Limited time offer: SkyDrive free storage upped to 25 GB

[eknirb]

SkyDrive desktop app added, total sync functionality

Dropbox, Microsoft SkyDrive add new storage features as Google Drive looms - GeekWire

Checking this out now- a competitor for the crowded cloud space that already has iCloud..Dropbox..and the (believe it when I see it) GDrive from Google.

https://apps.live.com/skydrive/app/9a65e47d-606a-4816-a246-90f54bf7a3ea

If you already have a Microsoft acct, you can have 25GB online storage--otherwise it looks like you get 7GB...Google Drive starts out--if ever--with 5GB.

Testing the SkyDrive functionality now- copied all 15GB of my photos to the now locally installed SkyDrive folder, and up they go.

 

[pparks1]

Dropping from 25GB to 7GB is going to be a bummer for new people with SkyDrive accounts.

Here is a link to the new SkyDrive app (which is available as a preview version currently)
Making personal cloud storage for Windows available anywhere, with the new SkyDrive - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

To get your free upgrade to 25GB, it looks like you have to previously had uploaded something to SkyDrive. If you have, just simply log in and there should be a welcome screen allowing you to freely upgrade to 25GB.

Edit; This Microsoft SkyDrive app reminds me of some other service that works the exact same way. What was that again? Oh yeah, it's Dropbox.

Edit2: Unlike Dropbox, this SkyDrive app is missing a fair amount of functionality

• Bandwidth throttling
• Selective folder synchronization
• Ability to pause uploads/downloads

Testing the SkyDrive functionality now- copied all 15GB of my photos to the now locally installed SkyDrive folder, and up they go.

15GB would take me a long time.

It takes me about 2.5 hours to upload 1GB of data. So it would take me 22 hours to upload 15GB of data. This is why I play around with all of these services and end up not using them. It's just too time consuming to upload large amounts of data.

 

[karlsnooks]

Microsoft has for a limited time (without defining the term 'limited time') upped the free storage limit from 7 GB to 25 GB IF you are already a skydrive user.

Here's a link with info:
SkyDrive Changes + 25 GB Storage for Current Users ~ Security Garden

 

[pparks1]

Keep in mind, it used to be 25GB previous to today. The 7GB is a new limit. So, they are offering for a limited time to keep what you already had.

 

[chev65]

The uploads to sky drive are so slow anyway it's hardly worth messing with.

I prefer to use my own server where I can upload at 8GB per minute.

 

[windude99]

I got my upgrade. Also, here is a download link to the skydrive preview application for desktop users: http://g.live.com/8seskydrive/windownload

 

[fseal]

Keep in mind, it used to be 25GB previous to today. The 7GB is a new limit. So, they are offering for a limited time to keep what you already had.

Arg :/

 

[karlsnooks]

fseal,
I think something got swapped there.

The previous limit was 7 GB.

The limit, after the update, is 25 GB.

 

[seekermeister]

The problem for me, is that I can't think of anything that I would want to store online.

 

[pparks1]

I prefer to use my own server where I can upload at 8GB per minute.

Yes, but if your house were to burn to the ground or somebody broke in and stole your server...those fast backups aren't going to help at all. :shock:

fseal,
I think something got swapped there.

The previous limit was 7 GB.

The limit, after the update, is 25 GB.

No, SkyDrive in the past has always been 25GB in the past. It appears Microsoft is now moving to a 7GB free limit going forward, unless you opt in right now for the free upgrade or pay more later.

The problem for me, is that I can't think of anything that I would want to store online.

Well, these services are useless if you don't have anything you need stored online.

These are geared towards those who want to backup things like 1). pictures 2). music 3) documents in a secondary location outside of their home. For me, I backup to a pair of external hard drives which I keep offsite, but this isn't feasible for everyone.

These are also geared towards those who work on documents and such in a collaborate method, where they have the ability to have multiple people easily working on a document together at the same time from remote locations without having to ship the file back and forth.

Finally, these appeal to those who have a need to easily access their files from multiple locations. People used to carry this kind of stuff on a USB key, but they don't have to anymore.

 

[Britton30]

Nice marketing ploy, upgrade and keep the old thing. but wait there's more....Bah

 

[karlsnooks]

You can now integrate SkyDrive with Windows Explorer which greatly simplifies the use of SkyDrive.

For a pile of info, this llink:
Making personal cloud storage for Windows available anywhere, with the new SkyDrive - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

Go to the end of the webpage to find the link to click on to download SkyDrive for the Windows Desktop.

I used the link at the bottom of that webpage rather than going to skydrive.com and trying to download and install from there.

 

[pparks1]

The one thing that annoys me with the way integration works, is that it is just like Dropbox. You have a folder on your C drive (or wherever) and whatever you put into that folder is synced to the sky.

So, for somebody like me who stores their Pictures on my home file server, I want a quick and easy way to synchronize all of my pictures on my P:\mypictures to my SkyDrive account..but I don't necessarily want to copy them to my C:\skydrive folder on my laptop. Plus, if I later decide to remove the secondary copy from C:\skydrive, they will be removed from the cloud account too.

Obviously, I could set up SkyDrive to go to my file server and then put \mypictures into that skydrive folder, but this means reorganizing my file server somewhat and also not having connectivity to skydrive when I am off my home network with my laptop.

Through the web interface for SkyDrive, I cannot upload a folder.

The only way I have found to really make this work is to use Gladinet to mount my SkyDrive account as a drive letter and then i can run robocopy to sync P:\mypictures to Y:\MySkyDrive_Gladinet share. Unfortunately, gladinet is about the slowest damn thing on earth. And it copies the files locally into a cache on my C drive, which it deletes after all uploading is done.

I've attemped to do a WEBDAV share, and while i can connect and interact with Windows explorer, it seems like any attempt copy a file from my local drives to this share via a command line fail.

 

[karlsnooks]

I've encountered no difficulties

 

[Sardonicus]

Thanks for the heads up.

Changing from 7Gb to 25Gb was easy as pie.

 

[pparks1]

Well, robocopy won't work. Since the timestamps don't match, it's recopying 100% of everything again. Hmmm....need a sync tool which is not timestamp sensitive

 

[smarteyeball]

Thanks for the heads up.

Changing from 7Gb to 25Gb was easy as pie.

Yep. Did both my hotmails.

Don't use either tbh, but what the hell.

 

[Logical Slacker]

Keep in mind, it used to be 25GB previous to today. The 7GB is a new limit. So, they are offering for a limited time to keep what you already had.

They can go to 0GB for all I care. I don't use SkyDrive, let alone any file sharing service (legal or otherwise). I see no point in openly sharing my stuff.

 

[karlsnooks]

There is no requirement to share. You must take action to share.

 

[kado897]

I just "Upgraded" and downloaded the App. Seems to work well. I'm going to have to reorganize my Skydrive folders layout though so I can integrate it into my libraries structure.

BTW the 25GB limit before didn't include Photos. I wonder if it does now.