By M.K. Wong, a freelance writer

MOST people now own more than one flash drive and synchronising files on these drives with different PCs can be a real hassle.

Often, the latest versions are not updated or worse, they are accidentally over-written in the process.

There are very good - and free - software that you can use to synch the files on the PC with those on the portable flash drive.

One is SyncToy from Microsoft because of its many synch options. Get it at http://www.microsoft.com/ downloads/en/default.aspx.

However, novices may find the options a little confusing.

For example, if you want to only copy files from your PC to the flash drive but do not want your old files residing in the flash drive to be copied back to the PC, then you would use the Echo function.

If, however, you have deleted an old version of a file in the flash drive but do not want the deletion to be mirrored in the PC - say, you want to keep these older versions for tracking purposes - then you would use the Contribute function.

One freeware that has won me over is Allway Sync version 9.2.15. Get it at http://allwaysync.com/download. html.

Among the versions available, the one I highly recommend is the Allway Sync 'n' Go. It allows you to install the synch software in the portable flash drive so that you need not install the program on every PC that you want your drive to be synched up with.

It takes up only about 15MB of space and, once installed in the flash drive, will pop up and run automatically when you insert it into a PC.

Here is how to get it going.

1 Download and install the Allway Sync 'n' Go software

When prompted, install the software in the portable flash drive, for example, G: drive (right).

2 Run the software and select which folders to synch

You can choose to synch the files between Windows folders, removable drives and network folders.

For example, if you want to synch a folder on the PC, select Windows folder and then use the Browse button on the left-hand side to select it. On the right, select Removable drive. Then use the Configure button to select the respective portable flash drive (right, below).

3 Choose the method and direction of the synch

In the centre, you will see the direction of the synchronisation. The two-headed arrow means that it works both ways - from PC to drive and vice versa.

Click on the Change button if you need to synch only one way, for example, from the Windows folder to the removable drive and not the other way around.

4 Initiate the synchronisation process

The good thing about this software is that you can see which files and folders are involved before actually invoking the synchronisation process. Simply hit the Analyze button and you will be shown a list of files that are affected.

Choose if you want all the files or only the changed (or unchanged) ones.

If you want just the new files to be synchronised, that is possible too. Click on the Synchronize button once you have confirmed that these files are the right ones.

If you find yourself always using a particular set of parameters, such as the same folders, flash drive and synchronisation direction, designate a name for the task, for example, Docs2Thumb, instead of the default New Job 1. You can also name other tasks using the same method.

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