Data storage devices have come a long way in evolution. If it all started with bulky floppy disks that could hold a very small part of information, then modern flash drives have tens of thousands of times more memory, while maintaining their compact dimensions. But more recently, even they were replaced (formally speaking, of course) by an even more advanced device for saving and transferring data. We will talk about it in this article.
Cloud services
When we talk about some more advanced form, we mean the so-called cloud technologies. This is a completely new and much more promising medium, if you can call it that. Its essence lies in the fact that the data that we upload to the cloud is not stored anywhere in a concentrated form. They are distributed over a service that is united by a large number of physical servers. This, firstly, allows you to store many times more information on them than one specifically dedicated server could accommodate; secondly, such technology has a huge number of advantages.
And there is nothing complicated about how to create a cloud for storing files. Today, this type of virtual media is used by both professional programmers and authors of Internet projects, as well as ordinary users who have a folder with photos.
And in this article we will discuss not only how to create a cloud for storing files, but also talk about it itself and its features.
Advantages and disadvantages
Let's start with the shortcomings. We will start from the end of our point, since cloud solutions really have fewer negative sides than positive ones. If you are looking for how to create a cloud for storing files, then you probably agree with this statement. The main disadvantage is the need for an Internet connection.
This means that if you do not save the necessary information on a portable device and end up in a place where there is no network access, you simply will not be able to retrieve the information and read it. That is, you can work with the cloud only with an active connection to the network or files on your hard drive.
The second negative point is the fee for memory expansion in the cloud. Users must use the service on a subscription basis by paying certain fees each month. It all depends on how much data you use. In the free mode, for example, you can get 2 Gb from the same Dropbox service, and if you pay $10 a month, this space will increase to 1 Tb. For $15, location restrictions are removed from your account. So, as you understand, the fee is symbolic, so for many it will not be a problem.
Service Providers
Other services (for example, Google Drive or Yandex Disk) also have their own tariff plans. For Drive, 15 Gb are allocated for free, for $2 - 100 Gb, for 10 - 1 Tb, for 200 - 20 Tb, and for $300 per month - 30 Tb of data. Google Drive, unlike Dropbox, has wider functionality, allowing you to edit files in convenient applications of your own design.
Yandex.Disk allocates 10 GB for 30 rubles per month, 100 GB for 80 rubles, and 1 terabyte of memory for 200 rubles.
There is also a cloud from Mail.ru, whose users are allocated 25 GB of space to host files for free.
Beginning of work
So how to create a cloud for storing files? First you need to decide on the service. They have some differences. As mentioned above, Dropbox and Yandex Disk are services that allow you to simply store files in your cloud disk space without worrying about their safety. You can create a cloud for storing Mile files, like other services, only after registering an internal account.
These services (with the exception of Dropbox) create one account for the user across all platforms. This is convenient, since a person can have both mail and Yandex, Google or Mail. For Dropbox, you will have to create an account separately.
The second stage of how to create own cloud to store files - this means visiting the storage from a browser or on a PC, phone, tablet. You can choose the platform you work with, and as a result, your account will be synchronized across all devices.
Form
In fact, using a browser or a special application is a rhetorical question. Of course, the program allows you to create a cloud for storing Yandex, Google, Mail or Dropbox files much more conveniently and quickly. But, of course, this is additional software that needs to be downloaded to your device. It's much easier to use a browser. So, you will have to go to the service website, log in - and you will see all your files.
Safety
Having described what negative aspects cloud services have, as well as which companies provide them, we will begin to list the advantages and benefits of such services.
So, for example, you can create a corporate file storage cloud for your business. This is very convenient: your employees, using their accounts, could make edits in some files at the same time, having access to a single repository. This way, there would be no need for you to sync all projects.
Extensions
We have already mentioned that each of the services has the possibility of expansion. In fact, if you pay some amount (equal to the cost of this or that option), you really get more space. However, most often, such services are not of interest to private users for posting photos. Most likely, business owners and developers are interested in such solutions.
This is especially true for entrepreneurs who fear the seizure of company servers or searches by intelligence agencies. It is very easy to prevent these actions if you close access to your files in time. Since all the information is actually in the cloud, even taking your computer away won't help you retrieve it.
File durability
So, you know how to create a cloud for storing files for free. All providers have a free access mode, that is, they allocate some space on their services for users free of charge. As a rule, this volume is enough to publish some personal photos and something personal. Thus, such data placement can significantly free up space on your PC.
But there is another very important positive factor to remember. If you want to create a cloud for storing files (Google, Yandex - it makes no difference), remember: this data will always remain available. They won't be deleted by the system, so you don't have to worry about, for example, physically damaging your computer. After all, in the end, all the information can be downloaded again from the cloud, where it will feel great.
That is why now everyone has so actively begun to upload their most important, most valuable and worthwhile information to the Internet. On the one hand, it may seem strange that all the most valuable things are uploaded to the network, but on the other hand, this information will be available only to one owner account. Therefore, there is no need to worry about them.
Cloud technologies continue to develop. Now the amount of memory that becomes available in free mode is also growing. So perhaps very soon customers will be able to access unlimited space for just a dollar... Time will tell!
Hello dear visitors! If you have come to this page, then most likely you are interested in the question of storing files in the cloud. I’ll write now and, as is already customary on this site, I’ll show you in pictures, how to install and configure Google Drive. But I think it wouldn’t hurt to write a few words about what cloud storage is, why they are needed, and tell a little about Google Drive, also known as Google Drive.
In simple words, cloud storage is a service that provides you with a specific place on the Internet to store your files. One of such services is. He appeared on the market almost simultaneously and began providing his services. There are many more similar services, among which Dropbox is worth highlighting; perhaps there will be a separate article about it.
Why am I writing today about Google Drive? As you probably already guessed, I myself am using it now, and just yesterday I reinstalled the systems and I need to install this program on my computer again, I’ll just take screenshots :).
The convenience of such services, in particular Google Drive, is that you get a “flash drive” on the Internet on which you can store information, and most importantly, have access to it from anywhere where there is Internet and the ability to access service website. All you need is to know your username and password to access. Of course, Google has created applications for computers, tablets and smartphones on different platforms. All this is for the convenience of using the Google Drive service.
Immediately after registration, you will be given 5 GB of file storage for free. For 2.5 dollars you can increase it to 25 GB, and this is not a limit.
I think this useless theory is enough :), let's get down to business.
To use Google Drive, you need to create a Google account.
Of course, you need to register with Google in order to receive a username and password. You can read about how to create an account on Google in the article. Or if you are already using at least one of Google services, for example Gmail, then to log into Google Drive you can use the login and password that you already have.
To register with Google Drive, or to learn more about its capabilities, go to the page. Click the button on the right “Go to Google Drive”.
After registration, log into the site using your details.
How to install Google Drive on your computer?
Now we have come to the most important part of this article; now we will install a program that will allow you to conveniently work with Google Drive.
Let's go to . Let's go to the page.
Select the version for computers and click “Download”.
A window will appear in which you simply click “Accept the terms and install”.
A message will immediately appear that Google Drive is loading. Then the installation will begin.
When installation is complete, click “Close”.
That's it, the installation is complete. The program will launch itself, click the “Login” button. Enter your address Email and password, and click “Login” again.
A window will appear in which we click “Forward”.
In the next window, the program will inform you that all files that are already on Google Drive will be synchronized with a specially created folder on your computer. For additional settings, click "Advanced settings", but you won’t see anything interesting there, you can change the location of this very folder, and indicate whether Google Drive can be launched when you turn on the computer, and that’s essentially all. Click the button "Synchronize".
That's all.
How to use Google Drive on a computer?
A Google Drive folder will appear on your desktop, and it will also appear in Explorer. Once you move your files to this folder, they will automatically be uploaded to the cloud and you can access them from any device. Or, when adding files from another device, say a tablet, they will automatically appear in this folder.
For example, when I need to transfer photos from my phone to my computer, I simply upload them to Google Drive, then on my computer I go to the Google Drive folder and copy them from there. It's even faster than connecting your phone via cable.
Also, a program icon will appear on the taskbar (in the tray), by right-clicking on it, you can see how much you still have left free memory to Google Drive, you can also go to the program settings.
Many people have probably heard of such a concept as cloud storage data. It sounds a little confusing, but it's actually simple - it's nothing more than free hosting for your files. You register in the service, you are given a certain amount of disk space, which you can then increase - for money or for certain advertising actions, which we will look at below. Essentially this virtual hard disk, only the documents are stored not on your computer, but on a server on the Internet. In this article I will show in detail how for free use the best cloud storage in RuNet - Yandex and Mail.Ru
This method of storing information has two big advantages over traditional storage on a hard drive on a computer or on a flash drive.
Therefore, cloud storage is a very convenient way to create a backup copy of documents that are important to you. Cloud technology in Lately has become very widespread and new services are appearing all the time - free and paid - providing this service. And today I would like to consider two of the best cloud storage services on the Russian-language Internet today - Yandex Disk, which has already proven itself, and Mail.Ru Cloud, which has recently come on duty.
Free data storage Cloud Mail.Ru
This service appeared quite recently - just the other day I saw it and then the idea came to me to write this article. In order to create one, you must first register with Mail.Ru. Initially, you are given 10 GB of space, which can be increased up to 100 gigs by performing a few simple steps.
So, register in the mail, log into your account and follow the link cloud.mail.ru.
Click on the “Try Cloud” button
And after a few seconds we receive a letter in your inbox notifying you that your free cloud storage has been created.
The interface here is very logical, so it’s quite easy to navigate. You can create an unlimited number of subfolders, upload and delete files. But first, let's look at how to increase the space from 10 to the promised 100 gigabytes.
Click on the “Get more space” button.
- Installation on a computer - +10GB.
By downloading and installing the application on your computer, you can automatically synchronize a specified folder on your computer with cloud file storage, which will allow you to automatically back up your files. There are versions on Windows, MacOS and Linux.
I selected and downloaded for Windows. Install the application and launch it on your computer. The first window will ask you to enter the login and password for your Mail.Ru mail.
- Installation on a smartphone - +10GB.
The same thing, only for a smartphone. Popular systems are also present - iOS and Android. Windows Phone not on the list yet, but I think it’s not far off, and owners of modern Nokias will soon also receive their own application for synchronizing smartphone folders with hosting.Let's see how this works using an Android smartphone as an example. Download from Play Market application Cloud Mail Ru. Log in using your email username and password.
We accept the agreement, skip the welcome screen and be sure to enable auto-upload of photos, it will add another 10 GB to us. Then click “Get Started”.
The transfer of photos from the phone to the hosting will begin, and on the phone we will receive a catalog of all cloud files.
- Public link +10GB.
To activate this mode, you need to download at least one file and make it public, that is, allow other people to download it.First, let's download the file. To do this, for now, close the window with ways to expand space and click on the “Download” link. A window will open into which you simply need to drag and drop all the files that need to be placed in the cloud data storage.
When the files are uploaded, click on one of them and in the right column click on the check mark icon so that a link to the file appears under it - now it is available for downloading, and the link can be given to friends or posted on the website.
- Auto-upload of photos – +10GB
Let's return to the disk space expansion window. If you have installed an application from this cloud storage on your smartphone, but did not activate auto-upload of photos when you first log in, then do it now. As soon as you go online from your phone or tablet, all the pictures you take are automatically uploaded to your account. Then you can disable it, as well as completely remove the application from your phone - but now our goal is to get as much disk space as possible.5. Tell your friends - + 25GB
This method is the easiest and at the same time the most effective - it will give you a lot of space at once. And all you have to do is log in under your nickname in one of social networks(Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, My World or Twitter) and publish a link on the wall by clicking on the “Tell your friends” icon.
- And finally, if you go through all the steps, they will give you the remaining up to one hundred and 25 gigs. We get this beautiful picture:
Cloud storage Yandex Disk
I have been successfully using Yandex Disk cloud storage for a long time to store my video courses. Similarly with Mail, you need to have a Yandex mailbox to get free storage for files. After that, go to the link disk.yandex.ru and immediately get 10GB.
After that, by inviting friends using a special affiliate link, you will receive another 512 MB for each user attracted by this service, until you increase it to 10 GB. This is the limit of free stuff - then just buy.
In the storage itself, you can conveniently create as many subfolders as you like and upload files there.
In order for your friends to download these files, click on the downloaded document and move the “Public Link” slider to the “ON” position. The resulting link can be posted on the site and given to users. but keep in mind that if you remove this file from public access and then turn it on again, the link address will change.
You can share not only files, but also entire folders. To do this, just like with a file, you need to enable its publicity and send invitations by email or social network profile to join the shared folder to your friends, selecting the access level - read only or change. In this case, friends, of course, must also have their Disks in the Yandex service. But keep in mind that after accepting the invitation, the shared folder will be copied to the account of the person who accepted it and will take up disk space.
You can also automate the operation of the service - download a special program and install it on your computer. After this, select a folder on your computer and its contents will be automatically synchronized with your data on the Yandex Disk service. Versions are available for both computer and mobile OS.
How to access the cloud from a smartphone?
I will not consider here an example of installing an application on a PC - this is done in the same way with the cloud from Mail Ru. But more interesting way— log into the data storage from your mobile phone. Special program there is no provision for a phone here, but we can still do this using the universal explorer for Android that we have already reviewed, from which you can connect and access folders of both network devices and the cloud - we're talking about about ES Explorer. If you remember, through it we connected to the file server in local network.
Launch this program and open the “Cloud Storage” tab
Click the “Create” button and select Yandex Disk from the list of supported services.
We connect, go into the disk and see all the folders and files located on it. Unfortunately, there is no auto-sync option here, like with email - you can only go to your Drive and download or upload manually.
That's how simple and free you can get a huge virtual disk in a cloud data storage, and for free. By registering in several services at once, you will receive as much space as will definitely be enough for you for the next few years - use it!
In this article I would like to write about how to use basic functions. In 2013, the well-known Russian Internet service mail.ru launched its own cloud data storage. Store all your important files in a personal cloud; the cloud allows you to access each file from absolutely anywhere in the world. All you need is access to the Internet.
Download options
Cloud storage from mail.ru has specialized applications for all of today's most popular mobile platforms and operating systems for PC. The service does not limit the speed of uploading files to the cloud, thereby providing users with the opportunity to use the service as comfortably as possible.
I would like to note that in the cloud from mail.ru you get 25 Gigabytes of free free space on a personal virtual disk. The storage allows users to upload photos, videos, text files, folders, archives and many other types of files.
Cloud capabilities from mail.ru:
- high speed of downloading user files of any size;
- the ability to create backup copies of important files and folders;
- the user can configure auto-download of files from the phone camera;
- function of creating shared user folders and sharing files;
- the ability to quickly share files on a social network;
- synchronization with mail.ru mail;
- built-in security system. Regular scanning of cloud files for viruses.
Let's look at how to start basic work with storage and how to upload files to [email protected].
Uploading photos to the cloud
In order to start working with the mail.ru cloud, follow the link cloud.mail.ru and using the login and password from your mailbox. You are now on the home page of your cloud storage.
To upload a photo to [email protected], click on the “+ Upload” button in the upper left corner and drag the photo you want to upload onto the pop-up window. You can also click on the “Select file” button and use the computer explorer to find required photo. The selected photo will be uploaded to the storage automatically.
Uploading a folder
Now let's look at uploading folders to [email protected]. You cannot directly upload a folder to the cloud through a browser; you can only create a folder on the cloud and add to it all the files from your folder located on your computer. To quickly transfer a folder from your device to the cloud, follow the steps below:
There is another way to upload a folder to the cloud, which is faster. On your PC, create an archive of the folder and upload this archive to the cloud. You will not be able to open the folder in the storage, but only the ability to download the archive will be available.
Important! I would like to note that there are limitations when uploading a large file to the cloud. The file size cannot be more than 2 Gigabytes.
In the article, I briefly described the methods of uploading to [email protected], and also listed all the main features of this service. I believe that the 25 GB of free storage space, ease of use and user-friendly interface are good reasons to start using this one.
Greetings, dear reader. I’m in touch with you, Timur Mustaev. Recently I encountered a problem such as lack of free space on my hard drive. It seems that the normal volume is 1 TB.
And one more inconvenience: I often use a laptop and tablet, and I only sit at a desktop computer in the evenings at home. And all the important work that I do in the evenings is necessary for me during the day. And I decided to get myself cloud storage, namely Google Drive. Which made my life a lot easier.
So today I want to tell you how to save free place on your hard drive without overloading your computer and having access to your work files from any device. It is unlikely that anywhere else you will learn such detailed and detailed information first-hand.
After reading this article, you will never again be bothered by the fear of losing documents, important photos and videos, and you will learn how to save files in the cloud. I think that this information will not be superfluous for you. Well, then let's start from the very beginning and in order.
What is cloud storage?
Cloud storage is a data storage located on the company’s web server. All data is stored and processed in the cloud, online storage m provided by a third party. Next, I will introduce you to all the providers of online “warehouses”, with the help of which you can manage documents without saving them on your computer.
Benefits of working with the cloud:
- Free access to data from any device with Internet access;
- Possibility of corporate work with data;
- Greater confidence in saving data in the event of a hardware failure;
- Payment is charged for the actual space occupied, not for server rental;
- All work is carried out by the service, the client does not take part in this.
How cloud services work
A virtual storage device is created on the device, similar to local disk. A separate item appears in Explorer with the name of the cloud.
Now let's look at each of them in more detail.
Dropbox
This company was the first to establish itself as a provider and supplier of Internet storage. The program has a huge advantage - a cloud gateway. Using this technology, you can open a file on your phone. The application is available for all operating systems. Agree, it’s great to prepare for a presentation while you’re stuck in a traffic jam or on public transport.
The administration is very loyal to customers. For stable use of services, the site allocated an additional 15 gigabytes, which is not such a small amount. You can forget the fear of accidentally deleting a document; they are automatically saved in a copy for recovery.
Initially, the service provides two gigabytes of free space and up to one hundred gigabytes for various non-commercial plans. Another tariff, Dropbox for companies, provides storage with 350 GB of free space for use.
User data is stored on an Amazon server and is protected by SSL technology and encrypted with 256-bit encryption.
How to install Dropbox
Dropbox, like any other virtual drive, is very easy to install and configure.
The 1st step is downloading. You can download it from the official website.
2nd step – Registration. You can do this right there by entering your personal data.
Step 3 – Install the program.
4th step – Launch and authorization
That’s it, now it’s enough to move the file from your desktop/folder/local storage into the “Dropbox” folder. Now you can use your virtual disk.
Onedrive
Onedrive (originally SkyDrive) is a cloud from Microsoft.
Onedrive supports the full package Microsoft programs Office. You can automatically save documents from Excel, PowerPoint and Word to the cloud. The utility allows users to edit files from Office directly in the browser, create and share folders.
OneDrive support is built into one of the most popular social networks. Facebook networks.
Photos from your account will be automatically saved to the cloud.
Initially, the site offers 7 gigabytes of free space. Users can buy 50,100,200 gigabytes of additional storage. The cost is calculated using the formula - Desired location / 2. So, the cost of 100 gigabytes will be $50 per year. The cloud is available for the following operating systems:
- Android;
- Windows;
- Windows Phone;
- Xbox.
Onedrive offers a business edition for corporate work. Payment is made individually from each user $2.50 monthly. Users receive 25 gigabytes of initial free space, with the option to purchase more.
Installed and configured similarly to the previous one.
Yandex. Disk
One of the world's largest search engines is expanding in every possible direction. The company launched its own online storage, Yandex. Disk.
The principle of operation is no different from other services. The advantage of working with Yandex is the initial large volume. Upon registration, you are given 10 gigabytes of free space, which will double with continued use.
Supported OS:
- Android;
- Linux;
- Mac OS X;
- Symbian;
- Windows;
- Windows Phone.
Tariffs for additional space are low.
Monthly cost:
- 30 rubles – 10 Gigabytes;
- 80 rubles – 100 Gigabytes;
- 200 rubles – 1 Terabyte.
The annual cost is 10 times more than the monthly one.
You can manage your data from your smartphone by installing the application from Play Market, if your phone is on Android.
Screenshots from your computer are automatically saved to storage. You can share files and folders by making them publicly accessible.
[email protected]
The most famous mail service throughout Russia and the CIS countries has launched its own cloud storage.
The cloud allows you to store all types of files from documents to videos. Document exchange, like other repositories, is also present. The company received the Runet Prize for launching the cloud.
The initial free data storage volume is 25 GB. There is the ability to remotely edit and change documents located in your “storeroom”. Mail.ru supports working with technology modern generations and a unique protection system.
Rates for additional free space depend on the current volume. The minimum monthly payment is 99 rubles per 100 gigabytes or 990 per year. For 1 TB 499 rubles monthly or 4990 per year. Not a very steep price tag.
The server is located in Europe. All files are scanned by Kaspersky antivirus.
Google Drive (Google Drive)
Google Drive, originally Google Docs, is a cloud storage and data synchronization service from Google.
The service is no different from other cloud storage services. All the same functionality, installation, configuration and the same capabilities.
On this moment I actively use this service. I like his prices, not very cheap, but not very expensive either. Files can be shared using a special link in the context menu. You can open it by right-clicking on the desired folder.
During installation, other services from Google may be installed. There is no need to worry or be afraid of them. These are just hyperlinks to online services working with documents and presentations.
Conclusion
To summarize, we can say that any of the above virtual disks, they cope with their task with a bang. It’s just that everyone decides which one they like. To say that one is better than the other is to say nothing. All of them are reliable and have encryption against unauthorized access, so all your data is completely safe.
If you are very worried about your data on your computer, then make a backup copy. At one time, I did not pay attention to this until I encountered this. With what exactly? With the loss of information from your hard drive on the computer. After this incident, I started backing up data. How do I do this? The video course helped me " Backup using the method of Evgeniy Popov" It is very simple and understandable. Take care of your data and backup it!
Well, now the time has come to say goodbye. I hope all your questions and doubts about new technology online data saving. I wish you success, share this article with your friends and acquaintances on social media. networks.
Thank you for your attention, all the best!
All the best to you, Timur Mustaev.