PowerFolder - File Sync, Access, Share, Backup and Transfer. Simple, secure and reliable: FAQ

FAQ

General questions

What is PowerFolder ?

PowerFolder is a folder synchronization tool over the
Internet or on local network. More details are on the
homepage (http://www.powerfolder.com)

Where can I find documentation ?

Feel free to visit our documentation section.

What are synchronization profiles ?

Synchronization profiles give you he possibility to control, how PowerFolder transfers and detects changes to your data. To turn PowerFolder from a backup- to a synchronization-tool the synchronization profiles is the only setting you need to change. PowerFolder offers many pre-definied profiles, but you also can setup your own individual profile to make PowerFolder do what you want.

For more information goto our synchronization profile documentation (TODO LINK).

PowerFolder leaves empty directories

That is a know issue. There is an option to automatically delete empty directories under Preferences/Advanced Settings. 1:1 sync of directories is currently in development.

Does PowerFolder work on Windows Vista ?

Yes. PowerFolder runs under Windows Vista.
Get Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 from Sun.

Does PowerFolder work in closed LAN/intranets?

Yes. In LAN, other users are automatically detected via network broadcast. You can also manually connect to other computers under "Find friends"/"Connect". PowerFolder reminds those users/computers after a restart.

Can I sync two directories on the same machine?

Yes. You need to setup two instance of PowerFolder on one machine. A documentation howto gets delivered with PowerFolder Pro.

Can PowerFolder sync file permissions?

PowerFolder is currently not capable of syncing file rights/permissions.

This feature is currently under development and is planned to cover NTFS file systems, later also Linux and Mac system.

Connection questions

I cannot get connect over the Internet. what now?

Your Firewall and Router needs to be correctly configured, otherwise PowerFolder won't work! We highly recommend our limited connectivity guide:

HOWTO improve connectivity: Limited connectivity guide

How do I manually connect to a IP, hostname or dyndns?

Simply go to "Find Users" and press "Connect". Enter the IP, hostname or dyndns address of the remote computer and press "OK".

Does PowerFolder work with firewalls ?

Yes, it does. PowerFolder automatically opens the Windows-Firewall for the required port. Please open the port 1337 (TCP) when using third party firewall applications.

Which network port does Powerfolder use?

PowerFolder listens for incoming connection by default on port 1337, protocol TCP.

I got limited connectivity what now ?

This might be caused by a firewall, router or a windows connection share.
HOWTO improve connectivity: Limited connectivity guide.

How can I connect faster to the network?

Setup a supernode (dynamic dns). See: how do I become a supernode?

Why do I encounter so many connections ?

Directly after startup PowerFolder automatically tries to connect to other machines on the PowerFolder network.
This is required to discover your friends and/or people you exchange files with. Since PowerFolder is a peer-to-peer application this is normal.

PowerFolder NEVER transfers any of your files to foreign computers unless you send an invitation to them.

Why there is traffic after Program start ?

See question above - since PowerFolder is a pure peer-to-peer application it has to communicate with other peers to send and retrieve contact information about other users on the network. Every peer holds only a small part of this information. That is why there is traffic.

Can i reduce the connections ?

Yes, set an upload limit different to "Unlimited" under Preferences/Network.

How can I open a server (supernode) ?

This issue is answered here. (http://www.powerfolder.com/node/guide_supernode)

Do I need dyndns in Intranets / LAN / VPN?

No, dyndns is only needed when synchronizing folders over the internet. Please leave the dyndns field empty for LAN only use, VPN setups or setups with fixed IPs.

If you have trouble to get automatically connected, please try to manually connect to the remote computers (see question above).

Linux questions

Machines don't get automatically found on LAN

Add an entry for "localhost" to your etc/hosts. Details about this topic can be found here.

PowerFolder Pro questions

Is the price for PowerFolder Pro a one-time fee?

The price for PowerFolder Pro is a one-time fee. It covers the right to use PowerFolder Pro.
Program updates and the HTTP-Tunnel service is included for one year only. If you would like to get
program updates or use the HTTP-Tunnel longer than one year a maintenance charge (6% of the license price per month) is required.

PowerFolder is "Disabled". What's wrong?

This usually happens when the license key could not be correctly verified or too many computers with the same license key were found. If no popup shows up after some time please try to manually reload your licenses key under Preferences/Pro Settings/Pro Loader

How to Upgrade my PowerFolder

Please follow the step-by-step instruction in the purchase mail.

Can I use my old settings for the Pro version?

Yes. PowerFolder Pro preserves your configuration just install it and it will start with your know Folders, sync Profiles and Friends.

Pro/Free - Can both versions communicate?

Yes, both versions of PowerFolder can communicate! But you won't get any encrypted transfers between them.
Encrypted transfers are only available between two instances of PowerFolder Pro. Set the encryption level of your Pro version to "Low".

Pro Home/Pro Business - What`s different?

There is no actual functional diffrence except that the Home license does not allow commercial use.

Can I pay in any other currency than Euros ?

Yes! When paying via paypal the amout gets automatically converted from your currency into Euros.

I dislike payments via PayPal. Is there another option?

That is possible. Please contact us for further information: sales (at) powerfolder.com

Online Storage

Where is my data physically stored?

All data gets stored in our secure datacenter located at Hetzner - One of the biggest German web hosting specialist.

How is my data stored, is it secure?

Your data gets encrypted and stored on our servers. State of the art AES-256 encryption ensures that your data is kept private.

Whats the difference between Pro/ Online Storage?

PowerFolder Pro is the enhanced version of PowerFolder Basic. The Online Storage is a service we provide to mirror your PowerFolder managed folders. To get maximum security is recommended to use the Online Storage only with PowerFolder Pro, but it also works with the basic version of PowerFolder.

My Online Storage trial is over. What now?

You got a mail, which indicates that the 30-days trial time of the Online Storage is over? If you would like to further use the Online Storage please upgrade to a full account. To do so,please login to the Online Storage and go to the "my account" tab, there you can choose your upgrade. Princing details

Which browsers can i use for the Online Storage

You can use

Internet Explorer 7

Firefox

with the Online Storage older browser are not supported.