Using the Control Panel Using the mobility centre to control a computer on the move
Which? Archive
This article, Using the Control Panel, was last updated on 31 July 2009 and is now out of date and held in our online archive for reference. Explore our latest Technology articles.
Click on the Mobile PC link in the main Control Panel window, then click on the green Windows Mobility Center link at the top of the screen. A new window will open with a selection of useful settings for laptop users.
The precise options available here will depend on the make and model of your laptop, but common Mobility Center tools include options for turning wireless networking off, adjusting volume or brightness, changing power preferences and connecting to an external display.
Sync with other computers
If you use two computers – a ‘main’ home desktop PC and a laptop while you’re out and about, say – then it’s possible to sync files and folders between them so that you always have access to particular files, even when you’re not connected to your home network.
Network set up
You need to have a network set up in order to use the Sync folder feature. If there’s a folder on your desktop PC, for example, that you want to sync with your laptop, then make sure both PCs are switched on.
Then, on the laptop PC, go to Start > Network and browse for your desktop PC – it should be listed here.
Browse for the folder you want to sync, then right-click it and select Always Available Offline from the list.
Your laptop will perform a sync in the background.
What and when you want to sync
On the Mobile PC Control Panel applet, click on where it says ‘Sync Center’ > then click on where it says Offline files to highlight it.
Click on the Schedule button on the top toolbar > make sure that there’s a tick in the box next to the name of your network folder > click Next.
At this point you can choose whether to perform your sync at a specific time or whenever you connect to a specific network. Make your choice and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the process.
Once the sync is set up, you can access the folder on your laptop even when your main PC is switched off or miles away at home. Simply go to the Sync Center, double-click on the Offline Files and then double-click to open the synced folder just as you would a normal folder.
