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From LWS:
Originally posted by DaX
This tutorial is multi-part, in depth, and regards the use of a relative new (to me) file sharing system: gmail drives.
what is gmail drive? basically, it is a plug-in that allows you to access your gmail account from your "my computer". so it makes your gmail account, which can hold up to 1 gb of data, like another drive on your computer. cool! how does it work? read on...
TUTORIAL SECTIONS
0. NEEDED PROGRAMS, ECT
1. GETTING STARTED - SETTING UP YOUR GMAIL (please, please read!), INSTALLING THE DRIVE
2. PREPARING YOUR GMAIL ACCOUNT TO MAKE FILESHARING EASIER
3. SETTING UP THE DRIVE, LOGGING ON, USING THE ACTUAL DRIVE
4. PREPARING FILES TO UPLOAD
5. UPLOADING, SHARING YOUR UPLOADED FILES WITH PEOPLE
6. WHAT TO DO AFTER YOUVE D/LED THE FILES
7. TROUBLE SHOOTING
8. OTHER USEFUL TIDBITS
0. NEEDED PROGRAMS, ECT
you will need three things, basically:
A) at least one gmail account
B) the gmail drive (d/l at http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm)
C) a file splitting program
(A) if you dont already have one, the lws community has multiple extras. just request one (for the purpose of sharing only, though) and we will try to help you out.
(B) download the drive at http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm, see step two for installing
(C) since gmail has set the maximum file size at 10 mb, and most shared things are above 10 mb, you will need a file splitter. the best one out there, that is free, is a program called filesplitter (thanks to acid on3). d/l it here: http://www.dekabyte.com/filesplitter/ i suggest you get the one without the install file. its not necessary.
or you can use winrar.
see step 4 for splitting instructions.
1. GETTING STARTED
(Jerome's note: don't follow this part, it's instructions on how to create a systematic system to people can login and download files for sharing.)BEFORE YOU CREATE A GMAIL ACCOUNT PLEASE READ HERE
A) creating a gmail account
B) installing the driver program
(A) please, please, please follow these guidelines. it will make everything a lot easier for everyone to log into the account.
I) assuming you have recieved a gmail invite (or sent one to yourself), clikc the link in the email to go to the gmail site.
II) enter the following things in the appropriate fields:
first name: (anything, but username_lws is useful. ie, i did dax_lws)
last name: (anything, but the forum you are creating the file for is useful. ie, dd, music, eb, dd2, ect)
PLEASE FOLLOW THE PROTOCOL HERE
desired log in name: username.lws.forum examples are dax.lws.dd, dax.lws.eb, dax.lws.music. please follow this format!
password: preferably something easy to remember, such as lwspublicmusic, lwspublicdd, lwspubliceb.
security question: (anything really, or you can create your own i did "who created this accout")
answer: (anything that is easy to remember. for my created question i answered "dax")
secondary email: LEAVE BLANK! LEAVE BLANK! LEAVE BLANK!
now that your gmail account is correctly created, move on to step B:
(B) d/l the program at the link above. once downloaded, unzip the file. now i would suggest you move the directory which you unzipped to into your c:/program files directory as YOU NEED TO KEEP THE FILES FOR THE PROGRAM TO WORK.
after moving the directory, double click the setup icon, and it will install automatically. after the fine installs the readme will pop up, you can either read it or not.
2. PREPARING YOUR GMAIL ACCOUNT TO MAKE FILESHARING EASIER
THIS STEP IS NOT NECESSARY AT ALL. I DONT KNOW WHY IM PUTTING IT HERE AS MOST PEOPLE WILL JUST CONNECT THROUGH THE DRIVE PROGRAM, BUT ITS GOING HERE ANYWAYS. ONLY DO THIS STEP FIF YOU PLAN ON LOGGING INTO THE GMAIL ACCOUNT DIRECTLY AND WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IT CLEAN LOOKING
from the gmail drive site, "Because the GMail files will clutter up your Inbox folder, you may wish to create a filter in GMail to automatically move the files (prefixed with the GMAILFS letters) to your archived mail folder." to do this, log into your gmail account (in a browser) and click on "create a filter" at the top. in the new thing that pops open, undersubject type "GMAILFS" without the quote. then hit next step. in the next section, select the "skip the inbox (archive it)" and the "star it" options. this will automaitcally move anything that you add with the gmail mail drive to a starred folder. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE USING YOUR OWN ACCOUNT (NOT RECCOMMENDED) AND NOT A LWS SPECIFIC ACCOUNT. ITS POINTLESS. if you do do this however, please tell people that you put stuff in your starred folder or else theyll think you lied to them. lol.
3. SETTING UP THE DRIVE, LOGGING ON, USING THE DIRVE
after installation, go to your my computer. an icon should have been added called "gmail drive". double click it. the first time you open it, a box should pop up, put your gmail username (no @gmail.com) and password into it. do NOT check the auto login box. it will hopefully connect after 2 seconds and you should see an empty folder. this is good.
now you can add stuff. you can create new folders (for multiple content types, ect) by right clicking and choosing "new folder" then naming it. (gmail protip: this is counted as a downloadable file in gmail, not a folder. but you can use it on the gmail drive anyways as a regular folder.)
add some shit (see step 5).
TO LOG INTO SOMEONE ELSES ACCOUNT IN THE DRIVER PROGRAM (READ!!)
once you are all logged into an account, everytime you click and the driver icon in my computer it will automatically log you in to the last profile you were on. TO CHANGE PROFILES go to file, then "login as". you get the login prompt. change away! if you are having trouble connecting with your initial account, try this as well.
4. PREPARING FILES TO UPLOAD
since gmail is gay (haha, kidding!) they have limited file sizes to 10 mb max. there is a (semi-)easy way to get around this: use a file splitter. i suggest two different ones:
A) file splitter
B) winrar
im sure there are others but these are the easiest to use. instructions for splitting are as follows:
(A) d/l filesplitter (see link at top). i suggest you get the one without the install file as its faster and less painless.
to use it, simply open the .exe, direct it to the file you want to split, then the folder you want to files to be saved to, and finally the size. for the size select custom, then type in 10 and select MB. it does the rest for you (assuming you press the split button)!
the cool thing about file splitter is that it includes a small file to re-split (lol is that even a term?) the file back together again, and the original file splitter is not needed. huzzah!
unfortunately the downside to file splitter is that you cannot make an archive of multiple files and split them at the same time (without first creating the file in winrar or something...). that is where winrar comes in handy (say, for multiple tv episodes or something)
(B) d/l a free trial a winrar.
after installing, or if you already have, highlight all the files you want to add to the archive.
then right click and select "add to archive...".
in the new window that opens, do the select the following:
archive name: (whatever)
archive format: .rar
compression method: store
split to volumes, bytes: 10485760 THIS IS EXACTLY 10 MB. YOU MUST USE THIS VALUE TO CORRECTLY SPLIT THE FILES.
then click ok, and winrar will start chugging out parts in 10 mb file sizes.
the files are now prepped to be added to the gmail drive.
OTHER USEFUL TIDBITS[/i]
GMAIL DOES NOT ALLOW THE UPLOADING OF .ZIP FILES FOR SECURITY REASONS. PLEASE USE WINRAR TO .RAR YOUR FILES, OR THE FILE SPLITTER TO SPLIT THEM.
what is gmail drive? basically, it is a plug-in that allows you to access your gmail account from your "my computer". so it makes your gmail account, which can hold up to 1 gb of data, like another drive on your computer. cool! how does it work? read on...
TUTORIAL SECTIONS
0. NEEDED PROGRAMS, ECT
1. GETTING STARTED - SETTING UP YOUR GMAIL (please, please read!), INSTALLING THE DRIVE
2. PREPARING YOUR GMAIL ACCOUNT TO MAKE FILESHARING EASIER
3. SETTING UP THE DRIVE, LOGGING ON, USING THE ACTUAL DRIVE
4. PREPARING FILES TO UPLOAD
5. UPLOADING, SHARING YOUR UPLOADED FILES WITH PEOPLE
6. WHAT TO DO AFTER YOUVE D/LED THE FILES
7. TROUBLE SHOOTING
8. OTHER USEFUL TIDBITS
0. NEEDED PROGRAMS, ECT
you will need three things, basically:
A) at least one gmail account
B) the gmail drive (d/l at http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm)
C) a file splitting program
(A) if you dont already have one, the lws community has multiple extras. just request one (for the purpose of sharing only, though) and we will try to help you out.
(B) download the drive at http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm, see step two for installing
(C) since gmail has set the maximum file size at 10 mb, and most shared things are above 10 mb, you will need a file splitter. the best one out there, that is free, is a program called filesplitter (thanks to acid on3). d/l it here: http://www.dekabyte.com/filesplitter/ i suggest you get the one without the install file. its not necessary.
or you can use winrar.
see step 4 for splitting instructions.
1. GETTING STARTED
(Jerome's note: don't follow this part, it's instructions on how to create a systematic system to people can login and download files for sharing.)BEFORE YOU CREATE A GMAIL ACCOUNT PLEASE READ HERE
A) creating a gmail account
B) installing the driver program
(A) please, please, please follow these guidelines. it will make everything a lot easier for everyone to log into the account.
I) assuming you have recieved a gmail invite (or sent one to yourself), clikc the link in the email to go to the gmail site.
II) enter the following things in the appropriate fields:
first name: (anything, but username_lws is useful. ie, i did dax_lws)
last name: (anything, but the forum you are creating the file for is useful. ie, dd, music, eb, dd2, ect)
PLEASE FOLLOW THE PROTOCOL HERE
desired log in name: username.lws.forum examples are dax.lws.dd, dax.lws.eb, dax.lws.music. please follow this format!
password: preferably something easy to remember, such as lwspublicmusic, lwspublicdd, lwspubliceb.
security question: (anything really, or you can create your own i did "who created this accout")
answer: (anything that is easy to remember. for my created question i answered "dax")
secondary email: LEAVE BLANK! LEAVE BLANK! LEAVE BLANK!
now that your gmail account is correctly created, move on to step B:
(B) d/l the program at the link above. once downloaded, unzip the file. now i would suggest you move the directory which you unzipped to into your c:/program files directory as YOU NEED TO KEEP THE FILES FOR THE PROGRAM TO WORK.
after moving the directory, double click the setup icon, and it will install automatically. after the fine installs the readme will pop up, you can either read it or not.
2. PREPARING YOUR GMAIL ACCOUNT TO MAKE FILESHARING EASIER
THIS STEP IS NOT NECESSARY AT ALL. I DONT KNOW WHY IM PUTTING IT HERE AS MOST PEOPLE WILL JUST CONNECT THROUGH THE DRIVE PROGRAM, BUT ITS GOING HERE ANYWAYS. ONLY DO THIS STEP FIF YOU PLAN ON LOGGING INTO THE GMAIL ACCOUNT DIRECTLY AND WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IT CLEAN LOOKING
from the gmail drive site, "Because the GMail files will clutter up your Inbox folder, you may wish to create a filter in GMail to automatically move the files (prefixed with the GMAILFS letters) to your archived mail folder." to do this, log into your gmail account (in a browser) and click on "create a filter" at the top. in the new thing that pops open, undersubject type "GMAILFS" without the quote. then hit next step. in the next section, select the "skip the inbox (archive it)" and the "star it" options. this will automaitcally move anything that you add with the gmail mail drive to a starred folder. ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE USING YOUR OWN ACCOUNT (NOT RECCOMMENDED) AND NOT A LWS SPECIFIC ACCOUNT. ITS POINTLESS. if you do do this however, please tell people that you put stuff in your starred folder or else theyll think you lied to them. lol.
3. SETTING UP THE DRIVE, LOGGING ON, USING THE DIRVE
after installation, go to your my computer. an icon should have been added called "gmail drive". double click it. the first time you open it, a box should pop up, put your gmail username (no @gmail.com) and password into it. do NOT check the auto login box. it will hopefully connect after 2 seconds and you should see an empty folder. this is good.
now you can add stuff. you can create new folders (for multiple content types, ect) by right clicking and choosing "new folder" then naming it. (gmail protip: this is counted as a downloadable file in gmail, not a folder. but you can use it on the gmail drive anyways as a regular folder.)
add some shit (see step 5).
TO LOG INTO SOMEONE ELSES ACCOUNT IN THE DRIVER PROGRAM (READ!!)
once you are all logged into an account, everytime you click and the driver icon in my computer it will automatically log you in to the last profile you were on. TO CHANGE PROFILES go to file, then "login as". you get the login prompt. change away! if you are having trouble connecting with your initial account, try this as well.
4. PREPARING FILES TO UPLOAD
since gmail is gay (haha, kidding!) they have limited file sizes to 10 mb max. there is a (semi-)easy way to get around this: use a file splitter. i suggest two different ones:
A) file splitter
B) winrar
im sure there are others but these are the easiest to use. instructions for splitting are as follows:
(A) d/l filesplitter (see link at top). i suggest you get the one without the install file as its faster and less painless.
to use it, simply open the .exe, direct it to the file you want to split, then the folder you want to files to be saved to, and finally the size. for the size select custom, then type in 10 and select MB. it does the rest for you (assuming you press the split button)!
the cool thing about file splitter is that it includes a small file to re-split (lol is that even a term?) the file back together again, and the original file splitter is not needed. huzzah!
unfortunately the downside to file splitter is that you cannot make an archive of multiple files and split them at the same time (without first creating the file in winrar or something...). that is where winrar comes in handy (say, for multiple tv episodes or something)
(B) d/l a free trial a winrar.
after installing, or if you already have, highlight all the files you want to add to the archive.
then right click and select "add to archive...".
in the new window that opens, do the select the following:
archive name: (whatever)
archive format: .rar
compression method: store
split to volumes, bytes: 10485760 THIS IS EXACTLY 10 MB. YOU MUST USE THIS VALUE TO CORRECTLY SPLIT THE FILES.
then click ok, and winrar will start chugging out parts in 10 mb file sizes.
the files are now prepped to be added to the gmail drive.
OTHER USEFUL TIDBITS[/i]
GMAIL DOES NOT ALLOW THE UPLOADING OF .ZIP FILES FOR SECURITY REASONS. PLEASE USE WINRAR TO .RAR YOUR FILES, OR THE FILE SPLITTER TO SPLIT THEM.
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