

If your PowerBook has a system software version earlier than 7.1 11

Setting the direction of the link 12

Linking non-matching folders 12

Deleting a linked pair 13

Synchronizing linked folders or files 14

Manual synchronization 16

Automatic synchronization 16

Understanding the alert messages 16

Setting completely automatic synchronization 18

3 Using the Assistant Tool Box 19

Extending your PowerBook’s battery life 20

Controlling automatic screen dimming 20

Using persistent RAM disk 21

Putting your PowerBook to sleep 22

Spinning down the hard disk 22

Automatically remounting to shared volumes 23

Printing later 24

Improving pointer display 25

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ONTENTS

How the PowerBook File Assistant Can Help You

The PowerBook File Assistant is software that synchronizes files on your
PowerBook and desktop Macintosh by automatically updating files whenever
you make changes. With the File Assistant, you can always be sure that the
file you are working on is the current version.

What is file synchronization?

As a user of both a desktop Macintosh and a PowerBook, you may often have
the same file or folder on both computers. This allows you to work on files
wherever and whenever it’s convenient. The only problem is keeping track of
what files are on what computer, and where the current copy of a file is.

The PowerBook File Assistant eliminates this problem by keeping the most
recent version of a file or folder on both your desktop Macintosh and your
PowerBook. The process of updating the files on both computers is called

synchronization.

individual files or folders.

file

With the PowerBook File Assistant, you can synchronize

v

What is the Assistant Toolbox?

Also included with the PowerBook File Assistant is the Assistant Toolbox.
The Toolbox is a group of PowerBook enhancements that make your
PowerBook even easier to use by allowing you to:

m extend your PowerBook’s battery life by controlling automatic screen

dimming and using persistent RAM disk

m put your PowerBook to sleep with one touch
m connect your PowerBook to your Macintosh desktop system more easily
m send documents to print the next time you connect your PowerBook to a

printer

m track the pointer on the screen more easily

vi

H

O W T H EPOWERBOOKFILEASSISTANTCANHELPYOU

1

Installing Your Software

Do you have what you need?

To use the PowerBook File Assistant, you’ll need:

m a PowerBook computer with at least 4 megabytes of RAM
m system software version 7.0 or later (System software version 7.1 or later is

required to use the drag-and-drop feature for file synchronization, as
described in Chapter 2.)

Be sure you’re acting within the terms of the software license agreement
before you install programs on a computer. The license agreement specifies
how many copies of the program you can make for yourself and others.

Using the Installer

To use the PowerBook File Assistant, you need to install the software on your
PowerBook’s hard disk. You do this with a program called the Installer, which
allows you to install the software one of two ways: Easy Install or Custom
Install.

1

If you want to install all of the software, use Easy Install. It installs both the
PowerBook File Assistant and the Assistant Toolbox on your PowerBook. It
also installs system software that lets you drag icons from the Finder to the
PowerBook File Assistant’s Setup window, which makes using the program
very simple. (You need system software version 7.1 or later to support this
feature.)

If you only want to install a portion of the software, use Custom Install.

Easy Install

1 Turn on your PowerBook.

2Insert the floppy disk labeled

3Double-click the disk icon to open it.

4Double-click the Installer icon to open it.

Make sure the name

of your PowerBook

appears here.

PowerBook File Assistant Setup

your PowerBook.

The Easy Install window appears.

in the floppy disk drive of

Click for
Easy
Install.

Click for
Custom
Install.

(The Easy Install window may look slightly different if your system software
version is earlier than version 7.1.)

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5Make sure the hard disk named in the box is the one on which you want to install the

PowerBook File Assistant software.

If it’s not, click the Switch Disk button until the name of the disk appears.

6 Click Install.

Messages appear on the screen describing the progress of the installation.

7When you see a message saying that installation was successful, click Restart.

Your PowerBook restarts and the floppy disk is ejected. You are ready to use
the PowerBook File Assistant software.

Custom Install

If you want to custom install the software on your PowerBook:

1 Open the Installer as described in steps 1 through 5 of “Easy Install.”

2 Click Customize.

The Custom Install window appears.

To install the

PowerBook File

Assistant, click here.

To install the drag-

and-drop feature,

click here. To install

with either the

PowerBook File

Assistant or the

Assistant Toolbox,

hold the Shift key

down when you click.

A list of items you can install appears in the window.

I

NSTALLINGYOURSOFTWARE

To install the
Assistant
Toolbox,
click here.

3

3Click the software you want to install.

Shift-click to choose more than one item. A description of each item appears
in the box below the item names.

4 Click Install.

Messages appear on the screen describing the progress of the installation.

5When you see a message saying that installation was successful, click Restart.

Your PowerBook restarts and the floppy disk is ejected. You are ready to use
the software you installed.

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