英文原文

Mossberg's Mailbox
Q: My wife and I each use a different Windows laptop, so we end up having documents scattered between them. We back up data using a wired external hard drive, not knowing what has been saved where. Is there a solution that can allow file sharing and keep my files, my wife's files, and the backup files synced up?

A: There are networked hard drives from several manufacturers that can back up both laptops wirelessly and allow sharing. One I reviewed recently is the My Book World Edition from Western Digital. Another approach would be to use a Web-based synchronization service. My favorite of these is called SugarSync, from a company called Sharpcast.

SugarSync can automatically, and almost instantly, synchronize files in folders you select among multiple computers, while also backing them up to a password-protected Web account. SugarSync starts at $5 a month or $50 a year for 30 gigabytes of files, and goes up in price based on the amount you use. The company offers a free two-gigabyte account and a free trial of larger accounts for 30 days. More information is at sharpcast.com.

Q: I have been a Windows user for may years but have wanted to change to Mac. Yet every article I read says that Quicken, which I depend upon heavily, will not run -- at least reliably -- on a Mac, even with the Windows-compatible software. Is this true?

A: The native Quicken version for the Mac is a less capable program than the Windows version, and doesn't use the same file format, which makes importing Windows Quicken files a tedious and imperfect process for many users. Intuit, the maker of Quicken, is promising a new, much better native Mac version early next year that it claims will solve these problems, but I haven't tested it, so I can't verify that pledge.

However, in tests I have run periodically, Quicken for Windows ran just fine on a Mac equipped to run Windows and Windows programs. This was true when I used either Parallels or Fusion, which allow you to run Windows programs on a Mac simultaneously with Mac programs; or when I used Boot Camp, which converts the Mac into a full-fledged Windows machine, with Apple's operating system turned off.

Q: I plan to get a new computer after Windows 7 is released in October, to replace my old Compaq running Windows XP. Will I have difficulty moving my files to the new one?

A: You shouldn't have much difficulty with your personal data files. Microsoft is building in an Easy Transfer program to move personal files to a new Windows 7 PC. But the Microsoft program won't move over your programs. You will have to reinstall all your programs, which means finding your installation disks or installer files and re-installing all the updates from that have occurred over the years. A company called LapLink is promising to sell software it says will automate the entire process, including moving programs, to spare you this re-installation burden. But it isn't out yet, and I haven't tested it with Windows 7.

中文翻译

专栏作家莫博士就有关电脑和其他电子设备的常见技术问题答读者问。

问：我和太太都有一部安装了Windows操作系统的笔记本电脑，所以我们的文档在两部电脑中都有。我们用一个需要和电脑连线的外部硬盘来进行备份，都弄不清楚文件存到哪去了。有没有一种解决方案可以实现文件共享，让我的文件、我太太的文件和备份文件之间保持同步？

答：数家厂商生产的网络硬盘都可以以无线形式对两部电脑进行备份，实现文件共享。最近我测试过的一个是Western Digital生产的My Book World Edition。另外一种选择是使用基于网络的同步服务。我最喜欢的是Sharpcast提供的SugarSync。

SugarSync可以自动、几乎立即同步你在多个电脑上选取的文件夹中的文件，同时还将这些文件备份到有密码保护的网络帐户中。SugarSync的起价为30GB文件每月5美元，或是每年50美元，超过30GB按量计价。该公司提供一个免费的2GB帐户和一个30天免费试用的更大帐户。你可以在sharpcast.com上找到更多信息。

问：我用了很多年的Windows操作系统，现在想改用Mac电脑。不过我所读到的每篇文章都说，即使是安装了与Windows兼容的软件，Quicken也无法在Mac电脑上运行，至少是不太可靠，而我严重依赖Quicken。是这样吗？

答：Mac版Quicken比Windows版的功能要少，使用的文件格式也不同，这样对很多使用者来说，导入Windows Quicken文件是个繁琐、有缺陷的过程。Quicken的生产商Intuit承诺要在明年初推出一款新的更好的Mac版Quicken，据说可以解决这些问题，不过我还没有进行过测试，所以我不能证实他们的说法。

不过，在我定期进行的测试中，Windows版Quicken在能够运行Windows和相关软件的Mac电脑上运行良好。无论我使用Parallels还是Fusion，都是这样，这两种软件使你能在Mac电脑上同时运行Mac程序和Windows程序。我在苹果电脑操作系统关闭的情况下，使用Boot Camp也是如此。Boot Camp可以将Mac电脑转换成Windows电脑。

问：我计划在10月份Windows 7推出之后买部新电脑，换掉运行Windows XP的老旧康柏(Compaq)电脑。把文件转移到新电脑上会有问题吗？

答：你在个人数据文件上应该不会有太大的问题。微软内置了一款Easy Transfer程序，以便将个人文件转移到新的Windows 7电脑上。不过，微软的程序不会把你的程序也转移过去。所以，你需要重装所有的程序，这就意味着你要找到自己的安装盘或是安装文件，重装过去几年中发生的所有更新。LapLink公司承诺将出售一款软件，据说这款软件可以自动进行整个过程，包括转移各种程序，使你不必再受重装程序之累。不过这款软件还没有上市，我还没有在Windows 7环境下进行过测试。