Discovering SkyDrive

[Basil]

Background
My computer contains over 6000 pictures and a handful of old letters/documents of no real importance. The pictures, however, are irreplaceable and I don't want to loose them, if something was to go wrong! Although I back them up on an external hard drive, I am concious that this can also easily fail. I was, therefore, looking for a decent cloud storage service, primarily for the pictures.

The journey
Prompted by Corrine's Security Garden Blog back in May 2013, I decided to try SkyDrive.
However, I immediately hit a problem. I could not Upload any pictures or documents. I read the relevant SkyDrive help topic again and again, but it just would not work for me. Clicking on the "Upload" button, opens my computer's "File Upload" but dragging pictures or documents from the "File Upload" on to the SkyDrive upload screen produces no results.
Reluctantly, I decided to give up on SkyDrive and try "Mammoth". I hit exactly the same problem with Mammoth... :blink:

I then decided to return to SkyDrive and try to find out what was stopping me from uploading... :twisted:
I was determined to get it to work... :wink:
Foolishly thinking that some add-on or my AV or antimalware might be the problem, I spent weeks of head scratching and experimenting to no avail. The problem persisted. At that point I decided to totally ignore the instructions of the help topic and find my own way of doing the upload.. :tech:

By ignoring the SkyDrive "Upload" button, but clicking on the desktop "Start" and selecting either "Pictures" or "Documents", I could click and drag any picture or document from the pictures or document screen on to SkyDrive ............AND IT WORKED !!... :Yahoo:... :Yahoo:

I am now kicking myself for not finding the solution much earlier, instead of getting involved with complicated problem solving... :oops: 
I will not go as far as say that the Help topic instructions are wrong, but in my case, for some reason, they did not work!

SkyDrive first impressions
I think that SkyDrive is an excellent web based application, with 7 GB of free storage. Very well designed interface with very logically designed functions. However, apart from the storage, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it also has direct access to web based "Word Document", "Excel Workbook", "PowerPoint Presentation" and "OneNote notebook".
If I didn't need Libre Office (which I currently use) for playing back attachments that friends send me on emails, I would totally uninstall Libre Office. The Web based applications of SkyDrive are more than enough for me.

Outlook can also be accessed via SkyDrive. Having used Gmail for many years, I am now reluctant to change my email address. Such a change would cause me quite a few headaches. Yes, I could "divert" Gmail emails to be received via Outlook, but any email sent would have my live.com email address... :uhm:

I am delighted I persisted with SkyDrive. It is a great application.... :mitch:

The only fly in the ointment is my current internet upload speed of 0.3 kbps. A quick calculation, points out that I would need 2 1/2 weeks of continuous upload (No food...No sleep.. :wub:) to upload 6000 pictures. This, however, will be rectified during the next couple of weeks as I move from copper wiring to fibre-optics connection.

[Corrine]

Hi, Basil.

Do you have the SkyDrive Desktop App installed on your computer?  http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/skydrive/download  With that, you can select folders to be synced with SkyDrive.  See attached screen capture.  You'll probably want to wait until you move to the fiber-optics connection  (you lucky dog!).  Otherwise, take a look at the "Performance Tab" under Settings for the Desktop App.



As to switching to Outlook.com for your Gmail, you can respond from Outlook.com using your Gmail address.  Since I know you read my blog, I guess you missed the link from Managing Formerly Linked Microsoft Accounts to the Microsoft instructions which include both how to set up Outlook.com to send mail from your Gmail address as well as connecting Outlook.com to your Gmail contacts!  (See Microsoft Windows Help, Set up your Gmail, Yahoo!, POP, or Microsoft email accounts in Outlook.com.)



What type of files do your friends send as attachments?  Are the files attached to the emails .doc, .docx, .xls, etc?  If so, you should be able to view them online via the Web Apps.  Also, with Active View, you can view images and videos right in your Outlook inbox:  Active Views in my Outlook.com inbox.

[Basil]

Good morning Corrine,

Wow! ..... a lot of food for thought in your kind response.... :D

Back in June/July, I did have the SkyDrive desktop App installed. I can, however, see now that I was not using it correctly. I did not synchronise anything, thinking that it would do it automatically. I was thinking that it was needed only to synchronise the desktop with other devises, like iPhone, iPad which I don't have. As a result, the way I tried to use it, made no difference to pictures transfer to the cloud and  I finally gave up with it and uninstalled it..... :(  I can see that I will need to reinstall it. As you suggest, I will wait for the fiber-optics connection, otherwise, synchronising could take a long time... :wub:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yes, you are absolutely right. I did miss your link with the Microsoft instructions about setting up Outlook.com ...... :oops:
Thank you for the two links. Plenty to study. I wasn't aware that I could use my gmail address for outgoing mail using Outlook.
I will try and set it up properly!!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The types of files my first cousins (one lives in N.Y. and the other in Washington D.C.) send me, are primarily .pps presentations, with the occasional .jpg family photograph.
Thank you for the link about Active Views.

Plenty to work with !!.. :goodie:
Thanks again... :flowers:

[Corrine]

As an experiment, you could forward one of the emails from your cousins email to your Outlook.com address and see how it works with Active View.

[Basil]

I have spent a long time today, configuring Outlook as I want it.

I can send emails from Outlook, using my Gmail address.
I can receive in Outlook emails sent to my Gmail address.
Created a number of additional folders in Outlook and transferred all my stored emails from Gmail to Outlook.
Deleted all useless emails I was keeping in Gmail. My Gmail account is now totally empty.
Transferred all my contacts from my Gmail to Outlook.

I have already received emails, and Active View seems to be working fine. Fully tested...so far it is perfect... :lol:

I have even configured POP Peeper so that it works with Outlook.

I have been "very busy" today, but I am very pleased with the result.....  :goodie:

Thank you Corrine.

P.S. Next challenge is SkyDrive/Desktop App. but for this I will wait for the fiber-optic connection!

[Corrine]

You have indeed been busy!  :dance:

[Basil]

Happy Days... :mitch:

British Telecom has just confirmed that they are coming to my house on Dec. 3rd to install my new modem and connect me to Fibre Optics...!!
They state that my download speed will not be less than 30Gb with an upload of not less that 10Gb. I think I will be able to live with that  :D  considering that my current download speed is 1.4Gb with an upload speed of 0.3Gb... :(

SkyDrive here I come...only a few more days to wait..... :dance:

[Corrine]

Sweet!!!

[Basil]

I am happy with that... :mitch:

Download speed: 37.39 Mbps       
Upload speed : 9.21 Mbps
PING : 13 ms

Now I need a faster computer.... :wub:

[Corrine]

That really is nice! Over twice what I get in d/l speed and upload is 9x.