Options for Sharing Personal Knowbase Files with Multiple Computers

Do you need to access your Personal Knowbase files from multiple computers? Perhaps you have a desktop and a laptop. Or an upstairs computer and a downstairs computer. Or a work computer and a personal computer.

Following are some options for running Personal Knowbase on multiple computers. For convenience, I'll talk about using PK on two machines, but all points also apply for three or more computers. I'll also talk about having a single PK data file, but all points apply if you have several data files.

Issue 1: Where You Install the Software

1) Multiple Separate Installations

Your first option is to install Personal Knowbase on both computers. You would have two separate installations with potentially different software settings (such as Preferences, registration information, and other program-level settings).

The advantage of this is that it's simple. The other options deal with network drives or portable drives which are more likely to be affected by hardware difficulties.

The disadvantage is that you have to maintain two installations. If you upgrade the software, you have to upgrade it twice. If you change settings on one computer, the other won't have the same settings.

2) Single Installation on a Network Drive

Another option is to install to a network drive, so that you can run the same executable program (knowbase.exe file) from either computer. Your exact installation configuration would depend on your network setup.

This option has only one software installation to maintain.

However, the program expects to find the software settings in the local Windows Registry. So even if you're running from a single network installation, you still need to set the settings on each machine separately.

3) Single Installation Using Portable Mode

The third option is to install on a removable drive such as a USB thumb drive or external hard drive. We refer to this as a "portable" installation. After installing to a removable device, you can move the entire self-contained PK environment from one computer to another, including all settings. The settings are written to the portable drive itself (not to the Windows Registry).

For information about creating a portable installation, see our Personal Knowbase Portability page.

The risk of this option is keeping all your files on a single portable device which could be misplaced or damaged.

Issue 2: Where You Store Your Data File

Once you've decided what installation configuration to use, you can decide where to store your data file(s). Your choice will be affected by which configuration you choose.

Your notes are stored in a self-contained Personal Knowbase data file with the file type KNO. This file can be copied from location to location easily. If you use file attachments, you have to move and maintain them separately.

Copy a Single Data File from Hard Drive to Hard Drive

The simplest option is to keep separate data files on each computer. In this case, you have to copy your PK file back and forth between the two computers' hard drives using a network or a removable device such as a USB drive.

This option only makes sense if you use the first install option above with two totally separate installations.

But you must constantly make sure to copy the latest version of the file back and forth after making changes. If you forget to copy the modified file, you can easily to end up with two versions of the same data file that are out of sync with each other.

It is safer to use one version of the file in one location (using one of the options described below) than to keep copying it.

Store Your Files on a Network

One option for maintaining a single version of the file is to store it on a network drive. The file could be on a network server or on one of the two client computers in a shared folder that the other computer can read. Alternatively, this could be a remote cloud-based location that Windows treats like a network drive.

With a single central version of your data file, you remove the risk of having two versions of one file that are out of sync.

The main disadvantage of storing data on a network drive is that only one computer can access the file at a time. If the second tries to access the file, it will get a message that the file is already in use. Make sure to close the file on one computer before accessing it from another.

This option makes the most sense if you use the first or second install option above, either using two separate installations or also installing the software on the network.

Use a Removable Drive

The last option for maintaining a single version of your file is to keep it on a removable drive (such as a USB drive). Then you can move the drive itself back and forth between computers and always use the same data.

In this case, be careful to close the data file before unplugging the drive from a computer to avoid any possibility of corrupting the data file.

This option makes the most sense if you use the first or third install option above, using either separate installations or a portable installation.