Office 2010 And The Cloud - Skydrive

[hlewton]

I have had a lot of files stored on a free server which I believe would be considered to be in the "Clouds." Is is called Skydrive and I believe it is operated by Microsoft. Until recently I have been able to open the files I put up there to edit them if I wished using Office 2003 applications. Microsoft seems to have changed the rules and now insists I have Office 2010 which I do have on one machine. Well even with Office 2010 it seems I can only open Word files. Every time I try to open an Excel file is says the "Worksheet cannot be loaded." If I try to open an Access file it wants to download it first. I have no experience with a Power Point file. Does anyone have any experience in this area and if so any suggestions other than downloading the file to my local hard drive first before editing it?

Thanks

[HansV]

From Windows Live SkyDrive team blog:

Tip: Editing your files on SkyDrive
Here’s the best way to make changes to a file that you’ve uploaded to your SkyDrive:

Download the file to a known location on your hard drive
Edit and save that file just like any normal file on your hard drive
When you're finished making changes, visit SkyDrive and navigate to the folder where you originally downloaded the file
Click Add files and upload the file
SkyDrive will automatically replace the older version of the file as long as the new version has the same name.

So they do want you to download and upload...

[hlewton]

Thanks Hans and that is exactly how I have been doing it as of late but I didn't use to have to do it that way. It sure goes against all the adds I see on TV over here where it shows making changes to a file on a Cloud drive. However, I do agree with what you have posted because that is the only way I have found lately to do it.

Again, thanks.

[hlewton]

Does anyone have any experience with a service called Dropbox? I was wondering if it acted the same as how Skydrive works as far as editing a file once there.

[Samantha]

I've never used Skydrive, so I'm not sure how Dropbox compares, but I've been using Dropbox pretty heavily over the last couple of months.

With Dropbox, you install the program to your computer(s) and store the files you want to keep sync'd in the Dropbox folder on your computer. The utility then automatically syncs any changes with an online version. So unless you are accessing the online version from a computer which does not have Dropbox installed, there's no "downloading" taking place, since you are always working with a local copy - which is sync'd in the background when you close the file.

The only danger with this method is you have to remember to give Dropbox a few moments to sync between closing the file and turning off your internet connection if you plan on accessing the file from a different location before you can get back to sync the version you just closed. Dropbox keeps old versions of the document in your online account, but if you've neglected to allow the local copy sync with the cloud copy before you make additional changes, that option is closed to you. (A lesson I only had to learn once.)

I have Dropbox installed on 3 different computers - work, home and laptop, and I've stored, sync'd and shared all different types of files -- Microsoft Word, Excel & Publisher documents; Open Office Writer & Calc documents, PDFs, and various graphics files. Dropbox was invaluable in my recent endeavors of both writing my own novel during November as a competitor in the National Novel Writing Month, but also in organizing the events for over 240 other local participants in my city.

While the competition takes place during the month of November, as one of the local organizers, I start planning in early October and don't finish with my organizational duties until mid-December. So far, I've used (at least) 5 different computers from probably 15 different locations. So long as I had an internet connection available, I didn't have to worry about having the most recent version of whatever task I needed to work on at the moment. If I was using one of my computers, I opened the last version of the document from my Dropbox folder -- if I happened to be using a borrowed computer, I simply downloaded the cloud version, and re-saved it back to the cloud, to be sync'd automatically with the three sets of the same document on my computers.

[hlewton]

Thank you Samantha that was very informative.

[westerneagle]

I will just ditto Samantha......

I have been using Dropbox for about 6 months to keep 3 computers sync'd.
And Now I also use it with my IPOD. (as long as I have wifi.)

I use the free version and it gives me all the room I need.

You must have a DropBox folder for your files. I wish it would allow you to sync any folder you want. (This feature seems to be in the works.)

[hlewton]

I will just ditto Samantha......
You must have a DropBox folder for your files. I wish it would allow you to sync any folder you want. (This feature seems to be in the works.)

I read something like that in a newsletter I get and wondered about if I'd have to move my files from the "My Documents" folder to a Dropbox folder. If that is the case I can see myself having to manually copy changed files to the "My Documents" folder.

[westerneagle]

Since I only put working files (or files that I want to have in the cloud....and available) this is not too much of a problem for me.

I put my project files into the DropBox folder where they stay while I am working on them.
Then I never have to worry going from computer to computer that I have the latest file.

After I am finished with the project I move them back to the appropriate folders. THis of course also removes them from my DropB account, but I don't mind since I am finished with it and my regular back up program will save it.

I also think of DropB as a back up plan for important files that I JUST CAN"T LOSE while they are being work on.

I just always start a project in the DropBox folder but If they would let me pick which folders I could 'cloud', it would just save me from moving them when I am done with the file.
I guess if I had unlimited space on DropB, I would not remove them.....

[hlewton]

Yes it does sound like it is a good deal, especially the free part. Thanks.