The best Online Storage Service
ADVERTISEMENTSAll of us have our own reasons for the need of a secure Online Storage. It may be due to the lack of hard disk space or because you want to share a large file with your friends or for just backing up your important files.
Some of the best Online Storage services are provided by Box.net and Gmail. Yes, Gmail with the help of a simple extension to Windows explorer called Gmail Drive Shell extension can be used for backing up your files with ease.
Gmail Drive Shell extension is basically a Shell Namespace extension that creates a virtual drive that will point to your Gmail account, allowing you to use your Gmail account as a backup device. The Gmail Drive can be used just like your regular explorer drive allowing you to use similar function’s like cut, copy and paste.
To backup your files in Gmail all you have to do is drag and drop your files into the Gmail Drive.The files that you copy over get emailed to your Gmail account with a prefix containing the words GMAILFS using which you can create filters to label mails to any folders you want.
Keith Dsouza has explained the use of this extention more detailed on his article, using Gmail to back up files with ease.
Download Gmail Drive Shell Extension
Box.net
Box.net is another Online Storage service which allows you to store files upto 1 GB online for free. More space can be obtained for a small fee. You can upload files of any type and can be shared with your friends and family from any computer that has an internet connection. The free account offers all basic features but is limited to 10MB file size max.
If you want to upload files to your Box.net account the way Gmail Drive Extension allows you, Techie-Buzz has a good tutorial on how to mount box.net account in Windows Explorer.
My Thoughts
I liked the design and user interface of Box.net but I get some error when I upload files to my account using the mount method. Also I find it dissapointing that Box.net has put a limitation on the file size (10 MB) for free accounts.
Gmail Drive on the other hand satisfied me with it’s speed and ease of use. I created a filter in my Gmail account that will now onwards automatically archive and send the uploaded files to a label called ‘backups’. Another reason that Gmail satisfied me is that it offers more than 2 GB free of charge in a single account.
Want Unlimited Storage Space? To get Unlimited Storage Space all you have to do is to create multiple accounts at you favorite Online Storage service.
So which is the best Online Storage Service? For me it is Gmail, what about you?
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Posted on June 27th, 2006 | Category: Internet, Technology |
Madhur kapoor
June 27, 2006 at 5:10 pm
Hi John
I would recommend http://www.esnips.com for the list . It is free and gives 1GB of space on the net . And you can also add your friends folder to your account and hence sharing is easy .
johntp
June 27, 2006 at 5:15 pm
Box.net offers the same features
Patrick
June 27, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Isn’t the Gmail Drive violating the TOS?
The problem is, that Google could terminate your account without warning and then all your data is lost.
AFAIK the filesize limit for gmail is 10MB, too so there is no advantage.
Correct me if I’m wrong.
Patrick
Shivaranjan
June 27, 2006 at 5:29 pm
For me Esnips rocks…. We can just mail the files and it will automatically get stored…. to your account
johntp
June 27, 2006 at 5:50 pm
I get a ‘Connection was reset’ when I try to upload a file larger than 20MB with Gmail Drive. Is anyone else facing this problem?
Keith Dsouza
June 28, 2006 at 12:20 am
Hi John,
Thanks for sharing the link with your readers, I have done another round up on free online storage which provides with more online storage space.
Check here for more.
Cheers
Keith
Patrick
June 28, 2006 at 1:11 am
I always thought it was just 10MB but as you experienced the limit is 20MB, and as said earlier, you are violating the Terms of Service, so Google can delete your account at any given time without warning you, if they want to.
Best regards
Patrick
johntp
June 28, 2006 at 6:09 am
I have deleted all the backup files from my account, am I safe now?
Patrick
June 28, 2006 at 4:11 pm
I think so but I don’t really know John.
Sammy
July 13, 2006 at 6:34 pm
Recently, PC World rated IBackup, an online backup and storage service provider, as the `best all-round backup service.’ Based on this I tested that service and found it immensely user friendly.
Besides regular backups and restores, IBackup also allows regular scheduling of backups, multimedia streaming and file management. I think they have recently added a feature to backup open files like Quicken, even though I am yet to try it.
The best thing I like about IBackup is IDrive that maps my online account as a local drive on my computer. Sitting in front of my computer I can drag-and-drop, open, edit and save files in my online backup account. Operations using IDrive, which is a variation of network drive technology, enjoys 128-bit SSL support. IDrive can also be used to stream multimedia content using your favorite media player. It also supports concurrent operations for Access and other office applications.
IBackup lets you share data with both IBackup users and those who are not. For this you have to use Webmanager. All you have to do is to create a few sharable links and then email these to your friends, partners and colleagues. The `Private Share’ feature allows an IBackup user to instantly share data with another IBackup user. Also view the data another user has privately shared with you. You can disable the `Private Share’ feature any time.
Another advantage of IBackup is that it supports one-way sync from your computer to your IBackup account. There is also the ‘Automatic Power off’ option after a scheduled backup. Note that this is available only for Windows 2000/NT/XP users. IBackup also have a 24/7 technical support available throughout the year, unlike other similar services.
Patrick
July 13, 2006 at 6:47 pm
The comment from sammy looks awful like advertising.
John T P
July 13, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Yes, it is. He is promoting the Product.
Jason Drohn
July 16, 2006 at 8:49 pm
I use gmail as well for random files and folders that I need access to. I use an FTP server as well for backup on a pretty frequent basis.
John T P
July 16, 2006 at 8:59 pm
I am using http://www.esnips.com now.
Norm
September 7, 2006 at 6:05 pm
For those that are looking programs for using Gmail as online storage, check out Vombato Mail Drive which now has GMail support. It also allows you to use any of your POP3 account the same way.
http://www.vombato.com/
nagesh kumar
September 28, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Its yahoo for me, as I find navigation cluttered and unhelpful in Gmail. Sure I have both accounts. And what about Yahoo! Brifcase and thats swell too.
Well, there are several free Internet site providers like Tripod and topcities and you can store data as files on their MB-full of file space and publish them as webpages as and when you want too!!
Technology Today
October 31, 2006 at 2:12 pm
i have asked my friends about this they dont prefer gmail at all.they prefer yaho and esnips.visit my tech blog when you get time
jlip123
November 9, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Well, I have been using DriveHQ service for a while. This is the best service I have seen in the last 7 years. I needn’t to say any more, you can take a look at their application screenshots and flash demo. It is a no-brainer.
http://www.drivehq.com/downloa.....ackup.aspx
http://www.drivehq.com/downloa.....nager.aspx