I Need That File!

How To Store Files On The Web.
For Windows 9.xx to Windows XP/Vista Mac Tip #0011

I often hear from clients words such as, “my machine is not working properly” or “I broke my computer” and occasionally my favourite, “I broke the internet.” The most devastating though are situations where because of drastic circumstances - a fire or theft – there is simply no technical way to retrieve important information.
In recent months we have learned how to find out what is on our machines and how to find specific files that are on our machines.
It is always a good idea to have backups of your files on CD’s, DVD’s or better yet an external hard drive. But is there a way to back up essential files without any hardware or special equipment? Indeed there is if you have an internet connection – and trust me on this you cannot break the internet.
This tip is for those essential things or information you know are important. The stuff that you would be ‘lost’ without.
It is also for the things that are convenient to have a copy of; your eMail settings, browser favourites and the like along with files essential to either your work and/or well being.
But how to access information anywhere? Not just in the event of loss or accident. If you are away from home unexpectedly and need some information you know you have at home on your machine. Is there any way to store essential files in the event you may need them? And be able to retrieve them from just about anywhere? The answer is yes, and can be surprisingly easy.
I will give you a solution which requires minimum effort and of course comes for my favourite price; free.
Back in the July issue, I gave a tip for the best free eMail. In the event you are like me and even if you still had the old paper around, it might be anywhere and especially these days may have gone up in smoke lighting the essential home fire. So, I will provide a link. The G-Mail article is available at this address: http://bulldogtipstricks.blogspot.com/2007/06/best-free-email.html.
Now, if you use Yahoo or even TDS or Verizon you also will have included in your monthly subscription a “web mail” account. The operable word here is ‘web’. Check with your ISP regarding how much space you are allocated. Some ISPs limit both the amount of space and the number of eMail accounts you can have. That is why I suggest you go with what I call a ‘free-mail’ account.
Though I suggest and recommend Google’s G-Mail, you can do this with any eMail account with web access. I recommend the ‘free-mail’ solutions G-Mail, Yahoo, HotMail or even AOL’s free internet mail. If you ever move or change ISP (Internet Service Provider) the minute you are no longer a paying client, they delete your on-line mail, not to mention your on-line identity.
Your free-mail accounts will be with you into a digital forever. Even if you don’t use an on-line mail programme now, I strongly recommend you sign up for one. You can create an account with your name or your business name now. It will insure you have that unique eMail address. If you never use it, hey it cost you zip, so you have lost nothing more than the 10 minutes it takes to sign up. And it may just come in handy even if it does not ‘save your life’ someday.
Now you have a place which offers free storage for up to 5 GBs and is accessible from any machine anywhere in the world that has an internet connection.
If you are writing a book or say have some special photographs or some confidential information that you might wish to use or whatever it is that is special and/or important to you, even with backups, take this added precaution. You may never need it but if you ever do you will be so relieved and grateful. Your small time investment will pay large dividends.
So how do you accomplish this task, how do you store essential and important files on the internet? Stunningly simple:
All you need to do is eMail copies of your files or documents or information or any file (dial-up users should only send smaller files one at a time) to your web-mail account. Then create a file folder or in G-Mail a ‘Label’ called “My Essential Files” or “Martha’s Book” or whatever. This simple process can be a god-send if your machine goes wonky or you are unexpectedly away from home and need to access your special information. You can even automate the filing process on G-Mail and most web-mail clients.
Some of my friends and family tell me they keep nothing essential or important on their computers. This is rarely true.
In my experience, those who have no important information on their computers are most likely to call with a desperate request. The “I lost my password, I cannot log on to my computer.” “I forgot the password for my on-line photo account, those are the only copies of my grandchildren I have”, etc.
If you lost the container/folder that your installation disks came in for an office or photo programme, do you know the key code for your licensed (and paid for) software? These are the kind of essential files I am talking about that even a casual user could benefit from having a backed up copy sitting on the web.
So, dear Bulldog readers, I strongly suggest you get in the habit of eMailing yourself. And yes, you can send yourself an eMail from your eMail address to your eMail address. Let me know if you found this useful or just have other computer related questions.
I can be contacted at: guygriscom@gmail.com. If you’d like to view any of my older columns or just want the hyper-links, just go to the online site: http://bulldogtipstricks.blogspot.com/.
‘Free-Mail’ Links:
G-Mail: http://mail.google.com/
Yahoo: https://mail.yahoo.com/
Hotmail: http://www.hotmail.com//
AOL: http://www.mail.aol.com//