Cloud File Storage

[Justin]

I started using Dropbox a while back now and really like it, very simple and works quickly.

I heard about Mega.co.nz and decided to sign up for a look. Instant sign up gave me 50Gb storage, massive amounts available as a paid upgrade. Just wondered if anyone else used this company or had heard anything positive/negative about them?

[mrs maggot]

i tried a trial with just cloud, waited and waited, and the emails came in 70% off (was 20% at first) so the unlimited option is £2.90 per month, when you sign up and pay a year in advance, but i have not done it yet, i figure they will offer it again if i do the trial again lol

[Paul]

I use dropbox a lot. but if i would have to choice again then i would go for google drive. same as dropbox.

[Justin]

I tried a few before settling on drop box but thought I'd take a look at mega. Still in its infancy as its the new site taking over from mega uploads, very simple and I don't think all features are enabled yet but prices are good.

[JSR]

I use three cloud storage sites regularly:

For my main files (including business), I have the 100GB Dropbox package. For my music/audio files, I'm using the 50GB Box.net (that was a free offer when they wanted to compete against the new iCloud). For my photos, I recently started using Asus Web Storage (because my new laptop came with 32GB for free for three years).

Mega.co.nz does seem to offer an awful lot of space for very little money but, for my onions, it's wayyyy too new to consider seriously. For example, it appears that it works only via the browser interface, rather than a desktop sync tool that most other services use. I'd find it too inconvenient to use the browser only for uploads/downloads (uploading up to 4TB via a web browser over https? Are they serious?). As it works via desktop browser only (with emphasis on Google Chrome), that means there are no mobile/tablet apps either.

Maybe when Mega has matured in a year or two, it could be worth looking at.

[GoonerGary]

I started using online storage after a sudden hard drive crash, but it's not great for regular access to your files...only backup.

I was using Google Drive to store my everyday excel files so that all my computers could share and edit the same file, but it wouldn't sync correctly so went back to swapping an sd card about. Downloading files is very slow and box files always wants to upgrade, another lengthy sync. And why does it need to cost so much?

[JSR]

I started using online storage after a sudden hard drive crash, but it's not great for regular access to your files...only backup.

I use Dropbox for regular access to my files because I like the simplicity of the way the whole folder on your hard drive is kept in sync with Dropbox, and that Dropbox keeps old versions of your files for at least 30 days (longer if you pay more). Both Box and Asus do the same thing (although they don't seem quite so instantaneous as Dropbox, and I don't think they keep previous versions - but, then, I'm not paying them so I'd expect a lesser service).

The only concern I have about online storage is security. Most providers claim a certain element of security, but anything they say must be taken with trust. If you have sensitive files that you don't want anyone else to access, you must secure them yourself before passing them over to the cloud. Don't trust what they say. It's too late to be regretting it after a security breach has occurred.

[GoonerGary]

Maybe I will try Skydrive or Drop box for quick syncing. As for security, I think it was Dropbox who got hacked, so didn't bother joining them just to avoid the spam. Don't be putting your passwords and bank details on there obviously, but much how use are your income/ outcome documents to anyone in all honesty?

[JSR]

Maybe I will try Skydrive or Drop box for quick syncing. As for security, I think it was Dropbox who got hacked, so didn't bother joining them just to avoid the spam. Don't be putting your passwords and bank details on there obviously, but much how use are your income/ outcome documents to anyone in all honesty?

This is precisely why I say you should secure your files yourself. Just because others haven't been so widely publicised as Dropbox, that doesn't mean they don't fall foul of the same kind of things. At least Dropbox did (eventually) come clean. How much can you trust the others who don't say anything, who may be hiding security flaws, or the new services that are unproven?

In all respects, secure your important files yourself. You probably don't need to be encrypting your music files, and family photos (for cross device compatibility, it's probably best not to do so anyway), but any business files and personal documents should be secured before placing them in the cloud.

Many people use something like TrueCrypt to achieve this. Then, even if someone does get hold of your files, the best they'll get is an encrypted volume that they can't decrypt anyway.

[Stitch Up]

I sometimes use Mega. If I'm not mistaken, the guy behind it used to run The Pirate Bay (or something very similar)

Anyway, my question:

Is it possible to sync a folder from your hard drive to a folder on Mega? The reason I ask is when uploading lots of files overnight, if something halts the process, I'd prefer a way of uploading just the files/folders that didn't make it - not the whole lot again.

Cheers

John