GMail - Brilliant webmail with loads of space (7305MB and counting at the time of writing). So much space that Google actually encourages you to not delete any email! Email however, does not take up much space, so even when following Google's marketing, a huge amount of space is left sitting around collecting virtual dust.
However, there is a way to make better use of all this free space Google has given us - GMail Drive.
GMail Drive does exactly what is says on the tin - It makes use of that free space by adding a virtual drive to your computer
To use GMail drive is really simple:
After installation, just double click on the GMail Drive icon in your 'My Computer', then type in your Gmail username and password and login (you tick the 'automatic login' option so that you don't have to enter your details every time you access GMail Drive). You will then be presented with an explorer window where you can add and delete files aswell as performing simple tasks.
To add files just drag n' drop them into the folder. They will then be uploaded to your GMail account.
How GMail Drive works:
However, GMail Drive does have some flaws. Firstly it does not support folders and filenames have to be under 65 chars long.
You may also be wondering about Windows Live SkyDrive and why I don't recommend it. Yes, it does offer a whopping 25GB of free storage, but you have to install annoying plugins which you may not be able to download in a work environment. With GMail Drive, as long as you can access your regular Gmail account, you can access your files.
GMail Drive is also great for synchronising files between several computers. Only recently I found out how useful this is. I was working on a document from my primary machine when I decided to work outside on my laptop. Instead of having to log into Gmail, attach the file and then send it to myself, I could just drag n' drop the document into my GMail Drive folder and access the file on the 'other end' from my laptop.
Overall, I think this tool is extremely useful for backing up and synchronising single files between computers as they can be easily accessed from either GMail Drive or regular GMail.
Version tested: GMail Drive 1.0.14
Supported Versions of Windows: Windows (All Versions)
Authors site:http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm
A Note from the author's site - "Since the tool hooks up with the free Gmail Service provided by Google, changes in the Gmail system may break the tool's ability to function. I cannot guarantee that files stored in this manner will be accessible in the future."
However, there is a way to make better use of all this free space Google has given us - GMail Drive.
GMail Drive does exactly what is says on the tin - It makes use of that free space by adding a virtual drive to your computer
To use GMail drive is really simple:
After installation, just double click on the GMail Drive icon in your 'My Computer', then type in your Gmail username and password and login (you tick the 'automatic login' option so that you don't have to enter your details every time you access GMail Drive). You will then be presented with an explorer window where you can add and delete files aswell as performing simple tasks.
To add files just drag n' drop them into the folder. They will then be uploaded to your GMail account.
How GMail Drive works:
Author's site said:When you create a new file using GMail Drive, it generates an e-mail and posts it to your account. The e-mail appears in your normal Inbox folder, and the file is attached as an e-mail attachment. GMail Drive periodically checks your mail account (using the Gmail search function) to see if new files have arrived and to rebuild the directory structures. But basically GMail Drive acts as any other hard-drive installed on your computer.
However, GMail Drive does have some flaws. Firstly it does not support folders and filenames have to be under 65 chars long.
You may also be wondering about Windows Live SkyDrive and why I don't recommend it. Yes, it does offer a whopping 25GB of free storage, but you have to install annoying plugins which you may not be able to download in a work environment. With GMail Drive, as long as you can access your regular Gmail account, you can access your files.
GMail Drive is also great for synchronising files between several computers. Only recently I found out how useful this is. I was working on a document from my primary machine when I decided to work outside on my laptop. Instead of having to log into Gmail, attach the file and then send it to myself, I could just drag n' drop the document into my GMail Drive folder and access the file on the 'other end' from my laptop.
Overall, I think this tool is extremely useful for backing up and synchronising single files between computers as they can be easily accessed from either GMail Drive or regular GMail.
***
Version tested: GMail Drive 1.0.14
Supported Versions of Windows: Windows (All Versions)
Authors site:http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm
A Note from the author's site - "Since the tool hooks up with the free Gmail Service provided by Google, changes in the Gmail system may break the tool's ability to function. I cannot guarantee that files stored in this manner will be accessible in the future."