GMail Drive - tested

GMail Drive allows to use the big file space to be accessed from Windows Explorer, if you already have a Google mail e-mail account. Let's see how it works.
Dec 2005

Installation

Go to this page http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm and download the file, extract, and click on setup.exe. You will have to enter your login details, then you go. The app logs you in and you can drag and drop files.

Usage

When you drop a file into the GMail Drive window, it will upload the file and create an e-mail with that file.

If you want to access your files from another computer, just login to your GMail account, and open that message in Inbox. If you delete the e-mail with the file from your inbox, it will disappear also from GMail Drive the next time you login/refresh.

I think this is a great idea, really easy to use, you can even create folders! To change the login name, right click on GMail Drive icon in the folder tree. To update contents in Explorer, press F5.

The author calls it Windows Gmail Shell extension, but let's just keep things simple and say GMail Drive.

There are some issues though: upload speed and pop3 access.

• If you have an ADSL connection like me, upload times for larger MB files can be long. Also, file size is limited to 10 MB and file names to 40 chars maxiumum (limitation by Google as of Dec 2005).
• The other thing is pop3 - I download all my mail from gmail with pop3 access, and I delete e-mails from gmail during pop3 download. The workaround for this is simply to set up another GMail account and use that for your file storage.

Other than that, just go and use it - it's great and free!

GMail Drive in Windows Explorer

GMail Drive with a file in your Inbox

GMail Drive with a file in a message

Links

• GMail Drive - viksoe.dk
• Google Mail (Gmail) - gmail.com
• GMail Drive discussion - fileforum.betanews.com
• PHP Gmail Drive (PGD) - pgd.sourceforge.net
• GMail FS (for Linux) - richard.jones.name
• xmail hard drive (web based) - xmailharddrive.com

Last edited on 29-Jan-2006.

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(c) Imre Oliver Kozak and @Foxpop.