Hands-On Tech 261 Transcript
Please be advised that this transcript is AI-generated and may not be word-for-word. Time codes refer to the approximate times in the ad-free version of the show.
Mikah Sargent [00:00:00]:
Coming up on Hands-On Tech, what do we do if we are on the road a lot and need to be able to access a computer at both of our typical locations? Well, we'll answer that soon. Coming up on Hands-On Tech. Hello and welcome to Hands-On Tech. I am Mikah Sargent and of course this is the show where I take your tech questions and do my doggone best to answer them. Loving the question that has come in this week and if you would love me to love your question too, well send us an email. hot@twit.tv is how you get in touch and we would love to hear from you. Now this week's question comes in from someone named Jim who is a self titled road warrior and from the definition sounds also objectively like a road warrior. Jim says hello Mikah.
Mikah Sargent [00:01:03]:
I have been a road warrior for over 20 years, flying from sunny Florida to the northern climbs almost every weekend. I currently carry a Windows laptop, an iPad, noise canceling headphones, and my iPhone. As I am getting older, I'm not happy about all the weight I'm lugging around. I use my iPhone for Twit and other podcasts, texts and emails. I use my iPad to read books, newspapers, and to watch hockey games I've downloaded. I rarely use my laptop for anything while traveling, but I need it for work at both office locations. I'm looking for a way to ditch the laptop from my backpack while traveling. My question is what is the best way to set up two laptops, whether Mac or PC, one at each of my two offices that are duplicates of each other so that when I sit in front of either one, I am seeing the identical programs and content.
Mikah Sargent [00:01:54]:
I do not, however, want to leave either laptop on and running while I'm not in that office. Thank you for your thoughts, Club Twit member Jim from Florida. Jim, first and foremost, thank you so very much. We do appreciate you writing in. And look, this is a great question. I love this question because I think that this is something that anyone who uses more than one machine would want to have. And because that's the case, we can get pretty close to what we're looking for when it comes to getting this to work. So we're kind of trying to keep these two office machines in sync.
Mikah Sargent [00:02:36]:
The good news is there are honestly some solid ways to achieve this. Now that said, still, if you can believe it to this day, unless you're using a sort of virtual machine that exists on a server somewhere from two different locations, you can't really get a perfect mirror between Two machines, but you can get pretty doggone close. So what you're asking for is that you know when you sit down at either of these machines that you're going to get the same files, the same apps and the same experience, right? That's ultimately what you want. You can't really just install an app that is going to take care of all of that. But if you kind of tackle this in layers, if you set up this approach, you're going to get pretty doggone close. Files and documents, application settings, the apps themselves, many of this can. Much of this can sync between the devices. So let's start with files and documents, because regardless of your platform, any OS creator knows that people want to be able to access their files and their documents on both devices.
Mikah Sargent [00:03:45]:
So all you need to do is make use of your cloud synced folders and then they're going to be there for you wherever you are. Now, whether you're using again a Microsoft Windows machine or you're using macOS, you can make this happen. OneDrive is that natural pick if you're in the Windows or Microsoft 365 environment. Many workplaces already include OneDrive access. If you are, if the work that you're doing is part of your job, you get 1 TB with a Microsoft 365 subscription. It integrates right into File Explorer. So all of your files go there. iCloud Drive works great if you're on the.
Mikah Sargent [00:04:26]:
If you're on the Mac, and it's very much woven into macOS, your desktop and documents folders can sync between devices. And then, of course, if you want to, I will talk about my hybrid approach. You can use Dropbox, Google Drive or another service that will work as that place to store your files and your documents. The key thing, of course, you got to store everything in that synced folder or folders. You can't put them just on the local desktop or in random local directories. So this is where it might be a little bit difficult for you, Jim, is because essentially you have to work through the process of updating your habits. You need to make it a habit that you store your files in this synced folder or synced directories. And from there, once you've built that habit, then you'll be able to have those machines synced between them.
Mikah Sargent [00:05:23]:
Now, since you don't want to leave these machines running while you're away, it's fine. You just need to be aware that you know at the end of the session, let's say you're sitting at the one office location you're typing up a file and you save normally, you might then immediately shut down, right? Give it a few seconds to just sync to the cloud. Make sure that file gets up there, the cloud, and then go ahead and turn it off. The files are going to sync up. Then the moment that you turn on the power at the new location and it pulls those down. These clients are pretty smart. And so it is clever enough to go, okay, I'm just looking at the file. I'm looking at the changes to the file.
Mikah Sargent [00:06:10]:
I'm updating the changes. Now. We talked a little bit. I talked a little bit about my hybrid approach, right? But because I use macOS and because I want that same experience, Jim, of being able to work on a file in one place, pull out my laptop and be able to work on that file there, I have on macOS desktop and documents syncing turned on through icloud. So that means that anything that's on my desktop on my Mac is available to me on the laptop that I pull out my MacBook Air, which is when I'm in a different location. Some people don't like this. They use, you know, one special directory where their files are synced. But I have found that having the desktop documents synced between devices is, excuse me, one of the best things, one of the best choices that I've made.
Mikah Sargent [00:06:59]:
Because for me, my desktop is the place that I go for the files that I'm currently working on. And then after I'm done with a project or whatever thing it is that I need to complete, then those files get sorted away into documents or perhaps even somewhere else. Now my hybrid approach comes in with Dropbox, where most of the stuff that I need to share with other people, I use Dropbox for that I actually have, now that I'm realizing it, Google Drive installed as well. Because for this job, we use Google Drive. So at work we use Google Drive. And therefore it is also a place where I will store files related to work, mostly media files. So you can create a hybrid approach that works for you and then have those files available elsewhere. Thanks to the integration of Dropbox and Google Drive into your finder on macOS.
Mikah Sargent [00:07:56]:
Now, it's a little bit different on Windows, but with OneDrive deeply integrated, it does make it a lot simpler to pull that off. Looking at application settings and preferences, this is the area where things do get a little trickier because you're kind of wanting your settings, your bookmarks, your browser tabs and all of that to follow you. So with web Browsers, Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, they do have built in sync tools. If you sign in with the same account on both machines, it does mean that your bookmarks, if you use one of them to save your passwords, then your passwords, your extensions, and in some cases even your open tabs will carry over between devices. So this is a great way to be able to access those. I use on macOS, the iCloud tabs option all the time, where I'm able to see the different tabs that are open and active on a browser on my phone while I'm on my Mac. So I can remember, oh yeah, I was looking at this earlier, I need to pull this up now where I've got more room and I can get into it and understand what's going on. Chrome again, syncing between devices.
Mikah Sargent [00:09:10]:
Chrome is very good at syncing and even lets you break things up by account. So you could have that work account at times, that personal account, and kind of keep those separated. Now, Microsoft 365 apps, they will sync your recent files. They'll actually sync custom dictionaries that you set up. Even some settings will sync between devices on your Microsoft account. Now, if you go for macOS, macOS does sync things in icloud desktop of the documents folder like we talked about. Also Safari tabs, but then everything else, notes, reminders, mail accounts, Wi Fi, passwords and keychain. Basically, macOS is set up to make sure that you can log in on whatever device that you have and have access to almost all of the same information.
Mikah Sargent [00:10:00]:
So macOS does a really good job of this syncing experience that you're asking for. If you go for Windows, signing into both machines with the same Microsoft account will mean syncing like your wallpaper, some of the settings actually will sync between. And of course, if you're using Edge, then your Edge browser profile, it isn't as good. Well, I should say it's not as full featured as macOS, but it does have a lot of the basic syncing that you're looking for. Now let's go for the apps. This is truly where things get difficult. And it is the area where people have tried to come up with clever solutions. And sometimes they work, but sometimes they don't.
Mikah Sargent [00:10:47]:
There's a thing called dot files, for example, that traditionally have stored settings for apps. And syncing those between devices is supposed to make it so that if you change settings on one, it it changes settings on others. But over time, apps have made less use of dot files or have found other ways to sync. And so it has resulted in that experience not being as clean when it comes to syncing between them, coupled with apps choosing to sync themselves. Every app wants to have an account now and sync itself, and so you sometimes just have to play ball. There's no great automated way to keep applications in sync between two machines. You gotta install the same software on both. Usually though, this is just a one time thing, right? You install the apps on both machines and then you just make sure that you get those updates.
Mikah Sargent [00:11:39]:
Or when you do install an app on one device, write it down or something, remind yourself that you need to install it on the new one. One thing that is helpful, keeping a little list, especially if you're doing it in a notes document that syncs between your two devices. That way if you add something at one office, then you can check that list and make sure that you've installed it on the other. Or set yourself up a little reminder and say, you know, when I get to this location, remind me to install this app. So let's kind of decide do we want to do Mac or PC, which is the best way to go because you are open to either. So let's start with macOS. Two Macs will give you, I think, the most seamless sync experience that you're looking for out of the box, especially leaning into icloud. I think that Apple has really built macOS around allowing you to have the same experience regardless of the device that you've picked up.
Mikah Sargent [00:12:40]:
And since you're already in the Apple world with your iPhone and your iPad, that means that it'll also be part of that experience. You're going to get handoff, you're going to get universal clipboard, you're going to get airdrop from your iPhone. All those little ecosystem perks are right there along for the ride and use a road warrior are obviously, you know, mindful of that. Two Windows PCs will work just fine if you work soft. If your work software is Windows specific especially you're going to get a great experience because of the way that Microsoft wants to make sure that the work software is, you know, the same regardless of the device. OneDrive is going to need to handle most of the work. Microsoft account Sync when you log in will handle the rest. You will kind of then be able to sit down at either machine.
Mikah Sargent [00:13:29]:
And of course because they're both Windows, then you'll be, you know, ready to lock in and get rolling. If you are thinking about doing one of each one Mac, one Windows machine, you're basically just setting yourself up for frustration. What I'm trying to say is don't do this. Don't have one Windows machine and one Mac OS machine if your goal is easy syncing, because this is not going to be easy syncing, it will not give you all of the features that you're looking for, all of what you're looking for. Now, I want to talk about another possibility for you that you could consider potentially, especially if you had a keyboard with your iPad. If you ever do need to get to one of your office machines while you're on the road, think about setting up Remote Desktop access. There's Microsoft's Remote Desktop Anydesk parsec. Those are some of the apps that are available, and you can use those on your iPad to access your Windows machine or your, I should say machine while you're away.
Mikah Sargent [00:14:44]:
Now, importantly, John Ashley alerted me to the fact that Microsoft Remote Desktop isn't being updated anymore. You, you can use it with Windows 10 if you have a Windows 11 machine. Microsoft is pushing people towards the Windows app for Windows 11 users. So that is what you would use in that instance. But essentially, if you've got your iPad, maybe you want to remote in. You carry it in a pinch. You could remote into one of these office machines from an airport lounge, from a hotel room. It's not easy to do a lot of the work this way, but let's say you forgot to drop something in.
Mikah Sargent [00:15:22]:
You know, you haven't set up the habit yet. You're still working on the habit. You went to drop something into the icloud drive folder, but you forgot. And this could be a way to access your machine while you're, you know, on the road, but have Internet access and say, okay, this file, I need to bring it over. It's not going to be great. What I'm trying to say is I wouldn't imagine that you'd want to set up a machine in one location and then at the other location, you just pull out your iPad and remote into that other one. I don't think you're going to get the experience that you're after. Remote Desktop works pretty well, but it's not a complete replacement for having kind of a separate machine.
Mikah Sargent [00:16:06]:
It does also require something that you said you didn't want, which is that you would need to leave the target machine on, or you could let it sleep, but it would need to have a wake from LAN option turned on. So shutting things down means you wouldn't be able to do this. But it is nice knowing that you know in an emergency you could do this if you decided to leave it in a sleep state. And frankly these machines work well being left on. If you are regularly moving between locations, it might be something that's worth doing. But if you don't, I understand wanting to shut down after you're done. So let's kind of summarize here Jim, as we round things out going with two machines of the same platform, whether it's Windows or it's macOS, of storing your files in the cloud, syncing your browser and app, setting to your platform account, and doing a one time matching app install is going to get you about 95% of the way to this identical experience that you want at both of your desks. That last 5%, you know, perhaps you do have a setting that you set up and you have it's not synced on the other one, or a desktop shortcut that didn't make its way over those.
Mikah Sargent [00:17:18]:
You'll just need to kind of set up and sort out as you go in the first couple of weeks. But once that's done, then you're there. You have two machines that are nearly identical or as close as you can get to identical without needing to mess around. So I really think, Jim, ultimately this becomes a an opportunity, if you will, to take the time to get things set up exactly how you want them and then let the sinking do the rest from there. So it doesn't have to be something where you feel like you're fiddling with it all the time. If you make that initial investment to get things locked in exactly how you want them on both from there it's easy breezy. So thank you Jim for writing in with that question. If you out there have a question, Hotwit TV is how you get in touch.
Mikah Sargent [00:18:14]:
Now I did want to mention there was some follow up that we had Charles had written in asking about transferring photos from an iPhone to a Windows machine and what the process would be there. Charles has written in with this Mikah thanks for the discussion of the iPhone photo transfer problem. While I haven't really had the need to move photos from my iPhone to my Surface Pro 9, your response gave me another reason to check what's installed on my Surface Pro. I saw that the HEIF image extension is already installed. I also saw that the HEVC video extension is play high efficiency video coding HEVC videos in any video app on your Windows 10 device. Am I safe in assuming that I don't need the HEVC video extension since I am running a Windows 11 machine? Thanks for the update that I. Oh wait, so let's stop there. So basically when these files were getting transferred over, there was issues sometimes with being able to see them.
Mikah Sargent [00:19:16]:
And it sounded like what was going on for this user was that Windows 10 did not have the proper extensions installed that gave it the ability to view the the file type that the iPhone was bringing over. So the Apple introduced a compression method, HEIF or he for the images and then HEVC for the videos that kept a higher quality, but also compressed the sizes of the files down. The problem with that is that some machines weren't able to view these Images and Windows 10 machines were more likely to have this issue. So you had to install a special extension that gave you the ability to do so at the end. Again, the question was, am I safe in assuming that I don't need the HEVC video extension since I'm running a Windows 11 machine? It is my understanding that Windows 11 comes with these extensions, already installed the necessary components to be able to view HEIF and HEVC files. So if you are able to view these files on your Windows 11 machine, you don't need to install these extensions. If you do bring over an HEVC video or an HEIF image and you can't open it, or you're opening it and it's not showing anything, then you do need to install these. But it is my understanding that Windows 11 just has that functionality built in.
Mikah Sargent [00:20:43]:
Then Charles goes on to say thanks for the update that iOS is now running, such as Google Photos in the background. That is good news if you're wondering what that's about. Recently Apple made the decision to allow apps that sync photos to do so in the background. Believe it or not, that wasn't possibility before. So that is why if you've ever used something like Dropbox, Google Photos, Amazon Photos, any of these apps that sync photos from your photo library on your phone or your iPad to the cloud. That is why those apps would notify you and say, hey, please keep the app open while I'm doing the sync process. Because it was the only way for those apps to be able to pull enough resources from the system in order to do that syncing. Apple realized, oh no, we should give Photos apps, third party Photos apps the ability to run that syncing in the background because people don't want to have to keep open that app in order to get their photos to sync.
Mikah Sargent [00:21:43]:
Finally, that's that flip. No, that switch has been flipped. And so you are able to do that syncing in the background as long as those apps update to provide that functionality. Very good news and we're very happy about it. So Charles, thank you for writing in again. I always love it Hot Twitch TV when you write in to let me know if a solution worked for you or if you heard a question and had a great solution that you use yourself. We also love to hear that. Folks, that is going to bring us to the end of this episode of Hands-On Tech.
Mikah Sargent [00:22:16]:
I want to thank you so much for taking the time to be here with me today. Of course. This show publishes every Sunday. twit.tv/hot is where you go to subscribe and I look forward to answering more of your questions in the future. If you'd like to watch my other shows, you can check those out as well, including Hands-On Apple, iOS today, Tech News Weekly, all on the Twit Network. I will see you next week. Bye bye.
