Download

The current version of RTMirror is 1.0.

You can download a trial version of RTMirror from this page. You have two choices: both will install the same application:

Click here to download a ZIP version of the program setup (278 Kb). You will need a ZIP utility (like WinZip) to extract the files in a temporary folder, then you will need to run Setup.exe.
Click here to download a self-extracting version of the program setup (309 Kb). You can choose this option if you are not comfortable with zip files. Just run the downloaded file to start the application setup. Your browser will let you choose if you want to save the downloaded file or if you want to run it directly. We recommend that you save it on your computer as a future reference.

The trial version will only work for 60 minutes from the computer's startup. You will need to restart your computer to make it run for another hour.
You can purchase an activation key to remove this limitation.

System requirements

RTMirror requires Windows 2000, Windows XP or later versions. The source folders must be part of an NTFS volume: this is the default so, if you don’t know what it means, you already have it. The destination folders have no restrictions, they can even be on non-Windows, networked computers.

RTMirror has been developed using the latest Microsoft tools, so the Microsoft .NET Framework must be installed in your computer in order to run it.

What is the .NET Framework?

The .NET Framework is a software component that must be installed on a computer in order to run .NET applications like RTMirror. The installer is a big file, but you will need to install it only once, then you will be able to run any .NET application. Microsoft released .NET in mid-2002, so you can expect more and more applications to be written for .NET in the near future.

Many modern computers are sold with the .NET framework installed, so you may want to know if the framework is present on your computer: the simplest way is to try and install RTMirror.
When you install RTMirror the setup program will look for the .NET Framework: if it is not present the setup will be interrupted and you will receive a warning message.

If the .NET Framework in not installed there are many ways to obtain it:

Microsoft recommends that you install the Framework using Windows Update. When you start Windows Update it opens the Important Updates and Service Packs page but you cannot download the Framework from there. Select Windows XP (or Windows 2000) from the left pane and then you will be able to download the .NET Framework. This is a good solution if you have a fast internet connection, since the download size is about 23Mb.
If you have a slow internet connection you can look for a CD containing the Framework. For example, the Windows XP Service Pack 1 CD contains the .NET Framework. Just insert the CD, open the DOTNETFX folder in the CD and run the setup program.
If you prefer to save the installer application (for example to install the framework on more that one computer) you can download the Framework from here.

Note for experienced users: RTMirror will work with either version 1.0 or version 1.1 of the framework.

How to install RTMirror

We recommend that you first uninstall any older version of RTMirror, if it is already installed. You will not lose your settings.

Run Setup.exe from the downloaded ZIP file or run the downloaded self-extracting file to start the application setup. The setup process is very simple.

You can change the installation folder, if you want, but there is usually no reason to change the proposed default.

You can choose if you want to install RTMirror for yourself or for anyone who uses your computer:

Choose Everyone if you want every user that logs on to the computer to be able to run RTMirror. Each user will be able to specify different folders to be mirrored and RTMirror will start automatically as soon as the user logs in. Each user will find RTMirror on his Programs menu.
Choose Just me if you want to be the only user that will be able to run RTMirror. RTMirror will start when you log in and it will not start when other users log in. Other users will not see it on their Programs menu.

If your computer has only one user each choice will lead to the same result, of course.
You will be able to change this choice by uninstalling and installing RTMirror again: you will not lose your settings.

Once RTMirror is installed you need to run it: you can select it from the Start/Programs menu. If you are evaluating the trial version RTMirror will only work for 60 minutes from computer startup, so you will probably need to restart if. If you restart your computer RTMirror will run automatically at startup.

RTMirror shows a little icon in the system notification area (near the clock). Double click the icon to open RTMirror's control panel: you can select the Help/Contents menu to open the online help. We recommend that you read the Quick Start Tutorial to learn how to use the application.