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How to work switching between two computers constantly
Thread poster: Matheus Chaud
Matheus Chaud
Matheus Chaud  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 18:50
Member
English to Portuguese
+ ...

MODERATOR
May 13, 2019

Hi everyone!

I intend to buy a new computer soon, and then I'll have a desktop and a laptop. I still need the laptop to work outside for about 1 hour almost everyday, but I intend to work on the desktop most of the time.


My questions are:

1) What's the easiest way to manage files between both computers, considering I'll be away from home 1 hour almost every day? Cloud storage?

2) Does anyone use Microsoft OneDrive?
My internet conn
... See more
Hi everyone!

I intend to buy a new computer soon, and then I'll have a desktop and a laptop. I still need the laptop to work outside for about 1 hour almost everyday, but I intend to work on the desktop most of the time.


My questions are:

1) What's the easiest way to manage files between both computers, considering I'll be away from home 1 hour almost every day? Cloud storage?

2) Does anyone use Microsoft OneDrive?
My internet connection is not that good (30 Mbps). I'm afraid this could slow down my work significantly, especially considering that I currently access files on a local SSD. Do you think the process of accessing TMs and TBs at OneDrive would be much slower than local access to SSD? Does anyone have any experience with that?

3) Any tips?

Thank you for your attention!
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Philippe Locquet
Philippe Locquet  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 21:50
English to French
+ ...
Depends May 13, 2019

Hi Mateus,

This is a vast subject and choices will depend on your habits, OS etc. Here are a few tips though:

A/ TMs and Glossaries:
Having this connected to a Dropbox, OneDrive, GDrive etc. is usually flimsy.
The best and most consistent choice is to create remote TMs and Glossary accounts. The best option is Wordfast Server (I have started a thread on the topic and have published a few videos on my channel). It connects to all the Wordfast Suite of CAT t
... See more
Hi Mateus,

This is a vast subject and choices will depend on your habits, OS etc. Here are a few tips though:

A/ TMs and Glossaries:
Having this connected to a Dropbox, OneDrive, GDrive etc. is usually flimsy.
The best and most consistent choice is to create remote TMs and Glossary accounts. The best option is Wordfast Server (I have started a thread on the topic and have published a few videos on my channel). It connects to all the Wordfast Suite of CAT tools, and there's a known working plugin in MemoQ.
It's free for freelancers in Demo-mode.
If this doesn't work for you and your TMs are under 500 000 TUs, you can also use Wordfast Anywhere as a TM and glossary host (if you use Wordfast Pro only).
These are the best options I think.

B/You can use OneDrive (if you have bought MS Office, you get 1To of storage on the same account) for files sync, it's not bad.

C/You can also create shared folders between your computers, these will allways sync between your computers (requires proper setup).

D/Network drive (requires purchase and setup).

With a bit of setup, I'd say Wordfast Server for TMs and Glossaries and OneDrive for files is the most solid and economic setup if you already have a Windows computer.

My bests.
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Matheus Chaud
Matheus Chaud  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 18:50
Member
English to Portuguese
+ ...

MODERATOR
TOPIC STARTER
System info May 13, 2019

Thanks for all the information, Fi2 n Co. That seems to be a good idea.

I forgot to say something about my current system.
- Windows 10
- SDL Trados Studio 2019
- Asus laptop with a small SSD (240 GB) + external HD (1 Tb)

I don't know what else would be relevant to mention, but please ask me if I forgot to mention any important information.


 
Mikhail Popov
Mikhail Popov
Montenegro
Local time: 22:50
English to Russian
+ ...
OneDrive May 14, 2019

I've been working in the same condition for about a year. OneDrive is a good solution for everything, except TM files. So you have to export TM and incompletely translated file into shared folder on first PC and then import all documents on the second PC to continue work. It is not very convenient, but it is free (except OneDrive).
More convenient and expensive solution is to get online server for your TM and translated documents.


 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 05:50
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
Different solutions May 14, 2019

You COULD use an NAS, which is private and less restrictive. It's also expensive and likely way overkill for your needs, but you can't put a price on convenience.

What I would really suggest, however, is to rethink whether it's really necessary to move your workflow off the laptop. What is the purpose of the desktop?


Dan Lucas
Jorge Payan
 
Jo Macdonald
Jo Macdonald  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 22:50
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
Just use a laptop May 14, 2019

Hi Matheus
I've been using just a laptop for about 15 years now, wouldn't go back to a fixed system.


Josephine Cassar
Viviane Marx
Stanislaw Czech, MCIL CL
Grace Anderson
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 22:50
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Yes, why have a desktop at all? May 14, 2019

Lincoln Hui wrote:
What I would really suggest, however, is to rethink whether it's really necessary to move your workflow off the laptop. What is the purpose of the desktop?


This was my thought as well: for the price of both a desktop and a laptop, you can get a much better laptop (plus a larger monitor). So, when you're at home, you open the laptop a quarter of the way and let it stand on its edge (e.g. next to or behind the monitor), and use an external mouse, keyboard and monitor. Or if you enjoy using the laptop keyboard, simply dim the laptop's screen while you're at the desk (and figure out how to get the laptop's screen out of the way).


Dan Lucas
Jenni Jelse
 
Erik Freitag
Erik Freitag  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 22:50
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Remote desktop May 14, 2019

You may also want to look into remote desktop solutions such as TeamViewer. This will save you the trouble to sync any files and to keep software up to date on two computers. This should be particularly interesting for since you will be out of office for just an hour per day.

The speed of your internet connection should be fine. What's more important is a stable connection.


DZiW (X)
 
Rolf Keller
Rolf Keller
Germany
Local time: 22:50
English to German
A personal cloud consisting of your PCs only May 14, 2019

I have ONE powerful main PC in my home office That PC holds all my software and - important! - all the settings and tiny adjustments/adaptions/improvements which get amassed in the course of time. (Of course I've a full backup of this PC).

On the road I use a portable PC and connect it via Internet to the main PC. Once connected, the portable PC's screen, keyboard & mouse "mirror" the main PC's resp devices. This means that if I run a software, e. g. Word, this software actually ru
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I have ONE powerful main PC in my home office That PC holds all my software and - important! - all the settings and tiny adjustments/adaptions/improvements which get amassed in the course of time. (Of course I've a full backup of this PC).

On the road I use a portable PC and connect it via Internet to the main PC. Once connected, the portable PC's screen, keyboard & mouse "mirror" the main PC's resp devices. This means that if I run a software, e. g. Word, this software actually runs on the main PC and uses the data & resources on that PC. It's just like if I were sitting in my home office.in front of the main PC: on the road all the software incl all settings etc are on my fingertips. I don't even need a cloud for mails, because the mail program on the main PC is remotely accessible like any other software. See Erik's posting.

As the portable PC acts as a dump terminal only, it doesn't need much power (in terms of battery power and computing power). As I don't translate on the road my portable PC is only a small 250$ netbook, otherwise I would use a cheap notebook with a larger screen. If it gets lost, damaged or stolen, there is no big problen: no data is lost.

The latest Windows 10 versions include the necessary tools (SSH server etc), but in order to get this up and running you might need a computer guy.
If all things are set up correctly there is no security problem, if you have a (lengthy) passphrase plus a self-signed certificate. Even if the remote PC gets stolen, the thief is not able to connect to my office PC. As such a solution is a personal one, you benefit from "security by obscurity", while standard solutions like TeamViewer might be targets of hackers.

BTW, another treat: My main PC can be remotely switched on/off. No standby, but a real shutdown. So, if Windows ever would collapse, i can reboot from any camping site.
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Daryo
 
Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:50
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Use a laptop May 14, 2019

I agree with Lincoln and Samuel. Originally I set up a high-end NAS, using a desktop in the office and a laptop for when travelling.

I quickly found that maintaining two different copies of all the different software (one on the desktop, one on the laptop) and ensuring that all the data was synchronised was a nightmare. I also found that accessing the NAS from outside the office was unreliable and slow.

In the end, I moved to a laptop (well, a Microsoft Surface), which
... See more
I agree with Lincoln and Samuel. Originally I set up a high-end NAS, using a desktop in the office and a laptop for when travelling.

I quickly found that maintaining two different copies of all the different software (one on the desktop, one on the laptop) and ensuring that all the data was synchronised was a nightmare. I also found that accessing the NAS from outside the office was unreliable and slow.

In the end, I moved to a laptop (well, a Microsoft Surface), which I use with a separate screen, keyboard and mouse. All the data is on the laptop, which is synchronised to the NAS. Most of the data on the NAS is synchronised to a zero-knowledge cloud service, with versioning.

It's much, much simpler that way, take it from me. Knowing that everything you need is on that laptop, and that you can pick it up and dash out at any time, is very reassuring.

Regards,
Dan
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DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
Diversification May 14, 2019

While I also think that a notebook with external monitor/keyboard/mouse should do, it's not a smart decision, considering possible issues or malfunctions, let alone theft...

Thus, I prefer a remote desktop option plus three different note/ultrabooks and a couple of tablets, having my regular backups/files both on a separate SD/mobile and shared via USB HDD connected to my router (a-la NAS).

Furthermore, like a Mac feature, if you trust the provider, working with cloud-b
... See more
While I also think that a notebook with external monitor/keyboard/mouse should do, it's not a smart decision, considering possible issues or malfunctions, let alone theft...

Thus, I prefer a remote desktop option plus three different note/ultrabooks and a couple of tablets, having my regular backups/files both on a separate SD/mobile and shared via USB HDD connected to my router (a-la NAS).

Furthermore, like a Mac feature, if you trust the provider, working with cloud-based/web solutions also enables one to work on using another authorized device.
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Matheus Chaud
Matheus Chaud  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 18:50
Member
English to Portuguese
+ ...

MODERATOR
TOPIC STARTER
Laptop only May 15, 2019

Thank you guys, you've raised some very interesting possibilities.

As for the possibility of using only a laptop, I just assumed that a laptop would be considerably more expensive than a desktop with similar features (same RAM, processing power, etc.). It used to be the case years ago, but I decided to check it, and I realized the difference isn't that significant anymore, at least in my country.

Considering that I already have a large monitor and a keyboard that I use
... See more
Thank you guys, you've raised some very interesting possibilities.

As for the possibility of using only a laptop, I just assumed that a laptop would be considerably more expensive than a desktop with similar features (same RAM, processing power, etc.). It used to be the case years ago, but I decided to check it, and I realized the difference isn't that significant anymore, at least in my country.

Considering that I already have a large monitor and a keyboard that I use with my current laptop when I'm at home, simply replacing it with a more modern laptop seems to be a really interesting idea. It would avoid all the hassle.

I think you guys are right - maybe a desktop computer makes no sense to me at this point.

Thank you once again!
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Stanislaw Czech, MCIL CL
 
Oksana Weiss
Oksana Weiss  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 22:50
Member (2011)
German to English
+ ...
A back-up computer is still a good idea May 16, 2019

Hi Matheus, if you decide to use only a laptop, bear in mind that keeping a back-up or a second (working) computer is always a good idea. Some laptops are prone to quickly overheating because of the powerful processor (that could be particularly true for Brazil, but can help anywhere - I used to work in August with a laptop placed literary on ice:). It also may be stolen, damaged by virus or some problem can happen to hard disc. Hopefully not, but still... I use Rushfiles, a cloud solution, for ... See more
Hi Matheus, if you decide to use only a laptop, bear in mind that keeping a back-up or a second (working) computer is always a good idea. Some laptops are prone to quickly overheating because of the powerful processor (that could be particularly true for Brazil, but can help anywhere - I used to work in August with a laptop placed literary on ice:). It also may be stolen, damaged by virus or some problem can happen to hard disc. Hopefully not, but still... I use Rushfiles, a cloud solution, for backing up, storing files on cloud and synchronising between the computers. Recently I had to fetch an old laptop because the system has suddenly crushed on the new one after two years of functioning smoothly. As it has happened during a big and urgent project (as always), it has literary saved my life. I just synchronised with the Rushfiles, installed a few software updates and managed to deliver on time.Collapse


 
Irene McClure
Irene McClure
Local time: 22:50
French to English
+ ...
Another vote for laptop only! May 16, 2019

I replaced my desktop with a laptop about six months ago and wouldn't look back!

After years using a desktop at my home office, I changed my working pattern to work a couple of times a week from a co-working office. For a year, I used TeamViewer and a laptop to connect to my desktop, where I kept all my files, CAT software etc. However, the slightest glitch in the internet connection or electricity supply at either end (on my desktop at my home office or on my laptop in the co-work
... See more
I replaced my desktop with a laptop about six months ago and wouldn't look back!

After years using a desktop at my home office, I changed my working pattern to work a couple of times a week from a co-working office. For a year, I used TeamViewer and a laptop to connect to my desktop, where I kept all my files, CAT software etc. However, the slightest glitch in the internet connection or electricity supply at either end (on my desktop at my home office or on my laptop in the co-working office) meant the TeamViewer password was reset. To log in again you need to re-authorise access from the desktop. So, unless you have someone else sitting at your desktop to do that, it kind of defeats the purpose!

I currently use my new laptop, connected to a second large monitor with an external keyboard and mouse in both locations and couldn't be happier with the set up.

Let us know what you decide to do!
Irene
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Erik Freitag
Erik Freitag  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 22:50
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
TeamViewer setup May 16, 2019

Irene McClure wrote:

For a year, I used TeamViewer and a laptop to connect to my desktop, where I kept all my files, CAT software etc. However, the slightest glitch in the internet connection or electricity supply at either end (on my desktop at my home office or on my laptop in the co-working office) meant the TeamViewer password was reset. To log in again you need to re-authorise access from the desktop.


That's a question of setting TeamViewer up correctly. You can forego this procedure by setting up a TeamViewer account and linking the desktop PC to that account. Works flawlessly.

However, I agree that I'd probably go with a laptop if I started out today.


 
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How to work switching between two computers constantly






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