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I just got my DS1618+, and have a question on setting up folders.

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ingeborgdot

Regular Contributor
I just got my new NAS to use as my main NAS and will put my other one as its backup. My question is about folder setup. What seems to be the best or most used way of syncing documents, pictures etc. to my NAS from computer? How do you organize your NAS?
The way I have it on my older NAS is just so scattered and seems kind of unorganized.
Any help would be great. Thanks.
 
I organize my NAS by the computers I had/have and the documents/folders I used or created with them.

With the normal Windows folder structure (which help me remember what they were, where they were, and why I needed/created them). :)

(The T570 with slightly expanded folder structure shown).

Code:
Thinkpad
     T570
        Desktop
        Documents
        Downloads
        Music
        Pictures
        Videos

    W550s
        Desktop
        Documents
        Downloads
        Music
        Pictures
        Videos

     P53
        Desktop
        Documents
        Downloads
        Music
        Pictures
        Videos

Surface
    Book2
        Desktop
        Documents
        Downloads
        Music
        Pictures
        Videos

    Pro6
        Desktop
        Documents
        Downloads
        Music
        Pictures
        Videos

   Laptop3
        Desktop
        Documents
        Downloads
        Music
        Pictures
        Videos
 
How did you usually transfer your files? I'm just trying to get the best setup before I get anything in.
After getting some feedback on another forum, I have since decided that syncing is much more complicated and uses more resources. I think I will nullify the syncing and just do it as backups of some sort I guess. But what to use, that is the million dollar question.
Thanks.
 
Last edited:
Okay, I'm sure you have more experience as to why you are doing what you are doing. Let me know what you think about this scenario. I have 3 HDD in my computer besides the OS-C drive.
D/has videos, E/has Documents, Downloads, Desktop, F/Music, Pictures
What if I made three folders for my main computer and labeled them like this on the NAS
D-Videos
E-Documents-Downloads-Desktop
F-Music-Pictures
Or do you think it would be beneficial to have each one of those as a separate folder?
Thanks.
 
First off, you do what works for you! But I'll try to explain below why you'll want to change things a little. :)

The small adjustments I would suggest is to put those all in a master folder called BU (for back up) and (a short and unique computer name) on the NAS. Do not make the overall folder structure the same as what your current computer has (drive-wise). Rather, use what Windows uses (go with the flow!).

Code:
BU
    Asus
         VivoBook
              Desktop
              Downloads
              Documents
              Music
              Pictures
              Videos

I used to fight the way Windows structures things. Now, I work with the defaults. Makes setting up a new computer very fast and requires no overthinking (where mistakes can be made). :)

I suggest to use FreeFileSync and do your backup daily, weekly, or ad-hoc, and manually, as fits your needs, depending on how often your important data changes.

You would use that utility above and map your 'top' main folders from the three drives to the folders on the NAS.

My example below is for an Asus VivoBook with the NAS 'BU' as a top folder.

With Asus as the computer brand and VivoBook as the (assumed) current model.

Code:
Left-hand pane in FreeFileSync    Right-hand pane in FreeFileSync
    on the NAS                        on the Computer
\BU\Asus\VivoBook\Desktop          E:\Desktop
\BU\Asus\VivoBook\Downloads        E:\Downloads
\BU\Asus\VivoBook\Documents        E:\Documents
\BU\Asus\VivoBook\Music            F:\Music
\BU\Asus\VivoBook\Pictures         F:\Pictures
\BU\Asus\VivoBook\Videos           D:\Videos


The reason I organize like this is that some/most of the files created and contained herein are usually related to the hardware they were created on. :)

So to organize by the computer is to self-document this implicitly and without wordy explanations or needing to rely on memory what results were from which hardware. But I do keep a text file of the specific hardware for each computer on a desktop 'HW' (hardware) folder, including the date that any hardware may have been changed or upgraded on. :)

For a more complete picture of how this works for me fully, please keep reading.

I use OneDrive, Dropbox, and pCloud with access to some other Cloud backup services too. Along with Office 365 (now Microsoft 365), the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders are constantly synced to OneDrive (1TB) and with any other computer too that I am currently using as soon as I connect to the 'net.

So for the backups, the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders on each computer always point to the same Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders on the NAS within 'BU'. These folders collectively I call the 'current folders' and contain all the documents I need to do any work I'm currently active on from any computer I choose to use. These are backed up daily or more even more frequently using FreeFileSync.

The remaining folders are backup up as needed when their data changes. For example, when I move non-current folders and completed files from the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to an '\BU\A' (archive) folder on the NAS.

I hope I have explained this as effectively and succinctly as possible? :)
 
Thanks. I'll put something together sometime and figure out what I want to do.
 
Do it sooner than later! :)
 
Yes, I understand. Within the next couple of days.
 
There is a thread in the past 60 days from someone else who just bought into the Synology world that covered a few of these folder setups that some of us use. My folders are aligned by function, not device. For example, Media, Data, Pictures, Backups, etc. Then I map those into the systems that need them. I have many PCs in the house, some are Windows, some are Linux, and other IoT devices that also need access to the Media folders.
 
I too store by function not by computer. A PC is easily rebuilt from scratch if required, the important stuff, IMO, is the data that needs to be shared or backed up.

I use a combination of tools including rsync, google drive, windows backup imaging, Beyond Compare, various O/S commands, scripts, Cron and windows task manager :)
 
Also to note....for my Windows PC, Google Drive Sync is what backs up local stuff. Otherwise my wife and I follow the rules that if it is important, it goes on the network share. Same rules applied at any employer I have worked at over the past 20 years.

PC is expected to be disposable/replaceable for the most part.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I agree that PC's are replaceable.

The issue for me is that the hardware isn't equivalent or even better sometimes than what it replaced.
 

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