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Windows XP and DOS

SYNC Command to Flush Buffered Information

SUMMARY: Download a substitute for the Unix SYNC command that flushes information to disk.

In Unix, the sync command flushes buffered information to disk, useful if you are about to eject an external drive or if important information must be written to disk and the computer may be put in a state where it could crash.

If you need a substitute for the sync command in Windows XP, you can download it from the Sysinternals site, part of Microsoft TechNet.

Simply download the zip file Sync.zip, unzip the contained executable to your main Windows directory, and you can flush information to disk with the following command:

sync

If you only wish to flush certain drive letters, add those letters after the command, i.e.:

sync h:

Other options:

-r

This flushes removable media.

-e

This ejects removable media.

* Download Sysinternals Sync

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The MalekTips website was created in 1998 by Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. The page's goal is to freely disperse computer-related tips, hints, and informative articles. Tips are organized to be easy to find, and are presented clearly, in easy-to-understand language. MalekTips also provides information and links to public-domain, open source, freeware, shareware, and commercial software available for download. < more >