Windows Live SkyDrive (initially Windows Live Folders) is part of Microsoft’s Windows Live range of online services. SkyDrive is a file storage and sharing service that allows users to upload files to the computing cloud, then access them from a web browser. It uses Windows Live ID to control access to the user’s files, allowing them to keep the files private, share with contacts, or make the files public. Publicly-shared files do not require a Windows Live ID to access. So as long as you have a Hotmail or MSN email account, you have a SkyDrive. The service currently offers 25 GB of free personal storage, with individual files limited to 50 MB.
Recently I discovered SkyDrive Explorer, a very useful extension that allows you to access SkyDrive files from My Computer. The concept is exactly the same as GMail Drive Extension which turns your Google email into a virtual file system. SkyDrive would be a better option compared to Gmail because Gmail is an email service and not meant to be a file storage. It can be a little risky if one day Google decides to delete files that are uploaded using GMail Drive Extension or suspend your Google account.
SkyDrive Explorer is a free, easy-to-use, but very powerful extension for Windows Explorer. With SkyDrive Explorer you can make any every-day operations with your documents from Microsoft Live SkyDrive service using Windows Explorer, as if they were on your computer. Moreover you don’t need to install and configure any additional programs or ActiveX components. SkyDrive Explorer will organize the interaction with the online storage itself. With the current beta version of SkyDrive Explorer v1.1 you can enjoy the following functionality:
View the structure and contents of folders in SkyDrive View files information (type, size, creation date in GMT format) Create new root folders and subfolders Copy files into the storage Delete files and folders Copy files from the storage to the computer Copy folders and subfolders from the storage to the computer saving their structure Use Drag & Drop for files operations Rename files and folders Create links to SkyDrive folders
After installing SkyDrive Explorer which is only 1.17MB in size, you will see an additional icon in My Computer called SkyDrive Explorer. Double clicking on that icon will prompt you to enter your Windows Live ID. The login form looks very much like Windows Live Messenger 2009.
After a successful login, you’ll be presented with a few folders like you normally see on your computer. My internet connection upload speed is 384Kbps (48KBps) and I was able to upload at 46KBps.
You do not have to worry about people snooping on your connection because it is protected with HTTPS protocol. SkyDrive Explorer is free and works both in 32- and 64-bit version Windows starting from XP to 7.