Directly modify Google Drive files with desktop applications! FREE for 24 hours on GOTD!

#11

It's not letting me download via the push link, and it's not sending me an email link.

Reply | Comment by Rick – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#10

Having read all comments, it seems worth a try. One Question: how long is the license good for? A year? Or is it 'lifetime' with no upgrades?
RARH

Reply | Comment by R Hartley – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)

R Hartley, as far as I can tell it is lifetime with no updates.

Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

#9

This program requires access to your Google account and all information associated. So it can see your gmail, google docs (etc), google photos. That is a lot of information. For the convenience of making Google Drive accessible from your computer. If you use Windows you already have given Microsoft access to a lot of information. If you are using the Google ecosystem, and some are, this is a handy program. (If you can access it, there was an illuminating article about the Google Ad system in the June 17 2019 Wall Street Journal.)
I think the possible convenience of this for "ordinary" users comes at a high price in terms of privacy.

Reply | Comment by OldGuy – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+15)

OldGuy, do you have any indication that this program accesses any other google API other than that of googledrive? OR that this program diseminates any data on the selected google drive account to any 3rd party (including the developer/vendor)? Or are you assuming this windows desktop program is a free android app funded by data mining like the rest of google services?

If you were at all concerend about privacy you would never used ANY free google product and gmail would be the first google product to go if there is ANY concern over any company spying on ones emails and email contacts for their own financial and intelectual gain.

Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

TK, One has a choice. Choosing to use Google products is one level. Choosing to give a third party, pretty much unknown, access to all your Google data is another level. I simply pointed out the choice and the cost. The third party may be more easily breached (because they have fewer protective resources) than Google. Weigh the benefits.

Reply | Comment by OldGuy – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#8

If anyone reading this has a Microsoft OneDrive account, they will recognize that this gives Google Drive a SIMILAR capability. In OneDrive, for each file or folder, you have the capability of having each file or folder on your local drive or only having a link to that file or folder. So, if initially the file or folder is on your local drive, you right-click on it and choose "Free up space" and it then becomes a link to that item in the Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage. Then, for example, using Irfanview or any other software, you may view the linked file or folder by opening the linked file from that software without opening a browser.

Reply | Comment by Stuart Berg – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+17)

Stuart Berg, Not sure I follow; wish you had offered a more detailed explanation (i.e., I opened FILE EXPLORER, right-clicked on a file but did not see a FREE UP SPACE option). But I'll think about it, so thanks!

Reply | Comment by dan – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Hi Dan,
These websites should be of help to you:
https://winaero.com/blog/free-space-onedrive-files/
https://winaero.com/blog/enable-onedrive-files-demand/
Stu

Reply | Comment by Stuart Berg – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Stuart Berg, Thanks for your follow-up!
Dan

Reply | Comment by dan – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#7

This installs and runs ok under Windows Vista SP2+ but has a couple of problems. One is when it launches the system default browser to login/logout of google account it reuses the current browser tab which means it swipes away that tabs content (pre-typed form data etc) and to add insult to injury Googles Deny/Allow page closes the tab after you deny to logout of the program or Allow to login to the Google drive with the program. End result the program will gradually go through all your default browser tabs and close them all as you login and out of the google drive.
The program NEEDS to change its launching of the default browser by opening a NEW TAB for its use so it does not steal an existing browser tabs content and then destroy the tab at the end of the procedure. It is unable to delete (move to trash) items originally owned by someone else in the Owner field but a copy of which is in ones OWN google drive. This is a design error since we can remove such items in google drive desktop client and in google drives web interface. The only time we cannot delete content with a different owner is if that content is in the OWNERS google drive and shared with us but NOT on our google drive AND the shared folder does not have full access and just has read only access.
We also cannot view or modify the access rights to files or folders from within this program either. So to delete copies of content shared by a 3rd parties from your google drive and to change or view content access rights one still has to use google drives web interface or the desktop google drive client program.

The programs main executable really should be digitally signed at some point for integrity sake. And unless otherwise stated by the vendor or GAOTD one should consider this as not having free updates or upgrades and deny any request to update or upgrade to a future version UNLESS the program had been rendered inoperative by some google drive API change. At which point you’d have nothing to lose anyway) You can prevent upgrade checks by blocking internet access for the program gdocsdriveupdator.exe within the programs installation folder or rename it or delete it or replace it with a 0 byte length file.

Regarding data security as with ALL sensitive data if it’s important independently encrypt it BEFORE uploading it any online service and don’t share the key via the same companys products. In my honest opinion there is no greater risk in using Chinese programs than using big USA companies products since it is well known that USA software vendors are complicit with USA nation state actors e.g. NSA in either placing specific vulnerabilities into their products and keeping them there until exposed by interested 3rd parties so that nation state cyber espionage/warfare actors can use them against their allies and competitors. I believe it is done this way so it can be said there are no back door access to Windows (for example) but there may be security vulnerabilities that we may patch as they become at risk of becoming public knowledge. I personally believe the pressure regarding certain Chinese manufacturers by USA government is not really about genuine demonstrable activities but is being used purely to add weight to the trade war negotiations and is basically an anti-competitive abuse of power when USA companies don’t even have equivalent 5G technology to sell but do compete on other product lines.

I shall be keeping this program as it’s a good start and with a little more work it should realise it’s potential quite well but has some utility with a small footprint as is.
License shows no sign of expiration in this versions gveaway.... so overall a thumbs up from me.

This installs and runs ok under Windows Vista SP2+ but has a couple of problems. One is when it launches the system default browser to login/logout of google account it reuses the current browser tab which means it swipes away that tabs content (pre-typed form data etc) and to add insult to injury Googles Deny/Allow page closes the tab after you deny to logout of the program or Allow to login to the Google drive with the program. End result the program will gradually go through all your default browser tabs and close them all as you login and out of the google drive.
The program NEEDS to change its launching of the default browser by opening a NEW TAB for its use so it does not steal an existing browser tabs content and then destroy the tab at the end of the procedure. It is unable to delete (move to trash) items originally owned by someone else in the Owner field but a copy of which is in ones OWN google drive. This is a design error since we can remove such items in google drive desktop client and in  google drives web interface. The only time we cannot delete content with a different owner is if that content is in the OWNERS google drive and shared with us but NOT on our google drive AND the shared folder does not have full access and just has read only access.
We also cannot view or modify the access rights to files or folders from within this program either. So to delete copies of content shared by a 3rd parties from your google drive and to change or view content access rights one still has to use google drives web interface or the desktop google drive client program.

The programs main executable really should be digitally signed at some point for integrity sake. And unless otherwise stated by the vendor or GAOTD one should consider this as not having free updates or upgrades and deny any request to update or upgrade to a future version UNLESS the program had been rendered inoperative by some google drive API change. At which point you’d have nothing to lose anyway) You can prevent upgrade checks by blocking internet access for the program gdocsdriveupdator.exe within the programs installation folder or rename it or delete it or replace it with a 0 byte length file.

Regarding data security as with ALL sensitive data if it’s important independently encrypt it BEFORE uploading it any online service and don’t share the key via the same companys products. In my honest opinion there is no greater risk in using Chinese programs than using big USA companies products since it is well known that USA software vendors are complicit with USA nation state actors e.g. NSA in either placing specific vulnerabilities into their products and keeping them there until exposed by interested 3rd parties so that nation state cyber espionage/warfare actors can use them against their allies and competitors. I believe it is done this way so it can be said there are no back door access to Windows (for example) but there may be security vulnerabilities that we may patch as they become at risk of becoming public knowledge. I personally believe the pressure regarding certain Chinese manufacturers by USA government is not really about genuine demonstrable activities but is being used purely to add weight to the trade war negotiations and is basically an anti-competitive abuse of power when USA companies don’t even have equivalent 5G technology to sell but do compete on other product lines.

I shall be keeping this program as it’s a good start and with a little more work it should realise it’s potential quite well but has some utility with a small footprint as is.
License shows no sign of expiration in this versions gveaway.... so overall a thumbs up from me.

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Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+15)

#6

One of its "features" is that it saves potential gigabytes of hard drive space, by storing all the documents in Google's cloud.
Nice, but I feel safer having those documents on my hard drive, as well as in the cloud. That is, I use the cloud as backup, not as my primary storage.

Reply | Comment by Bruce Fraser – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+6)

Bruce Fraser, no one is forcing you to delete your local copy of the files you used this to upload... what it is enablling you to do is drag and drop files and folders from your documents folder onto this programs window and have them upload directly to google drive without making an ADDITIONAL copy on your system too. A manual backup of the files and folders with no redundent local extra duplicate. Maybe a "Send To GDocDrive" entry in the context menu could be useful too...

Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+4)

TK,
Re: "no one is forcing you to delete your local copy of the files you used this to upload."
That's true, for existing files. However, on the software's FAQ page, it says, "The files are all stored in Google’s cloud. They do not require any local disk space." So it sounds like updates and new files are not stored locally.

Reply | Comment by Bruce Fraser – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Bruce Fraser, if the updates came from a different machine obviously they will not be downloaded and synced by this program as it is not a folder sync client that keeps a local copy of the google drive BUT you can download any file from your google drive storage to your current windows machine and put it where you want. Thi sallows you to work on a word document locally and have it create its local temporary workspace file during the edit and not have that temporary file synced to your google drive and only when you are finished editing and closed the file drag and drop it into this programs window. You control what is synced or refreshed from other devices sync to your google drive. Of course you can manually keep a copy of all your google drive locally on local NAS device if you want too. It is basicaly a program google drive user interface for a subset of the web browser google drive interface. No more no less. It's not for everyone and will be useful to some.

Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

TK,
Thanks for your patience with me, and your detailed explanation. Much appreciated! I'll give it a try and see how it goes.

Reply | Comment by Bruce Fraser – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#5

Where do you get the license key?

Reply | Comment by JD – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-3)

JD, Were have you looked? Or have you even looked at what you downloaded from this site?

Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

#4

What is the point of this software?
Why would a person need it if he is using a desktop PC?
What is the problem with going through a browser to Google drive?
Why would a person need to avoid using a browser?
What great advantage would it give against a situation where it is not being used; and the normal process of going through a browser is done?
If the need for it is so great, then why are there not 20 different software companies writing such genre of software? Like for example word processor software or spreadsheet software.
Or would Google itself not thought of it in the first place?

Reply | Comment by ricohflex – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+2)

.
[ ricohflex ],

Your remote cloud Google Drive becomes just another "local" folder, so you can browse right along with other local folders ( and other remote cloud folders brought to appear local ) in one Windows File Explorer window, and then open and edit and drag and drop and copy and manage files right along with your other local files, back and forth, all at the same time, all in one window.

For instance, I can point to a JPG, open it with IrfanView, save an edited copy it to another folder, local or on Google Drive, open the next file local or on Google Drive, and continue working with IrfanView's own open and save commands without having to leave and do separate file management tasks in a browser in the middle of a series of file tasks in a particular application ( like IrfanView in my example ).

There are other programs that make Google Drive and other remote cloud storage appear as a local folder.

Google WANTS folks to use the cloud because then Google can charge RENT, so Google has no incentive to develop file management programs for computers themselves, in fact, Google has been eliminating programs that only work local, like discontinuing support for Google Picasa image management.

You have great questions, so why not install the program and tell us how it contributes to your productivity, or not -- we all use our computers differently, and oddly the same, overlapping.

Tell us more.
.
.

Reply | Comment by Peter Blaise – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+27)

ricohflex, Chill out, man...

It is very useful. Point.

...

Reply | Comment by Mac – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-1)

Peter Blaise, been a user of various leading cloud drives. Found MSFT easiest to handle. Google second, main nit there is the file mgt. Was finding it slowish & hardish to do some basic things like renaming, moving among folders, link creation.
So giving this a try to see if helps.
Questioning as to the upcoming split by Google of its two cloud platforms (Photo & Drive). Do I assume this program while continue working as is with Drive but not have access to the then separate Photo one? Thanks GOTD.

Reply | Comment by beergas – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+3)

Peter Blaise, And I thought Google wants people to use their cloud storage for the same reason as they want people to use their cloud applications in that they want unfettered access to users data to mine for advertising and AI training use, one would hope they are not data mining for inventions and other Intelectual property yet to be patented as that would be an evil act and google has a claimed motto of don't be evil.... probably as valid as the USA mantra "In God we trust" as they want to build a wall and cling desperatly to firearms for self protection rather than the reason stated in their 2nd Ammendment....

Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+5)

#3

Hi,

I must congratulate GOTD for this offer. It is a must have for everyone.

A nice app to have as a shortcut in our desktop in order to keep all our essential files and folders safe in our GDrive account, only with the drag of the mouse.

Thank you very much.
Regards.

Mac

Reply | Comment by Mac – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+1)

Mac, I don't use Google products or services of any kind or online storage for that matter.

Reply | Comment by Thomas Black – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (-2)

Thomas Black, have you conducted a forensic audit of your internet connections to confirm that? Several 3rd party websites are hosted on google owned servers you know...

Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+6)

TK, You missed his point which I agree with him on.
All types of storage in cloud should be avoided, all use of streaming should be avoided.

We need to get back to we store our self on our own pc's or small server easy to build even for no computer knowledge people you buy a NAS server.

We need to stop the trend of Steam, Netflix and so forth.

Reply | Comment by Nimras186 – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

Nimras186, I did not see that as HIS point His was anti-google primarily, I see it as your point and in part agree and in part disagree... online storage is used EVERYDAY your emails are are stored and transfered online as are your chat messages and every web page you view... you may need to bycott streaming services but the only resiliant way to sync devices across the interent is using commercialy hosted servers. Your domestic broadband is not resiliant or secure enough to host an internet facing private NAS cloud! If you think it is you are deluded!

Reply | Comment by TK – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+4)

TK, I do not matter to me where they are hosted as I do not have a Google Account of any kind.

Reply | Comment by Thomas Black – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (0)

#2

Very useful for transferring files between systems. Allows long file lists to be displayed on a large computer screen rather than a tiny smartphone screen. Very small computer footprint.

Files appear to be Read Only. Google would not grant permission to Modify or Delete. However, that may be a matter of settings.

Possible security problem: Application does not seem to provide a Google Logout capability.

Reply | Comment by ssTal – 4 years ago – Did you find this comment useful? yes | no (+13)

#1

Very easy installation and adding key on Win10 64bit home.

Just what I have been looking for. A file manager without having files on my local computer.