Transfer and Sync Files Between Computers with Dropbox

Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by Bhavishya Kanjhan in Internet Tools

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dropbox-logoNetbooks, desktops, laptops and who knows what else.  We all have at least one or two of these devices, if not more.  Owning more than one device has given rise to the need for transferring numerous files between these devices.

Traditionally, we have used email or flash drives.  This has worked so far, but we often have bigger files than email will support or frequently lose our flash drives.  What we need is a solution to sharing all of our data with ourselves.

Dropbox helps solve these problems in an extremely effective manner.

Overview

Dropbox is a multi-platform application, so you don’t have to worry about what operating system you’re running. Once installed, Dropbox creates a folder on your computer (appropriately titled ‘Dropbox’).

Dropbox Systray

This folder will stay in sync across all your computers. So if you were to put a file in the Dropbox on Laptop A, it will start syncing instantly and appear under the Dropbox folder in Netbook B.

Added Functionality

Dropbox isn’t just limited to syncing files across computers. Dropbox comes with a number of additional features which increase its utility. For example, you don’t need to have Dropbox installed on Netbook B to access the files. Any files copied onto the Dropbox folder in Laptop A are also available online on Dropbox’s website. This is especially useful for places where you may not be allowed to use a flash drive.

dropbox-ss

Dropbox also allows you to share files with other users to enable collaboration as well as distribution of files to them. There is an existing Public folder, but you may make other folders to be shared among users or collaborators.  The share may even be accessed by those who are not signed up to Dropbox yet.

Options

Dropbox comes in 2 flavors. The first is free and offers 2GB of storage. The second version costs $9.99 a month or $99 a year and will allow you to store up to 50GB worth of storage. A lot of people may find flash drives cheaper than this, but as far as relatively smaller files are concerned, Dropbox wins hands down. The simplicity and ease of use make it a winner.

Safety

Some people may be concerned with posting some of their files to a server that isn’t their own.  This fear should be ease, because Dropbox data is transferred over SSL and encrypted with AES-256 before storage.

Conclusion

Dropbox is a great and easy to use file syncing and sharing utility.  It gives you other options that aren’t email or flash drives, and it also offers some great security features that make you feel better about the sharing of your data.  Have you used Dropbox or similar services?  Do you feel comfortable with them?

(By) Bhavishya tries to be an early adopter, but being a non-earning, full-time student has its constraints. When he’s not on the computer (like that ever happens), he tries to practice a bit of Digital Photography. His personal technology blog can be found at Kanjhan and photoblog at The Funk Eye.

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