Rosalie Mitchell and Linda Sleighter, co-owners of their accounting firm, Yes We Can Inc., work from home to provide tax and accounting services to a wide range of clients: individuals' tax returns, an auto repair shop, Internet Service Providers, a tugboat, travel agencies, and contractors in their area and across the country. Working from home has lots of advantages, but it became a logistical headache when they were trying to keep their files straight--until they turned to the My Briefcase feature in Windows 98.

"Linda lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia," Mitchell explains, "and I live in York County, which is approximately 45 miles away.  Before we set up My Briefcase, Linda and I were driving to meet half way and swap disks, or having our clients ship us disks every month, which was a huge pain as well as being unreliable."

Keeping client files consistent from two locations quickly became a problem, and exchanging files over e-mail proved to be impractical. "If we send files via e-mail, we have to remember which files we've updated. For example, if I do monthly work for a client, I use my payroll program, my check register program, my general ledger program, my spread sheet program, and possibly my word processing program. That's a lot of files to keep track of--even without having to figure out who updated what and when." This is exactly the kind of scenario the Windows 98 My Briefcase feature was made for.

My Briefcase:  the balance sheet
The Windows 98 My Briefcase feature enables you to synchronize files that have been updated since the original document was created using a simple floppy disk or a more elaborate tool, like a network.

For example, say you go on a business trip or work on a file at home. When you return to your office, you can use My Briefcase to update your office computer's copy of that file without having to reformat it or open up various versions of the document to get the most current one.

It's an ideal tool for Mitchell and Sleighter. They use My Briefcase over their company network, which they affectionately call the Yesnet, and have hooked up some of their far-flung clients so they can easily review their clients' monthly financial statements.

"My Briefcase works well for us," Mitchell says. "It allows Linda and me to both have access to the current client data with the touch of a button. For example, if Linda has a question about presentation or how to handle a transaction, I can pull up what she's done and discuss it with her. Both of us are looking at the same data. It's no longer a problem to get the most current version of the data--no matter how many people have used the file. And it sure beats swapping disks back and forth."

You don't need a network or a home business to take advantage of My Briefcase--it works well on floppy disks. It's also easy to use and set up. 

Using My Briefcase:  the bottom line:

To get started using My Briefcase, add a briefcase to the folder that contains the documents you need, whether you're working at the office, at home, or on the road.  Here's how:

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. Double-click the folder in which you want to create the New Briefcase folder.
3. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Briefcase.

For easy, step-by-step instructions on synchronizing files by disk or by connected computers, follow the directions in Windows 98's Help. 

To access Windows 98 Help:

1. Click the Start button, then point to  Help.
2. Click the Index tab, and type in Briefcase.
3. Double click the My Briefcase topic you're looking for.
    

Susan Hutton transports her briefcase in her briefcase every night.

 
"My Briefcase sure beats swapping disks back and forth."
--Accountant Rosalie Mitchell

Can't find My Briefcase?

You probably didn't add My Briefcase when you loaded Windows 98, but you can add it now.  Here's how:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Control Panel.
2. Click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click the Windows Setup tab.
4. Select Accessories, then click Details.
5. Check the My Briefcase box, and click OK.
6. On the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, click Apply.