14 DAY TRIAL // Online storage is news long expired, but I bet that if I throw in "free" and "5GB of space" chances are that interest will rise. Let's do that. So we have 5GB of free online storage. If that's still trivial and you think of Gmail's capacity which is continuously growing, ponder some more on the amount of that space that you really need or actually use and over the fact that if you employ gimmicks like Gmail Drive or Gspace your upload is still limited to 19MB.
Enter 4shared.com offering uploads of files of up to 100MB, 5GB of online space, easy to manage Explorer-like interface and the possibility to share your files (but only if you want to). Given that this is an online service, the operating system is a detail that will not stand in your way, so you can access your files from anywhere.
The web interface you are going to work with is extremely easy to use thanks to the Explorer-like layout. In the upper part of web window there is the toolbar that allows you the minimum actions, such as moving back and forth, going up one level, cut/copy/paste files, delete them altogether from the virtual drive or create a new folder. Additional functions at your disposal include sharing a selected folder with other users (and the great part is that you get to set permissions and enforce protection against unauthorized persons) or email a document.
Sharing a file or folder can also be done through the link activation button which once enabled will take you to the same sharing settings screen as the button in the toolbar. What you can do here is protect the document with a password so that only the persons you trust can download it. You are also provided with a sharing link which takes you to the download page of the shared file.
If you move onward to Permissions tab you will notice that you can upload files, agree that they be viewed or create subfolders, delete or rename files or admit the inclusion of the files in the selected folder to appear in the public search results (these are the files shared between all the users) but be warned that indexing can take up to 48 hours.
In the lower right hand part of the virtual drive view you can see the space occupied, in percentage, so you will practically know at all times the room you have left. Sure, it would be great if you had the information in actual KB or MB, but percentage will have to do.
The 5GB virtual drive sports two types of views for its users: thumbnail view and list view. Regardless of which you decide upon, you will still benefit from the rename, delete and download options either at one end of the file or below it. Deleting a file will send it to the Recycle Bin so if you accidentally eliminate an item you can easily recuperate it.
However, I noticed that while uploading multiple files one at a time not all items will reach the destination so transferring them one by one will get them on the virtual drive. During the carry-over you will benefit from transfer speed and an estimated time for completion of the process as well as elapsed time.
The service is great if you need a place to store files you need constantly and don't have a portable storage device to hold them. Plus since it can be accessed from any Internet connected computer it substitutes the portable storage device allowing you to travel even lighter. 5GB of space is an offer not many other services can offer and the possibility of sharing the data on the virtual drive as well as protect it with a password is something definitely worth a peek.