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How do I restore an old PC with Mesh? RRS feed

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    I'm using two PCs with Mesh currently - Work Desktop and Home Desktop.  I've had to reinstall my home machine - it used to be a Win XP Pro machine, and now I've taken the plunge with Vista Ultimate.  I bought a new HDD, and put on a fresh install, and then added the old system drive to recover my old data.

    No here's the question - how can I bring over my shared folders from the old disc?  I want the new PC to take on the identity, and all the shared folders, of the old one.  I appreciate that I can just install Mesh again, but my two concerns are:

    a) would prefer not to re-download all the content again where I already have it locally; and
    b) want to retain my settings and folders that I share with other colleagues without having to bother them to re-invite/re-add me.

    Is this possible?
    Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:00 PM

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    Hi db298,

    If you copy the folders from the old HDD to the new one, you can then choose to sync those folders with their old counterparts on the Live Desktop.  In answer to your specific concerns:

    For a) if you re-map the Live Folders to the local content, Live Mesh won’t re-download the content.

    For b) if the Live Folders weren’t deleted from the Live Desktop, all settings (especially members, etc.) will be retained.

    I hope that helps - if you haven't already taken care of it yourself.  :)

    Ben.

    Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:12 PM

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    I suspect that the answer will be that the restored PC is a new device unless it is a restore with a cloned drive (which yours is not). Therefore, it is a new device to the Mesh. Once you visit the Live Mesh Desktop and add the new device, you will be given the opportunity to sync the folders that exist on your Live Desktop. You could certainly copy the data from the old drive to the folders where you intend to sync to and then resolve any conflicts manually if file dates differ between the Mesh and the local copy.
    I can't speak for what happens with folders owned by others that you are a member of, but I believe that the membership is at your LiveID level, so you will have the opportunity to sync a local folder of your choosing to the existing Mesh folder owned by someone else.
    -steve
    Microsoft MVP Windows Live / Windows Live OneCare Forum Moderator
    Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:14 PM
    Moderator
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    Tell you what.  I'll give it a try and then let you know what happens :)
    Wednesday, June 25, 2008 4:33 PM
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    Couldn't you just tell the new computer that the shared folders are on the second drive that you'd installed? Though I do agree with Stephen that you'd probably have to set the machine up as a "new" device, and then indicate that the second drive has some shared folders, and then set the sync options. Or something like that....
    Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:00 PM
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    Hi db298,

    If you copy the folders from the old HDD to the new one, you can then choose to sync those folders with their old counterparts on the Live Desktop.  In answer to your specific concerns:

    For a) if you re-map the Live Folders to the local content, Live Mesh won’t re-download the content.

    For b) if the Live Folders weren’t deleted from the Live Desktop, all settings (especially members, etc.) will be retained.

    I hope that helps - if you haven't already taken care of it yourself.  :)

    Ben.

    Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:12 PM