Microsoft recently announced via a mass email that Live Mesh Beta will be cutting off on March 31. This does not mean that Live Mesh itself is shutting down, not by any means. All that is happening is the entire Beta client, service, and program will no longer be supported. Unfortunately, Microsoft hates making updates easy for users; the upgrade is not automated. You’ll have to backup your data before switching to Live Mesh 2011, and you only have until the end of the month to do it! 
How Do I Know if I’m Running A Beta Version of Live Mesh?
The first hint is blue folders, when Live Mesh beta syncs up a folder it changes the icon to a blue one. The new Live Mesh 2011 keeps folder colors set to their original off-white cream color. And then there is the dead give-away, the Title bar. If you see a beta tag after Live Mesh in your title bar, then you are definitely running the beta client.
What Happens if I Don’t Update?
Live Mesh beta will stop working on March 31st, and if you haven’t downloaded all of your files you will lose access to them. Since Live Mesh gives you 5GB of free online storage space – this could be a lot of data for some users.
Note Windows Live Mesh 2011 is not listed as supporting Windows XP, so if you are running XP the new version might not work for you.
What Should I Do Before Updating To Live Mesh 2011?
Instructions come straight from Microsoft’s email:
1. On your Live Desktop, right-click any Live Mesh folders not yet synced with your computer, and then click Sync with this computer. Make sure all the folders on your Live Desktop have desktop shortcuts.
2. Select where you want each folder to sync, and then click OK. If a folder has a lot of files, this might take a while. Open each folder and make sure all the files are downloaded.
If you want to continue using Live Mesh, Download the Live Mesh 2011 client. But, “before you do this, note the folders that you’re syncing on each computer and if they’re shared with anyone. After you download Windows Live Mesh 2011, you can set up these folders to sync again.”
The clock is ticking! Backup your Live Mesh beta files before March 31st, 2011!
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