[Deadboy]

Is there any online service that provides free permanent storage(i.e. the files are never deleted)?

[smax013]

Deadboy, on 23 April 2012 - 10:48 AM, said:

Is there any online service that provides free permanent storage(i.e. the files are never deleted)?

It kind of depends on what you are considering as "never deleted".

If you are talking about it is never deleted by anyone but you as long as the site is in business or does not change business plans/services and they don't "screw up" etc, then yes.

If you are talking about "never, ever delete in a thousand years no matter what", then no. Any site/service could go out of business or change their services. A reputable, decent sized site/service most likely will give you warning that you can copy/move your files elsewhere, but there might still be circumstances that they cannot control (i.e. being shutdown due to a court order, but if it is a reputable site, then this should be unlikely).

The point is that there are always circumstances that might result in a service not being able to keep your files running, but if it is a reputable, good size service, then the odds of it "going down" should be limited.

For example, Dropbox has free online storage that is nominally permanent. In other words, no one deletes files but you. Now, this assumes they stay in business, don't "screw up" (i.e. get hacked, have a crash that losses files [although they likely would have a backup], etc), don't get shut down due to a court order, don't have a service outage due to any number of reasons, don't change their business plan (i.e. decide to start charging money even for their most basic account), etc. But, since Dropbox is a fairly popular, reputable and successful service, the odds of any of those happening are fairly slim.

Regardless of how likely you think a company may be around in the future, YOU SHOULD STILL BACKUP ANY FILES ON A ONLINE STORAGE SERVICE, as they all can potentially disappear at a moment's notice. I have read stories of online storage or backup services that go out of business with no warning and leave people hanging. That is a big reason why I don't trust any online storage/backup service too much. I mainly use online storage services (I don't use online backup services at all) for some specific files that I want to have available to multiple devices for just about anywhere...but those files are still backed up locally on my own to external drives, etc.

[Deadboy]

I Know nothing is permanent.The earth could be destroyed and everything could be lost.I was thinking about 'relatively less temporary.'

smax013, on 23 April 2012 - 11:25 AM, said:

Deadboy, on 23 April 2012 - 10:48 AM, said:

Is there any online service that provides free permanent storage(i.e. the files are never deleted)?

It kind of depends on what you are considering as "never deleted".

If you are talking about it is never deleted by anyone but you as long as the site is in business or does not change business plans/services and they don't "screw up" etc, then yes.

If you are talking about "never, ever delete in a thousand years no matter what", then no. Any site/service could go out of business or change their services. A reputable, decent sized site/service most likely will give you warning that you can copy/move your files elsewhere, but there might still be circumstances that they cannot control (i.e. being shutdown due to a court order, but if it is a reputable site, then this should be unlikely).

The point is that there are always circumstances that might result in a service not being able to keep your files running, but if it is a reputable, good size service, then the odds of it "going down" should be limited.

For example, Dropbox has free online storage that is nominally permanent. In other words, no one deletes files but you. Now, this assumes they stay in business, don't "screw up" (i.e. get hacked, have a crash that losses files [although they likely would have a backup], etc), don't get shut down due to a court order, don't have a service outage due to any number of reasons, don't change their business plan (i.e. decide to start charging money even for their most basic account), etc. But, since Dropbox is a fairly popular, reputable and successful service, the odds of any of those happening are fairly slim.

Regardless of how likely you think a company may be around in the future, YOU SHOULD STILL BACKUP ANY FILES ON A ONLINE STORAGE SERVICE, as they all can potentially disappear at a moment's notice. I have read stories of online storage or backup services that go out of business with no warning and leave people hanging. That is a big reason why I don't trust any online storage/backup service too much. I mainly use online storage services (I don't use online backup services at all) for some specific files that I want to have available to multiple devices for just about anywhere...but those files are still backed up locally on my own to external drives, etc.

[LiveBrianD]

As far as companies going of business, I think skydrive and google drive (just launched today) are your best bets.

[smax013]

LiveBrianD, on 24 April 2012 - 03:56 PM, said:

As far as companies going of business, I think skydrive and google drive (just launched today) are your best bets.

Not necessarily.

Yes, it is not too likely that either Microsoft or Google are going out of business anytime soon, but there is nothing to say they may not change their services/business models.

Case in point, Apple has had "online storage" along the lines of Dropbox or Skydrive as part of their MobileMe service for a while, but it is going away in June due to their "switch" to iCloud. Yes, you have "online storage" as part of iCloud, but it is kind of an automatic "hidden" storage that you cannot access in the same ways a iDisk (MobileMe's online storage) or DropBox or SkyDrive...i.e. like an "Internet drive". So, even though Apple is not going out of business anytime soon, they did change their services/business model in such a way that anyone using iDisk is outta luck. But...they did give LOTS of notice (like more than a year) so people can find alternatives.

[smax013]

Deadboy, on 24 April 2012 - 09:56 AM, said:

I Know nothing is permanent.The earth could be destroyed and everything could be lost.I was thinking about 'relatively less temporary.'

Then look at DropBox, SkyDrive, Google Drive. These are some of the "major players", who are not likely to go anywhere anytime soon. All three offer some limited storage for free, but you can pay for more storage.

[LiveBrianD]

Fyi, if you join dropbox, create an account using someone's referral link, as you'll start out with an extra 500MB. For instance, here's mine: http://db.tt/G8ELwEI (note: I've already maxed out my referral space, so although you get an extra 500MB, I don't.)

[ReviverSoft]

It would have to be either SkyDrive or Google Drive. Both offer plenty of features and seamless integration.

[A41202813]

I Have My 20+ Year Scripts Backed Up In Several Local Hard Drives And Several Online Storage Services, As Well.

I Only Use Services That:

A - Are Free, Up To A Maximum Storage,

B - Let The Browser Do All The Uploads And Downloads - No Proprietary Software In My Machines Is Deciding What I Should Backup Or Not,

C - Demand A Login For More Private Storage.

Through My Profile Information It Is Possible To Access A Page Called 'DROPBOX CLONES' - Each Service Has Comments, Like Maximum Free Storage, And Eventual Pros And Cons - Especially Cons.