Skydrive cloud data storage. OneDrive - how to use Microsoft storage, remote access and other features of the former SkyDrive

Hello, dear blog readers about . It's time to consider another one data synchronization service, a worthy competitor to other popular services.

It appeared quite a long time ago and managed to survive several major updates. The latest update can be considered the most successful.

How SkyDrive works

In terms of file synchronization, the principle of OneDrive (SkyDrive) is the same as any other file synchronization service. The OneDrive (SkyDrive) client for Windows is made similar to the often mentioned Dropbox. A SkyDrive folder is created in the system, and all files that are placed in it are immediately available on all other devices where the SkyDrive account is used, as well as through the browser.

SkyDrive volume— 7 GB of free disk space. Another option was available for long-registered users - 25 GB. When the service was updated, its size was reduced to seven GB. For those who wanted to restore their 25 GB, they had to go through activation and then everything would go back to the way it was.

You can access your OneDrive (SkyDrive) cloud storage in several ways:

— via the classic PC application;
— via a web browser;
— using a mobile application for smartphones on iOS, Android, Windows Phone and tablets;
— via the Metro application for Windows 8.

How to start using SkyDrive

Step 2: Login to SkyDrive. You need to go to this address and enter there the username and password that you registered using the link above.

Step 3: Download SkyDrive by if you have Windows. There you can also select applications for other platforms. This is required to use the synchronization capabilities. Without a computer program, OneDrive (SkyDrive) will remain a simple cloud drive.

Installing OneDrive (SkyDrive) for PC

If we consider the classic application for Windows, then it is essentially the same as the previous services discussed last time (,).

The installation process should not cause you any difficulties, with the exception of some features. When installing the application, you need to enter your username/password; if you don’t have one yet, you need to register using .

Then a SkyDrive folder is created, the placement of which must initially be set where you want it, since this parameter cannot be changed in the settings later. Although, it is possible if you first delete the connection with the computer in the settings and then log in again. True, then the re-indexing of all files from the SkyDrive folder will begin, which takes a lot of time if you have a lot of files.

There is one more feature of the application that is worth paying attention to - during the installation process, you can check the box, as in the figure below, and then all the files on your computer will become accessible from other connected computers, provided that the other computer is turned on. In this case, it will even be possible to download files remotely to SkyDrive.

Sharing: How do I send a file or folder to other people?

If you don’t like being tied to one folder, then I advise you to take a closer look at it, it is very flexible in this regard.

For any files in the folder, you can open public access, after which the browser will open and a form will appear in it for entering the email addresses of the people you need. The same can be done directly in the browser.

It should be noted that OneDrive (SkyDrive) has a big drawback in that you cannot view in one place which files you shared and with whom. It is well known to Dropbox users as Links. IN SkyDrive You can see who shared access and how it was shared in the Information Panel:

Now we've looked at the capabilities of the classic PC application, now we can move on to the most interesting thing - the web version.

Overview of the web version of OneDrive (SkyDrive)

I will say right away that the functionality of the web version has been greatly redesigned compared to the previous version. It has become much more convenient and more functional. Let's start with the appearance of the main page. It is made in the proprietary tile design, which Microsoft first used in Windows Phone 7. Using the online version has become much more convenient than before.

Files are uploaded to the storage using the button Send. In this case, you can select several files to upload, rather than just one. The maximum upload file size is 2 GB.

File Operations

All files are displayed as wide rectangles. A simple folder with files is displayed as a blue rectangle, but if it contains pictures, they are dynamically shown instead of it. Very beautiful and unusual. You can also display everything as a list.

Files and folders are grouped by type: first folders, then documents with music, then pictures. These settings cannot be changed. The usual sorting by name, size, type and custom sorting are also available. The usual operations of copying, moving and renaming files are supported. In this case, you can drag them with the mouse, just like on a computer. A file version log is available, which is already becoming the norm for decent file synchronization services.

There is a rather interesting feature for embedding files on any website. By right-clicking on any file or folder, select “Embedding”. A short instruction and a “Create” button will appear in the pop-up window; after clicking on it, an HTML code will be generated that you can paste into your website or blog. It’s bad that you can’t set an arbitrary size for pictures and folders, except for Word documents, while for spreadsheets there are a lot of embedding settings available.

Features of the web version

As you can see, the images open for preview in the browser. On the panel that appears on the right, you can view the file properties and mark the people in the photo. And in the menu at the top you can turn on a slide show, view the original, embed a picture and perform other operations with the file.

Working with office documents deserves special attention. MS Office documents can not only be viewed, but also edited, as in a full-fledged editor. This is done using the Web App service. That is, this is an online version of everyone’s favorite Microsoft Office software package with limited functionality. However, in most cases it will be enough for simple creation and editing of documents.

All other files that are not supported by the web version are downloaded to your computer by clicking on them.

In the left column of the web interface, you can see what files you have worked on recently, what computers are connected to SkyDrive, and what files have been shared with you. You can also change storage settings and go to the trash. Files in the Recycle Bin are stored long enough to be restored. This can be done using the link in the context menu. But the cart volume is limited to 10% of the storage volume, 700MB or 2.5GB. And if this volume is exceeded, then all files from the recycle bin will be deleted after three days.

FAQ

What is “Redeem SkyDrive Code”?

When you decide to buy additional cloud space, after making the purchase you will receive an activation code, by entering which the storage size will increase.

How do I change my SkyDrive account?

To do this, you first need to click on the “Remove connection with SkyDrive” button in the OneDrive (SkyDrive) settings on your PC. You can now log in with your new account if you have created one. If not, then I described the process of registering a new Microsoft account after the heading “How to start using SkyDrive”

How to install OneDrive (SkyDrive) on Windows XP?

The answer is no. I scoured the Internet looking for some way, but found nothing. You can connect OneDrive (SkyDrive) as a network drive using SDExplorer. You can download it here. The installation will happen quickly and seamlessly. After it you need to find in the folder “ My computer» dark icon SDExplorer and log in by entering your username and password Microsoft Account (Live ID). About registration Live ID written in the article about mail

How to select folders to sync in SkyDrive?

In the desktop application settings there is a “Folder Selection” tab where you can choose which folders within OneDrive (SkyDrive) will be synced on the current computer. You can access settings using the context menu of the OneDrive (SkyDrive) application for PC.

Can I use two SkyDrive accounts?

In my humble opinion, even more is possible, but they cannot be combined. In addition, this makes it difficult to synchronize files, since you will have to constantly log in/out under different accounts, which is inconvenient.

Alternatively, you can use one account to synchronize files with your computer, and the second as a cloud drive through the SDExplorer program. This scheme will work quite well.

How to connect OneDrive (SkyDrive) as a network drive? ()

To connect, we need to know your CID.

https://skydrive.live.com/#cid=F9B31V3A9F7EAD78&id=F3Z43R6A5D9EAA41%964016

A URL with similar content should appear in front of you in Explorer, if the URL looks like this: https://skydrive.live.com/?mkt=ru-RU, go to any folder inside SkyDriv-a, the URL should change and become similar to the one shown in the picture above.
CID in this case F9B31V3A9F7EAD78

A window will open in which you need to select the disk name and enter the line https://d.docs.live.net/F9B31V3A9F7EAD78, where
F9B31V3A9F7EAD78 - must be replaced with yours CID. If not, then you need to check the box "Restore at login", press Ready
The system will ask you to enter your username and password, if everything is done correctly, after entering a new disk will appear.

At the moment this method does not work well, so we are waiting for the code to fix everything

Is it dangerous to use SkyDrive?

From the point of view of storing important information, it is dangerous to use any cloud service with a free tariff plan. In most cases, cloud services offer paid plans that include data encryption and additional security.

OneDrive (SkyDrive) not working

Friends, if for some reason SkyDrive does not work for you, please report it in the comments. Together we will find a solution to the problem and thereby help other people who face the same problem.

conclusions

Here we briefly reviewed the main features of the SkyDrive service. This is what we end up with:

— large storage capacity (7 GB);

— advanced functionality;

— clients for most popular operating systems;

— nice design;

— keyboard navigation;

— mailbox and work with documents online.

You can safely give it an “excellent” rating, because there are no serious shortcomings, and those minor shortcomings that exist now will most likely be corrected over time. Now you have to try everything yourself, test it and use it if you like it. Write in the comments what is unclear, this will allow me to make the site even better.

The next article will review another popular file synchronization service by name - a worthy competitor to all other services.

In contact with

In this review, much attention will be paid to the SkyDrive cloud service from Microsoft. This service has a number of advantages and will be very useful to many people. It will be especially useful for those who often work with office documents. Let's get to know him better!

Why do you need SkyDrive?

Service SkyDrive(skydrive.com) is a file hosting service for storing and exchanging files with various information on the Internet. To put it simply, this is a cloud service. Microsoft launched it for the first time in August 2007. The service has a multilingual and user-friendly interface, so working with it will not be so difficult.

Why do you need SkyDrive anyway? It is needed for fast and wireless information exchange. For example, you have a computer and a laptop. The laptop is in another room and you are too lazy to carry it, connect it and transfer documents. You go to SkyDrive and download the desired document. This service is also very suitable for those who work on a computer both at home and at work. If you have unfinished business at the office, you can always return to it from your home computer, thereby downloading the necessary information from the cloud service. In this case, you will not need to carry flash drives or cables with you.

I recommend paying great attention to this service to those people who often work with office applications from Microsoft Office. Thanks to support for Office Web Apps, SkyDrive can easily allow multiple people to work remotely on the same document. For example, two people can use and edit the same office document. Moreover, each of them will have the current version of this document at the same time. This will be very useful for schoolchildren, students or teachers who do the same work. It is also useful for tourists who are working together on or bloggers who are creating a common e-book.

You can store absolutely all files. And in general, this is convenient when you have a lot of important documents, and you are afraid of catching some kind of virus that could adversely affect your information. It happens that the hard drive itself can burn out or lose a lot of information. This service will also be very useful for such moments.

Registering with SkyDrive

Let's go to the site skydrive.com and we will have a login page. If you already have an account, you can simply enter your login details here. If you set up mail on @hotmail.com, @outlook.com or at live.ru, then you can log in with the login and password for this email, and you will not have to register again. A single Microsoft account allows you to log in to all Microsoft services using the same credentials. If you don’t have one, you will have to register by clicking on “ Register«.

It is not difficult! When registering, first fill out information about yourself: indicate your first name, last name, date of birth and gender.

option one— you can enter any email address ( no matter what) and in the future log in using this email;
option two- you can click on " Get a new email address» from Microsoft and in the additional window select mail from live, hotmail or outlook. Choose, for example, the second option by selecting outlook mail.

Below we come up with a password that contains at least 8 characters, and then confirm it.

Then we select password recovery methods. You can enter your mobile phone number and you will receive a confirmation SMS or ask a security question and answer. We choose, for example, the method with a question.

Now we select the country or region, postal code and then enter the captcha. Below you can leave or remove a subscription (1) for special offers. After you have filled in all the data, click “I Accept” (2) . After this, SkyDrive will open.

How to use SkyDrive?

So, we have free 7 Gb available in this cloud service. We have three folders already prepared by default - documents, images and general. In the upper right corner (3) you can change their display.

On the left side you can see a special menu ( picture below):

Files— all files of this storage are displayed;
Latest files— files that you have used recently are displayed.
All photos— all images of this repository are displayed;
Are common— there are files that you shared with other users.
Computers— here you can download the SkyDrive application for a Windows computer. After the application is installed, your computer will appear under this menu. Later, you can prevent your computer from accessing your SkyDrive or viewing files on a computer you trust from another computer. In general, all this is easy to configure.

Below there is another additional menu:

basket— all files that you deleted go here;

storage management— here you can increase the storage size, thereby choosing a suitable tariff plan. However, you will have to pay for the extra space. You can also set the Office file format that will be used by default when creating office documents. It is also possible to configure user tags and set parameters for the connected device;

get the SkyDrive app— here you can download this application for various operating systems, including mobile devices. You can also check out additional features. Now just download the application for Windows, and later we will install it on your computer.

We return to SkyDrive to create an office document. You can create a Word document, an Excel workbook, a PowerPoint presentation, a notebook, a folder, or create an Excel survey.

Let's create a Word document. In a new window we write its name ( for example Document 1) and press " Create". Word Web App opens, that is, the web version of the application. It is quite functional, but, of course, inferior to a regular application. If you miss additional features, you can easily open this document in a computer application. To do this, click on the button “ Open in Word» (4) and you will have the installed Word open from your computer.

Button " General access» (5) - access without problems. You can post it on social networks or send someone an email. In general, set access to this file.

So I'm currently in Office Web Apps. To quickly go to the repository, I need to click on the button " SkyDrive«.

This new document will already be displayed in the repository itself ( picture below). Mark it with a checkmark and press the right mouse button. You will be able to see what actions can be performed with this document.

Now pay attention to the top bar of SkyDrive. Button " Add» allows us to add files from the computer.

A little to the right is a special manager (6) . Here we can add friends from Facebook, connect an account or add contacts from Google. If you have added people, then it will be very convenient to communicate with them through this interface. Going to Settings (7) You can set certain parameters and also use special help.

Even further to the right is the account name. By clicking on it, we can add an avatar, change our profile or account settings. In general, we created a new account from Microsoft, but in addition to SkyDrive, there are other useful applications available here. Click on the down arrow.

Additional opportunities will open up for you:

Let's install the SkyDrive application on our computer. For those who did not download immediately, go to the menu “ Get the SkyDrive app". If you have Windows 8, then the SkyDrive application is already built-in ( it comes by default with the system). In general, click on “ Download the classic SkyDrive app". Open it and install it on your computer. After this you need to launch the application.

Launching the application takes place in several stages. To begin, you will be asked to enter your username and password. We enter the same data as when registering with the SkyDrive service.

You will then be prompted for a location for the new SkyDrive folder. By default, we are offered to leave it in Explorer. We agree and click “ Further«.

Then put a tick on “ Get remote access to all files" and click on the button " Ready«.

After installing the application, in the " Favorites» ( picture below) the SkyDrive folder will be automatically created. Any file that you drop into this folder will be immediately synchronized with your cloud storage. Checkmarks in green circles indicate that everything is already synchronized. What convenience there is in all this!

To summarize, we can say that the SkyDrive service is very convenient and functional. You have at your disposal free 7 Gb, a separate email and many other useful things. For convenience, all files can be sorted differently.

The additional Office Web Apps application, although it has reduced functionality of office applications, can allow you to carry out standard operations with documents, which is also very good. Install the application on your smartphone, computer or tablet and working with the cloud service will be even easier and faster! In general, study and implement!

Microsoft OneDrive is a client for the cloud service of the same name, which makes it easy to save and share data. The service was founded in 2007 and is part of a wide range of Windows Live online services. The client is available for various operating systems, including mobile ones.

SkyDrive provides each registered user with 7 gigabytes of free space for personal needs, and for users eligible for free updates - as much as 25 gigabytes (much more than on similar services). In addition, a number of convenient functions have been implemented, including the ability to display thumbnails of images and view Microsoft Word documents without saving to your computer. For all files and folders uploaded to the service, you can set the access level - from personal to public. The program supports most popular document formats and allows you to upload up to 4 GB of files per session. Currently, more than 17 million people use Microsoft OneDrive services and you can become one of them for free.

Why do you need SkyDrive?

Registering with SkyDrive

It is not difficult! When registering, first fill out information about yourself: indicate your first name, last name, date of birth and gender.

option one— you can enter any email address ( no matter what) and in the future log in using this email;
option two- you can click on " Get a new email address» from Microsoft and in the additional window select mail from live, hotmail or outlook. Choose, for example, the second option by selecting outlook mail.

Below we come up with a password that contains at least 8 characters, and then confirm it.

How to use SkyDrive?

So, we have free 7 Gb available in this cloud service. We have three folders already prepared by default - documents, images and general. In the upper right corner (3) you can change their display.

On the left side you can see a special menu ( picture below):

Files— all files of this storage are displayed;
Latest files— files that you have used recently are displayed.
All photos— all images of this repository are displayed;
Are common— there are files that you shared with other users.
Computers— here you can download the SkyDrive application for a Windows computer. After the application is installed, your computer will appear under this menu. Later, you can prevent your computer from accessing your SkyDrive or viewing files on a computer you trust from another computer. In general, all this is easy to configure.

Below there is another additional menu:

basket— all files that you deleted go here;

storage management— here you can increase the storage size, thereby choosing a suitable tariff plan. However, you will have to pay for the extra space. You can also set the Office file format that will be used by default when creating office documents. It is also possible to configure user tags and set parameters for the connected device;

get the SkyDrive app— here you can download this application for various operating systems, including mobile devices. You can also check out additional features. Now just download the application for Windows, and later we will install it on your computer.

We return to SkyDrive to create an office document. You can create a Word document, an Excel workbook, a PowerPoint presentation, a notebook, a folder, or create an Excel survey.

Button " General access» (5) - access without problems. You can post it on social networks or send someone an email. In general, set access to this file.

So I'm currently in Office Web Apps. To quickly go to the repository, I need to click on the button " SkyDrive«.

Now pay attention to the top bar of SkyDrive. Button " Add» allows us to add files from the computer.

Additional opportunities will open up for you:

Launching the application takes place in several stages. To begin, you will be asked to enter your username and password. We enter the same data as when registering with the SkyDrive service.

You will then be prompted for a location for the new SkyDrive folder. By default, we are offered to leave it in Explorer. We agree and click “ Further«.

Then put a tick on “ Get remote access to all files" and click on the button " Ready«.

Program interface: Russian

Platform:7/Vista/8

Manufacturer: Microsoft

Website: www.microsoft.com

SkyDrive is one of the services for storing files, accessing them through a web interface, as well as file sharing, which is managed by Microsoft and has close integration with the Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office software package.

Key features of SkyDrive

First of all, we note that SkyDrive uses cloud technologies and provides users with a fairly wide range of services and capabilities. For example, the user is allocated 7 GB of disk space to store their files. Users who qualify for the free upgrade receive 25 GB of storage space.

The folder structure in which files are stored is clearly organized. For example, in a folder of images you can use some standard types of viewing in the form of thumbnails or slide shows. In addition, you can set personal access levels to all folders, from exclusively personal to public. In the same way, you can grant access rights to friends, relatives, or share files using any computer connected to the Internet.

No less interesting is the full integration with the office suite. You can save files directly from Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, and Word to Windows Live SkyDrive. And that is not all. The fact is that there is also quite powerful integration with Microsoft Office Web Apps, which allows you to create various kinds of office documents directly online and save them in file storage. Among other things, when the SkyDrive application works with the Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems directly from Explorer, you can upload files up to 2 GB in size to the storage. By the way, as an integral part of the Windows 8 operating system, SkyDrive is also present in it.

According to some analysts, Microsoft may soon combine several services into one. So, it is very likely that integration between SkyDrive, Live Mesh and Live Sync will be possible, which will allow full synchronization of files located in the cloud through the mechanism of one application. So, let's hope that the developers of this service will not stop there, and in the future we will see an updated product. Moreover, all the prerequisites and prospects for this exist.