If you’ve read my columns for any length of time, you’ve seen my rants about the importance of backing up the files on your computer.
I hate being the one that has to tell someone, “Your computer’s hard drive is dead. Too bad you didn’t have your files backed up. Say goodbye to all of your digital photos, documents, spreadsheets, databases, songs and videos because they’re gone forever.”
To have your files “backed up” means that they exist in more than more than one place. One of the safest file backup schemes is to have at least three copies of your important, irreplaceable files: one copy in your computer, one copy on a different device such as a DVD or an external hard drive, and one copy with an offsite, online storage service such as Mozy or Carbonite.
Mozy and Carbonite are great, but they cost money and, let’s face it, some of us are just plain-old cheap. Fortunately, here comes free online file storage to the rescue.
There are many free online file storage services, such as ZumoDrive or IDrive that will give you some free storage space. Even Mozy will give you 2 GB (gigabytes) of free storage space, but for most people, 2 GB simply isn’t enough. Other services, such as ADrive and MediaFire, give you lots of storage space, but have clunky interfaces or force you to look at lots of ads.
One problem with online services is that companies come and go every day. One of the most popular online storage services used to be called XDrive. Sadly, AOL bought XDrive and then ran it into the ground. Now, their website simply says, “The Xdrive service is closed. Thank you for having been an Xdrive user.” For my purposes, I want my files stored with a service that will be around for a very long time. With that in mind, I recommend using Microsoft’s SkyDrive service in conjunction with a free program called Gladinet Cloud Desktop.
When it comes to the Internet, “the cloud” is simply a goofy nerdy term for a scheme whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand, like a public utility. This pooling of resources means that your files are out there “somewhere,” and not necessarily on any one, specific computer. I know it sounds weird, but somehow it works.
SkyDrive (skydrive.live.com) is a free online file storage service from Microsoft, which allows up to 25 GB of storage. For most folks, 25 GB is a lot. There are options available for even more storage. SkyDrive also lets you share files with other folks, such as friends, family members and business associates. To use SkyDrive, you must sign up for a Windows Live ID account. I’m not a big fan of Windows Live, especially the awful Windows Live Mail service. As such, I only enable one Windows Live “feature,” which is SkyDrive. If you have a Hotmail, Messenger, or Xbox LIVE account, you already have a Windows Live ID.
Gladinet Cloud Desktop (gladinet.com) is a wonderful and free program designed to let people upload to and download files from many different online services, including SkyDrive. The original Skydrive interface is pretty limited and dumbed down; Gladinet is a welcome replacement and includes many handy features like file encryption. A onetime fee of $40 unlocks other powerful features, such as scheduling and synchronization. For most folks, the free version works just fine.
If you can use Windows Explorer, then figuring out how to use Gladinet will be easy. Installation is straightforward, with good instructions on the website for Windows XP, Vista and 7. After some initial configuration, your SkyDrive shows up just like another drive in your computer. After double-clicking the drive you can login to your Windows Live ID account and start copying and pasting or dragging and dropping the files you wish to backup into your SkyDrive. It’s that easy.
A complete Gladinet user guide is online and it’s easy as pie to figure out. I like the SkyDrive/Gladinet combo so much that I’m thinking of purchasing the Pro version. That says a lot coming from a cheapskate, er, frugal person like me.